Changing the World

With our world growing daily, it seems almost inevitable for people to be asking for some changes. A growing world is, after all, a changing world. Some of these suggestions are valid and would make for nice add-ons to the world. There are also people that seem to ask for changes, simply for the sake of changing.

Then there are those, that seek to change the world to such an extent, that it is no longer the world we live in. I have seen requests for the ability to afflict damage to property and/or avatars. And with 'damage' I mean avatar scarring and property being torched or destroyed.

I have seen requests for There™ to be turned into a 'The Sims' type clone, with automated jobs to get tbucks (invariably these requests come from young members with no funds of their own), the ability to 'eat' and take a bath. Suggestions have been made for large 'Inter-There™' highways. I have even seen suggestions for addons (and appendages) to have 'furries' (avatars looking like foxes, rabbits or beavers etc., walking on their hind legs).

The original 'look and feel' of There™ was that of a 'Tropical vacation get-away'. With the influx of new members, that old look-and-feel seems to slowly vanish.

I personally think, that if I enter a world that I don't really like in the form it is, aside from minor changes/addons, I would simply move to another world that is more to my liking. Some people, however, seem to feel the need to change almost every aspect about There™, from the way it looks/feels, to what you can and cannot do.

The danger that lies in that, is if you take it too far, the world as we know it will have vanished forever. If that same approach is used in other virtual worlds, what we will wind up with are numerous clones, all having the same old things and nothing stands out as 'unique'.

The There™ of old had a STRONG community feeling, that somehow seems to have vanished, aside from some neighbourhoods and clubs.

Changes are being made, of course, and some of those have so far added to the world, like Tropical Adventures Amusement Park. What strikes me as odd though, is that after a (short)euphoria, the place is virtually (pardon the pun) deserted. A BIG shame really, since the place is amazing.

I get the feeling that there was an influx of the 'MTV generation'. The kind that comes home, plops on the couch, grabs the TV remote and goes "Entertain me, Dagnabbit!". It shows in the hordes standing around Zona and CosmoGirl! Village, going "I'm bored", without even looking at 'Happening Now' to see if there is anything to do. They seem to expect everything and everybody to come to them. If something new is introduced, there is a short 'hype', almost immediately followed by: "this is getting old, We want something new", technically dismissing sometimes YEARS of work in a single instant.

I have no problem with 'changes' and 'addons', but in moderation. New games, yes. Handheld props, yes. The return of Questkits, yes. The ability to 'damage' everyone and everything, HELL NO. Inter-There™ highways, nope. Furries, no.

If you feel it necessary to change the entire world, every single pixel of it, you should honestly consider if this is the right world for you........