Opinion of Litmuse MOO

When we visited the Litmuse MOO in class, my initial response was one of disappointment. "Where's the pictures?" I thought. I want to see the living room and the hot tub. I want a visual avatar so that I can see it relate to the others. However, just in the few moments we were visiting, I begin to enjoy it and realize the potential that an environment such as this might have. The most intriguing element of this MOO was its encyclopedic value. Because each visitor of this MOO brings along with them different levels of education and intelligence, the MOO becomes a wealth of information. The potential to communicate with scholars in literary studies, historians and other professionals makes it better than any reference material currently found in the library. Also the different cultural resources that each individual brings to the MOO is exceptional. As we were on the MOO, we had people from several different ethnic backgrounds and different perspectives on life. The exchange of information regarding just that has the capability to impact and maybe even change some of our stereotypical thinking. MOO's allow us the opportunity to broaden our definative categories as we learn more about people. The spatial aspect in MOO's is well addressed. Individuals participating in this environment have the ability to visit rooms on top of rooms, finding different things in each. The space is unlimited except by the creator's imagination. I can imagine that the Litmuse environment is probably not the most elaborate MOO available and it was difficult to explore all of its different rooms. The participatory element in the MOO is that the visitor has the ability to move from room to room at will. There are few limitations to how you move. I say few because one thing I found was that if I was in a room in the North, I might only be able to travel North or South. On several occassions I was told that I could not go in the direction I was attempting to go in. However, by simply using the "go to" command, I could go easily get around this problem. The MOO is procedural as it very well has to be. In order to protect the integrity of the site and the experience of the users, the inventor creates environments with specific characteristics. These environmental characteristics tend to manipulate the user into behaving in a particular way. For example, the hot tub encouraged us to be more playful, the library encourage us to be more serious. Overall, I found the MOO to be a fascinating place with endless possibilities, as long as its powers are used for good. :> The MOO inevitably has the potential for some not so pleasurable or intellectual experiences to take place.