GSW comments on RPS comment comments
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 - 8:45pm
This is somewhat related to Disney shutting down My Virtual Kingdom, but it's more about the consequences for some rather than the game itself.
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This story has attracted a vocal response; many commenters have been quick to write it off as the closing of yet another Disney marketing MMO, but Paul showed me the unique response of a young girl named Madison who took the news in a personal way. She wrote this on her online journal:"My favorite web site, Virtual Magic Kingdom (VMK) is closing May 21st. I’m sad and MAD! I can’t live without my friends on VMK. PLEASE sign my guestbook like a petition to SAVE VMK for me and my friends. Pass my site on to everyone you know so they can help too. I love VMK cause I can WALK, TALK, EAT, DANCE, SHOP and play checkers all by myself.
PLEASE HELP ME!
Love,
Madison
p.s. VMK is GERM FREE too!
p.s.s. and no one stares at me there.
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As Paul clarified for me, Madison has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (that likely explains her post-scripts). For her, this game, DVMK, is not just a virtual place she can practice life skills free of consequence, as I mentioned earlier; this is a place where she can live life without fear or shame. It’s a place where she doesn’t need someone’s help to live an ordinary life.
Quite a tough read, IMO, and a reminder that gaming might mean more to some than to most of us.
I agree with the RPS guys take on the subject - companies that are investing people's/consumer's time in their virtual worlds or networking sites need to make sure that their get out strategies or contract agreements don't completely forget about those users. After all, who makes the companies successful? It's not as simple as switching on and off a store, it's more personal because they have allowed and counted on that personal influence to benefit their corporation's image - which, in situations like this, can be quickly lost.
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