This article was very interesting for me to know because, in general I am technologically un-savvy and do not understand anything of blogging, MUDs, or MOO rooms. I found myself reading and re-reading the explanations of what each abbreviation meant and what one could do with each.
Do I think Mr. Bungle committed rape? Yes, I do. Since rape is any forceful and unwilling act of intercourse, I think Mr. Bungle's actions fit well in that description. By using the VooDoo doll application on LambdaMOO, he forced those two women to engage in an unwilling and forceful virtual rape in a virtual reality. The line that perhaps convinced me most of this assertion was that, in the internet and any virtual technology "the body IS the mind" and thus assault on one is equally harmful and meaningful to assault on the other. I certainly believe that he violated these users in an unacceptable manner, and as rape would describe the actions he took in reality, I believe they apply to his character in this case as well.
Continuation in Class
Rape is a very charged word to use for verbal slander in this case. In general, there are certainly psychological and emotional ramifications but it's not based in reality; its an alter reality, there is no real person or victim, it's a character not a person. However, there is emotional investment in the characters in novels or stories. It is definitely possible to be traumatized by works of modern literature and work, like movies, it can be "rape" in that sense but not rape in the reality sense. Thus there is no "real victim" but it can still be horrifying.
This type of media brings into focus the human capacity for imagination, which can be terrifying. In this digital reality,you also have a choice to be on the internet and in the room but you don't have a choice to be raped. Also, you can stop once you've been violated, but it has already happened.
I grew up with fears of meeting strangers who turn out to be psycho on the internet. We have been constantly told to question the internet, asking questions about who they really are. However, what if the person you are talking to says that he's actually in the room next to you, then the internet virtual reality can tip over into real world? This type of cross over reminds me a lot of the recent film, Stranger than Fiction, a movie in which the author, writing a novel, finds that her character is a real person, and his life reflects the events in her book. It makes us realize that there is a huge difference between what you can do to a character and what you will do in reality.
Continuation in Class
Rape is a very charged word to use for verbal slander in this case. In general, there are certainly psychological and emotional ramifications but it's not based in reality; its an alter reality, there is no real person or victim, it's a character not a person. However, there is emotional investment in the characters in novels or stories. It is definitely possible to be traumatized by works of modern literature and work, like movies, it can be "rape" in that sense but not rape in the reality sense. Thus there is no "real victim" but it can still be horrifying.
This type of media brings into focus the human capacity for imagination, which can be terrifying. In this digital reality,you also have a choice to be on the internet and in the room but you don't have a choice to be raped. Also, you can stop once you've been violated, but it has already happened.
I grew up with fears of meeting strangers who turn out to be psycho on the internet. We have been constantly told to question the internet, asking questions about who they really are. However, what if the person you are talking to says that he's actually in the room next to you, then the internet virtual reality can tip over into real world? This type of cross over reminds me a lot of the recent film, Stranger than Fiction, a movie in which the author, writing a novel, finds that her character is a real person, and his life reflects the events in her book. It makes us realize that there is a huge difference between what you can do to a character and what you will do in reality.
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