Personally, I find that one rather grotesque, and pandering to a particular mindset.
Grotesque due to the contrived nature of the ‘challenges’ faced which turn one’s whole life into a video game, and the apparent homogeneity of preferences, and pandering due to the implicit fawning over everything the things that actually run its world are capable of.
As for this one… the creation of sentient beings for an explicit purpose leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. It feels like limiting their powers of self-determination, though I’m not sure if that’s coherent. The exact particulars of how the solar system gets remade seem a bit arbitrary, though the hands-off safeguards are interesting. I wonder what sorts of ‘gaming of the rules’ are possible...
I remember that story. I strongly dislike it. It is clearly poorly designed on a number of levels. The main characteristics are casual sex and LARPing. I think we can do better.
The best eutopia I’ve read about (which Yudkowsky also highly praised), is The Golden Oecumene.
What do you think about this one?
Also, if that post isn’t explicitly part of this sequence, I think it should be added at the end.
Personally, I find that one rather grotesque, and pandering to a particular mindset.
Grotesque due to the contrived nature of the ‘challenges’ faced which turn one’s whole life into a video game, and the apparent homogeneity of preferences, and pandering due to the implicit fawning over everything the things that actually run its world are capable of.
As for this one… the creation of sentient beings for an explicit purpose leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. It feels like limiting their powers of self-determination, though I’m not sure if that’s coherent. The exact particulars of how the solar system gets remade seem a bit arbitrary, though the hands-off safeguards are interesting. I wonder what sorts of ‘gaming of the rules’ are possible...
Agreed. And a poorly designed video game, at that. If this world was made into a game today, I can’t imagine it being as popular as Grand Theft Auto.
… which, if I understand correctly, is a game about miserable scared people doing horrible things to other miserable scared people, right?
I remember that story. I strongly dislike it. It is clearly poorly designed on a number of levels. The main characteristics are casual sex and LARPing. I think we can do better.
The best eutopia I’ve read about (which Yudkowsky also highly praised), is The Golden Oecumene.