💾 Archived View for kvothe.one › gemlog › 2020-09-20.gmi captured on 2020-09-24 at 00:47:28. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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InvisibleUp wrote an AWESOME article about the concept of an online "third space," which I'd love to share with y'all:
InvisibleUp - "All Our Selves In One Basket"
It occurred to me while reading her article that this is EXACTLY what I've been seeking out, and she enumerated the problems with ownership of the third space, both physical and electronic, oh so well!
Taking a step back in time, I realize that some of the most fun I've had online has been in communities that felt like they had a physical presence. Two such communities were Ultima Online back around the turn of the millennium and Puzzle Pirates some 5 years after that.
Previously, I've attributed my love of these games to nostalgia, rose-tinted glasses and all, but perhaps it was the simulation of a physical space that made them such fertile grounds for online community. Ultima Online even had fan-written newspapers! It felt REAL in a way that hasn't been approximated by anything I've played since.
I think that the economics and infinite allure of microtransactions has all but destroyed the virtual third space I remember so fondly. That, and the partitioning of software silos. You have your PlayStation silo, your XBox silo, your Nintendo Switch silo, your iOS and Android silos. We've strayed so far from general purpose computing that you'd really have a hard time inviting your friends to your third space because they've not paid rent to YOUR electronic landlord.
I think Gemini, gopher, the tildeverse, the Fediverse, private message boards, grid-style computing clusters, IRC, et. al. are accreting folks that want that third space to be more co-op than commercial, and that's really cool. Still, I can't help but long for something that bridges the uncanny valley of the electronic and makes me feel PRESENT, like Ultima Online and Puzzle Pirates had once before.
Maybe that's a big ask. Servers cost money, designs are prone to bikeshedding and forking, and there is tremendous incentive to monetize anything that even looks like it might get popular.
But these rose-tinted glasses of mine were colored by the verdant fields that came before. Perhaps a garden can be planted in the concrete jungle and bring us joy once again.
Until next time, be well!
kvothe.