Issue #34: 5 Mecheir 2757
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
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 | Thoughts & Reflections: An Interview with Malarthiby Jebe and ArabellaRegardless of your place within the Ankhet community, it is likely that you know of the disciple Malarthi. Whether you are an older player who has had much interaction with him or a new player just starting out, the name Malarthi frequently graces the commune, the heralds, and on occasion the announcements as well. Thus, no matter what ones personal opinions or history with Malarthi entail, that fact that he is an integral part of the community can not be denied. It was for this reason that we took the opportunity to speak with Malarthi to get his thoughts and reflections on the Ankhet community. Malarthi first became a disciple over a year ago on 21 Thoth 2756, and since signing up has played an active part within the game. We started our interview on a more personal level, inquiring about the controller behind the disciple. Throughout the last few weeks, Malarthi has made no secret of the fact that he was about to embark on a new stage in his real life with the start of college. Laughing off our congratulations over this, he joked, "It's the next step in world domination!" but continued with, "Really, I'm just excited to really be spreading my wings in the world, getting outside my 'shell' and meeting people, trying new things etc. It's been a great experience so far!" When asked if this would affect his presence in the community, Malarthi's response was "If I can stay active, I'd really like to." When asked to elaborate on why this game is important to him, and what exactly draws him into it, he replied, "I enjoy the interactions between players most of the time, it's a great thing to see, people helping each other. It's really what keeps me coming back, the spark of decency that, just when you think is completely gone comes back to keep the fire alive." It's no secret that Malarthi has often come under attack in the forums or been at the center of political debates and issues. For this reason, we opted to ask about his personal philosophy and game style. According to Malarthi, he does not enjoy attacking people. "I'm a fluffy, for the most part. I'm not particularly interested in conflict, I'd much rather solve things with words. Unfortunately that's not the current climate in Ankhet; people don't take you seriously unless you have 'vocal' skills far in excess of what I can articulate, or if you carry a large stick." He went on to explain that, "While the thrill of pulling off a particularly cunning maneuver may be rewarding and involve attacking in some way, I strongly dislike attacking to its own ends. Some people attack to attack, but I don't think that's good, nor do I think it's healthy. I think attacks should be well reasoned. I always try and ask myself if what I'm about to do is necessary; usually the answer is yes. Unfortunately things don't always turn out the way you want them to, but that's part of what makes Ankhet so fun and interesting!" He does believe that, "The interplay between Spikes and Fluffies makes the world go 'round." Also claiming that, "Without both, we wouldn't have the epic scale conflicts that then get hashed out, or the new friendships and alliances that are forged." Malarthi expanded on this question by going on to explain how he looks at the community in relation to his personal philosophy. Seeming rather optimistic about the mindset of the disciples here, Malarthi remarked "I generally subscribe to the idea that no one wakes up in the morning and thinks to themselves "How can I fuck someone over in the worst possible way today?" People aren't like that; at least I don't think so." When it comes to playing the game in terms of quests and such, Malarthi admits to taking "a pretty laid back approach to levelling and gaining items." As he has been an active member of Ankhet for some time, Malarthi admits that his playing style has changed as he has grown as a disciple. When asked to be more specific, he said, "When I started, I felt like I knew a lot less about people outside the limited interactions I'd had in school with people who don't make up the majority of the population. Ankhet has given me a chance to see a wide spectrum of people who don't all think the same. I think that's done a lot for me understanding and empathizing with others." Our interview then moved to the topic of Ankhet itself, mainly the current environment which can be seen within the community. Malarthi feels that, "the recent acquisition of another round of Chuma items makes the game very interesting." He went on to claim, "Now that there are two sets out there, I think it's a lot more likely we'll see some fights over who's strong enough to keep hold of them." When pressed for his opinion on the potential fights that could break out over these items, Malarthi's response was, "Chuma items are meant to cause strife. If they do that, they're doing their job. It's voluntary PVP that has the potential for great rewards." But at the same time, Malarthi feels that some of the recent events being seen in the community are not healthy for the game. "I think a couple of disciples are running roughshod over the community and doing whatever they want, good or bad, without anyone challenging their actions. I find that disheartening as Ankhet is about community interaction. If people aren't willing to speak up then what does that mean for the future of the game?" Malarthi further expanded on this topic with the claim that, "While it's great that new things are happening in Ankhet, disciples in general seem to be slipping into a state of apathy." When asked for an explanation he went on to say, "I have observed that many people, who I know have opinions, don't think it worth their time to express them. In addition, there are disciples who get great fun out of derailing threads, sometimes while they're still in progress by talking about unrelated and sometimes inappropriate topics. The combination of all of these things are dragging Ankhet down, bringing it closer to being a place that no one wants to inhabit. I recognize the need for everyone to be able to play the game the way they want to, I even respect it. It is imperative however that people realize the right to play your game stops at edges of mine." Malarthi used the following as an example to demonstrate his point, "You don't get to derail my thread for your own fun and expect everything to be fine because it's just the way you play. Ankhet gives us all the tools we need to have our own experiences without stepping on the toes of anyone else." When asked his opinion on Ankhet and equality, Malarthi was passionate in his stance. "Ankhet is designed around inequality," he claimes, "that doesn't mean people like it, but it's the case." He then went on to explain this opinion, "As in any game, those who come earlier tend to have more, and those who come later tend to have less. There's no way to balance this, nor do I believe there should be. What I do think however, is that no one disciple should ever be unassailable, or untouchable based solely on their amount of knowledge of Ankhet and the time spent grinding away. Having a lot of power is fine by me, it's what drives Ankhet forward, but having untouchable power in the hands of a single disciple is what will kill the game." Malarthi went on to finish answering this question with the statement of, "If there ever becomes someone who is all powerful, Ankhet will die." And he leaves readers to consider the following, "Who wants to play a game where at any time you can be arbitrarily struck from on high? Who would want to play as the person who can do so? In Ankhet none of us are gods, we are all supposed to be just as mortal as our neighbor." Our next question asked Malarthi what he would change about Ankhet if he was given the means and opportunity to. His response was as follows, "The main thing I would change would be to have the masses of people be able to stand up against one stronger person and make a difference. Those who are stronger have the power to dominate those who are weaker, but one person should not be able to stop arbitrary numbers of lower levelled disciples without those disciples having recourse or past experience in Ankhet. Condemn is part of the solution here, but I think that needs to be tweaked some and other similar solutions need to be implemented, such as adding an effect to disallow inventory use and one each for temporarily lowering maximum vitality and maximum anima, to make even higher levelled disciples assailable by lower levels." The quote that Malarthi thinks best describes the world of Ankhet is, "THERE ARE NO COURTS IN ANKHET. JUST DISCIPLES WITH BIGGER BATS." by Bill Door and his favourite path thus far has been Selket, which he has recently returned to. Malarthi leaves readers with the following, "People say a lot of things about me. Not all of them are true. Some are influenced by my personality as a person (as opposed to as a disciple), some are motivated by personal feelings of particular disciples towards me and some are just plain true. We all make mistakes, some larger than others. It happens every day." He also welcomes any telepaths to just talk, to answer a question, or if anyone has questions about the actions he takes, and why he has taken them. And lastly, he leaves the community with this quote, "Everything in life comes to you as a teacher. Pay attention. Learn quickly" --Unidentified Cherokee woman, speaking to her grandson Communal Commentaryby an Opinionated ObserverBefore I begin, I must direct my apologies to Arabella, who was Nomarch of Light at the time of Aethlas's joke. Now then... Ah yes, poor Nefertiti! After all her attempts at providing thrilling and exciting 'news' for us to read, it only results in an attempted Desecration (or perhaps 'super-paradox' as a certain Clown would have us believe.) Hey Clown is now confined to the underworld for 14 consecutive days. Will this kill his lust for Desecration, or will history repeat? Is an Ennui on the cards? Not only that, but Arabella has abandoned her previous 'family' of Dominions and is currently going solo. Speaking of 'family,' in a jaw-dropping display of PR we are informed that Light, Luz and Lite have had an amicable divorce and are no longer affiliated. Except for the convenient 'dominion hopping' that will still occur, and a very inconclusive reply regarding their database access. Oh yes, the three Dominions have definitely separated! In a controversial move, cloud made a great pretense of moving to Desecrate Euplicitous Aerophram. Apparently there wasn't enough outrage over Nefertiti being blocked from our pleasant land for 24 hours! Perhaps those strained familial relations took their toll, can cloud handle being apart from his Queen much longer? Meanwhile, the lovely villagers and mafia scum are still embroiled in their murderous affair. Some of the longest days in history have occurred, deadlocks and re-counts have slowed proceedings, and Altair seemed to disappear even after his promise to whip things into shape! Sheer boredom will be the death of the audience, never mind the villagers, if this carries on much longer. Attempted Desecration, accusations of cheating, incitements to violence and yet another Kauket slaying - all in all, a quiet week in Ankhet. Top of the GameHere are the current Ankhets: (Bold indicates a change from the previous issue)
From the Editor's DeskEnjoying TAG? Want to see it continue?Contribute! Please send any questions, comments, or submissions to AnkhetGazette@gmail.com. Submissions for Wednesday's issue should be in by Monday evening. Previous Issues can be viewed by using the Archives button below. View Archives | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In Memoriam: Ninjalicious