Kingdoms of Camelot Part 1: Seduction and Addiction

Hello world!

Yesterday marked two months of involvement with Kings of Camelot. A good time to distill what I’ve learned and gained (and lost) so that I can somehow infuse it into my novel, The Game. The what-have-I-learned part is easier than the distilling, so, for the sake of my own sanity, I’ll start there.

1. KoC is seductive. Early on, I had to discover what was expected. A list of “quests” set my goals, and a “might” score increased as I messed around. As the might score increased, I began to earn higher ranks. By following quests and points and ranks, I trained myself to be a better and better player. And always, the little rewards and awards kept coming, making me feel smart and competent (whether or not that was true).
2. KoC is addictive. I’m reminded of training my late cat, Caspia. She occasionally stood on her hind legs in anticipation of a treat, so I encouraged the behavior, until she always stood for food. Then, I enticed her to stand for longer, and finally had her do a string of “tricks” to receive her goodie – chase me round and round the divider between the living room and kitchen, run to her indoor cat condo and climb to the highest level -- squishing her chubby belly through a tight passage (making us laugh), until she stood on hind legs at the tip top, five feet above the ground, in anticipation of her reward.

Similarly, KoC’s reinforcement schedule trained me to give over bigger and bigger chunks of time. There is a city to construct -- structures to build. They take a few seconds at first, and it’s a small inconvenience waiting for them to finish. But each one needs eight more upgrades to achieve full usefulness. Each level means a longer wait, and they begin to require resources that you need to gather. So you learn to wait longer. And longer. Soon, you are spending all day online. Trained exactly to the game’s demands as surely as Caspia atop her cat condo. 

With that lovely image, I think I’ll stop for today. But do check back for the next thrill-packed episode . . .

A New Year's Resolution about Gaming

Hell world!

     Where have I been? Good question. November just sped along until travel and holidays took over.  And December? Well, that is today's story.

     The Game, my novel, is about people and cultures. But the setting is a theme park with real-life gaming (instead of virtual). Many writers treat setting as a character. My wonderful reader’s group felt that the setting wasn’t as well developed as my other characters. 

     Consequently, just before Thanksgiving I started playing a virtual game as research.  I hoped to make the novel more attractive to gamers – and everyone else.I joined a game through Facebook called “Kingdoms of Camelot.” Within a week, I was totally addicted. Hooked. Mesmerized.  And the fascination has not worn off. (ç Understatement.)

     I became accustomed to building cities and alliances and attacking enemies, and was drawn into the community chat. I met wonderful people there.

     A gentle chiropractor in ND.

     A one-time-bad-boy carpenter, struggling to find work in the damaged economy of southern CA.

     A boy with stunning leadership skills.

     A cancer researcher in Sweden.  

     A lonely lover in East Java.

     Two Lebanese college students.

     An Australian contingent, including a Kiwi.

     Canadians, folks from the UK. People from all over the world. Relationships forming and growing.

All of which is wonderful. Superb, in fact. And similar in many ways to the community that forms in my book.. It all came together!

     Only, I need to regain control of my time.  Balance this wonderful new community with my need to work. So that’s what I’ll do.

     My first resolution of 2011.

Researching The Game

Hello World!

I’ve been thinking a lot about research lately. Most of my life I’ve worked in social science and educational research, which includes a lot of writing. Writing this book, I’ve discovered that writing includes a lot of research, as well. It is fortunate for me that the two fit so well together.

Of course, if I wrote non-fiction, I’d plan for lots of research – after all, think of all those facts! Yet day after day during the writing phase of my novel, I’d come up with answers I needed so my setting and characters would remain believable. Some were quick googles, while others took deeper research. Occasionally I lost an entire day to exploration. ! even took a class on one of my research topics.

The working title for my novel is The Game. My research made me feel like I was one of my characters, involved in my own game. Below are some examples.

Research topics for my novel The Game (selective list)

• What has contributed to various peoples growing taller in some parts of the world than in others?
• In what months do various crops mature in Eastern Washington?
• How are body hair, pubic hair and facial hair similar and different?
• Had the past 60 years of U.S. defense/war resources gone to our space program instead, where might it be today?
• What happens to the mother and the embryo during the first 3 months of pregnancy?
• What allowed the Love Israel family to continue so much longer than other communal groups?
• What changes have occurred over the past 30 years in Walla Walla and the surrounding area?
• Historically, which nationalities and ethnicities immigrated into Eastern Washington and when?
• How long do cows and goats give milk after bearing young?
• When is the yearly rodeo in the Walla Walla area?
• What advances are anticipated over the next 10 year in genetics?

Perhaps my research has been more difficult, in some ways, than non-fiction research. The variety of topics I’ve had to consider may be wider, for instance. However they compare, I now understand why some authors hire researchers on various questions. If I didn’t love the search, I could easily bog down in the writing.