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From: isgi@ztivax.zfe.siemens.de (Oliver Rothe)
Subject: Re: A language problem
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Date: Fri, 25 Mar 1994 14:45:50 GMT
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Neil K. Guy (neilg@fraser.sfu.ca) wrote:
> [..]                        But I must admit a certain wish that
> people would write more stuff in their native tongues. I wouldn't be
> able to get very far in a German text adventure, but I think *someone*
> should challenge the cultural imperialism of the English language in
> the domain of computers! :)

Here in Germany, the potential "playership" for a text adventure is 
very small for a couple of reasons (perhaps I should crosspost this
to soc.culture.german :-)):
1. Less computers and computer education (especially at the high school
   level).
2. Less modems (thanks to the Deutsche Bundespost) and less mailboxes,
   let alone net access.
3. Computer games are considered inferior to any other kind of application.
   Playing them is thought of as a sure sign of debility (and this is all too 
   often correct; remember "self-fulfilling prophecy").

(3.), BTW, means that no one with an college/university background in 
computer sciences would ever think of implementing something like an 
adventure authoring system (the German soul seems to be more inclined 
toward databases).
It is very unprobable that Michael J. Roberts has any German ancestors :-)

(No joke: I once read (in a German magazine) an interview with the author
 of a (not entirely unsuccessful) German text adventure. He actually 
 claimed that his professional training as a typesetter ( a respectable
 profession, but it has nothing to do with computer sciences; for Americans,
 it is roughly comparable to a training-on-the-job after finishing high 
 school) enabled him to write good parsers. 
 Of course, his interviewer accepted this. 
 Probably the same genius who wrote a review of Hollywood Hijynx for 
 the magazine in question, reporting he had played it for three hours 
 and had scored 0 (sic!) points; which is not altogether atypical for
 the reviewers of German computer gaming magazines...)

Enough of that,

    Oliver

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Oliver Rothe				isgi@ztivax.zfe.siemens.de
		also reachable via:	100265.1543@compuserve.com



