Moove Interviews
There is a program named Moove. moove.com/. Moove is very similar to the Sims Online and offers users a thirty day free trial. Although Moove is essentially a chat room, you create a character of more-or-less any description: black, white, Asian, tall, fat, long hair, suit, dress etc; you design and decorate a house, and then move through a rather realistic 3D environment. I went into Moove and interviewed several actors about how their character changes online. Almost everyone I interviewed was very happy to answer my questions. These are the questions I asked and a sketch of the answers I received.
Are you in fact similar to your Moove actor?
The answer was almost invariably yes. Men had male actors, women female actors, and a Caribbean woman used the black female actor. I was told that hair color, style and dress also matched the real appearance their of the Moove actors. However, I was more than once seduced by female actors who, despite their claims, I strongly suspect were men.
What is Moove? Why did you join? What do you do in Moove?
Moove is essentially a chatroom, one woman was talking to her real sister when I visited her house, in other houses I found groups of friends discussing one or another topic: computer programming for example, and also I visited a German speaking house. I learned that there had been a wedding in a Moove chapel, whether this was a real marriage I was not able to deduce. Many actors I met were flirtatious and I imagine that Moove serves as a meeting place for persons seeking real dates in an uninhibited, risk-free environment. Some Moove actors told me there were several adult-clubs, and I strongly felt that some actors seemed to be expecting me to talk dirty with them, not interview them about philosophy.
How would you describe your sense of presence in Moove?
Everyone answered that Moove seemed very real at times. I would concur with their judgment. You really feel as if you are in the Moove world. The graphics are superb and the interface is comfortable once you understand it.
Could you imagine improving Moove in any way?
Most actors were happy with Moove. Some asked for more hair-styles and such things.
Other observations:
The Moove character has a broad repertoire of actions, however, outside of dialogue, the emotional rewards in Moove operate differently than in the real world. You can not really throw a vase in Moove. You can not really hug a person in Moove. Although the actor can appear to do this, the feeling is different from really hugging someone.
When I went through the Moove world and misrepresented my character: i.e., I gave myself a female actor (I am a male in the real world) I was not warmly received by all. Some were content to chat with me in my G-string and be interviewed, however several actors showed surprise, even disgust, when they discovered by real world gender.
Does a person’s personality changes online. I strongly suspect that it does. Although most actors were probably similar to their real selves, for example; one actor I interviewed appeared to be a cowboy, he had a very tough manner, I could not determine if this was his real personality however, as he became agitated with me and left. Before he left though, he discussed his past career as a chef with me. Chefs are of course often rather moody and stand-offish people. On the other hand, the misrepresented women who tried to seduce me were probably altering their real personalities. When I went out to interview disguised as a woman, I was very tempted to act womanly, especially when actors responded to me as though I were a woman, even after I revealed to them my real gender.