Shorah!
My name is Mia, and true to my username, I'm getting my Master's degree in archival studies, focusing on video games and digital records. I am here and formally introducing myself because I have chosen to do a case study of MOULa as a final project for my degree, and to examine the incredible journey of Uru and its citizens as an example of how a massively multiplayer online game can survive and thrive as this one has. This topic is not often discussed in my profession, so I hope to show how Cyan and the fan community responded to Uru's closures and how MOULa can be an example for other MMOs in terms of preservation strategies.
I definitely want to stress that MOULa isn't going anywhere! In fact, part of my argument about the preservation of MMOs is that it's necessary to keep them alive in some fashion, and my main focus is on how the fan community and the development team approached this challenge for MOULa.
I will be consulting with Cyan to get their perspective on how Uru Live transformed into the MOULa of today, and in short order I may put out a call for interviewees here, if anyone wishes to contribute (I'm still in the process of designing my study so I'm not sure how many interviews I'll be doing yet).
My project is being fully supervised, and will adhere to the Canadian Tri-Council Policy Statement on research ethics; so in the interest of full disclosure I'll say that I may have run into a few of you already during my travels in the game, but I have not gathered any information whatsoever about anyone's names, whereabouts, or activities. This post is intended to let everyone know why I am here, and none of my research will involve documenting anyone without their knowledge. I will not make any observations without informing people ahead of time so that informed consent can be provided, and, of course, consent can also be rescinded at any time.
If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to message me, and I would be more than happy to answer them. Chogon is also aware of my presence and has offered to answer questions as well.
Thank you! Mia, aka TheArchivist
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