Dream Month in review *Neutral Discussion about Dreams, Yavn, State of VMK*

[SilentPedro]

Alright, it is nearing the end of the month. I am going to give my review of the theme this month.

Dream month. I was smart enough not to buy into the hype, and looking back, I'm glad.
Many dreams have come true, others have shattered. From what I've seen and heard, they should have called it, "Let's AFK This Room!" month.

A typical day on VMK during the month of Sept. would be me logging in and entering a
public room, to find many people, but all of them AFK item farming. I come to VMK to socialize, not talk to myself in
a room full of zombies.

The distribution of the dream items has been a subject of controversy.
Generally, the people who have not had their dreams come true say the system is terrible, while those that have received something are the exact opposite. There are, of course, exceptions to this.

Several times, I entered a room about 15 minutes after a HOST had been there, and those
rooms were Zerg Rushed (And I say that with a bit of sarcasm, but it's the feeling I had) with people.
"Where is Hula?" "How do I get my ears?" etc.

Of course, to be fair, many people have enjoyed Dream Month. The cool new items
have kept many great people and friends on VMK and the "thrill of the hunt for HOSTS" has a unique appeal.

Another thing that has people asking questions is Yavn. He is nowhere to be found.
His disappearance from the friend lists of people has everyone talking.
Judging by what people have been saying, there are 4 "theories."

-Yavn has left VMK for good
-His character has been deleted or wiped of all data
-Yavn is traveling again
-Yavn has gone under a new username

Obviously, it is up to you about what to believe, but one thing that everyone has come to accept: something is up.

And finally, the current state of VMK. It has come a long way in the last several years, but where is it going?
A day may come when VMK's renewal is denied.
As much fun as VMK is, remember its original purpose: Publicity for Disney Theme Parks.

As long as VMK has a dedicated fan base like it does now, I don't think they would take it away anytime soon.

Anyways, that is just my opinion. I am highly interested in your thoughts and opinions. Feel free to share them.

 

[bytheblood]

I think Yavn took a hike.

 

[Cardinal]

I think Yavn took a hike.

Oh, does Adventures by Disney do that too?

 

[VMK_KrazyLuke]

Maybe I add to this?

I think Yavn took a LONG hike to never return again.

 

[llama62]

lol funny. i think dreams month is frustrating though.

 

[DazzleMagic]

you know, it was a fun month. I was/am very new to VMK, and didn't have a lot of friends, and always hoped that I would run into one of the DISers in the game, but never knew quite how to find you all During this month, I made so many friends, I probably would have never met, or it would have taken a lot longer. I got dream ears, shirt, pins, but most of all I enjoyed the new friends!

I am kind of glad this month is coming to an end. It just got a little crazy, IMO. I hoped to get the dream room, and camped out in one room for hours, and then got disappointed when it didn't happen. It seemed like everyone was excited the beginning of the month, but towards the end, people get angrier, and mean!! I know it must be frustrating to still have nothing, even though I think most have at least one dream item now.

I for one am looking forward to Halloween month! It'll be my first on VMK!

 

[SilentPedro]

I think everybody knows something fishy is going on.

 

[bytheblood]

Now that I have more than 3 seconds, I wanted to post to your thread about your comments.

Dream month. I was smart enough not to buy into the hype, and looking back, I'm glad. Many dreams have come true, others have shattered. From what I've seen and heard, they should have called it, "Let's AFK This Room!" month.

Agreed. I understand why so many went afk so often. It is great talking to your VMK friends, but given some of the ridiculous and unnecessary bans, people are afraid to say to too much now. I am very choosy about who I talk to these days and many times, I find that when comments are made, my response is generally "lalala" instead of a reply. Too much 'against the values' talking going on these days and I do not see anything being done to control that. VMK is too worried about name changes and banning people for getting codes from WDW or WDL. Also, with the limited dictionary and the fear of getting banned over dictionary dancing, I am very cautious about what I say.

A typical day on VMK during the month of Sept. would be me logging in and entering a public room, to find many people, but all of them AFK item farming. I come to VMK to socialize, not talk to myself in a room full of zombies.

This has its postivies and negatives. Socializing on VMK is great, but that fear of getting banned unnecessarily or mistakely lives in a lot of peoples minds these days. I was a "victim" of an accidental ban and now I am afraid to do anything for fear of a real ban again.

Playing games is a lot more fun than standing around a room hoping a host will come. I was lucky enough to win two pairs of ears and a dream room, but I did find I made virtual friends and that was the best part of it.

I was able to meet Dissers on VMK and get a glimpse of what kind of person they are in real life. There are some Dissers who I found out are just the coolest people due to the theme this month. Overall, that makes this month a total bonus. I don't mean to stir up anything, but I am going to say this anyway.....On the flipside, I found out that there are some people who are very cliquish like children (who are actually adults) due to this month and that virtual person also gave me a glimpse of who they really are and that I found interesting as well. And I will leave it at that.

Like many, I have a very busy life and do not have much time to devote to VMK or anything else PC related. I work 55 - 60 hours a week, have dinners to make, a kid to take care of, a husband who needs me for this and that, blah blah blah.....afk has been great for me on a few occassions while I do something I need to and did not want to disconnect. Some people claim not to have a life outside of the computer and I think that is great if that is what they want to do and how they choose to spend their time chasing hosts , but that does not work for all of us. Sometimes when I look at my post count, I do this to myself -----> and think of all of the other things I could be doing.

The distribution of the dream items has been a subject of controversy.
Generally, the people who have not had their dreams come true say the system is terrible, while those that have received something are the exact opposite. There are, of course, exceptions to this.

In the beginning I thought there might have been some favoritism behind it, but after I started understanding how the system worked, that thought quickly dissipated. I changed my mind before I won anything. I think that it is a bit unfair, given my winnings and all, that there are many, especially children, who do not have anything. I am hoping that VMK will do something to make the ears available to everybody after this month is over.

Another thing that has people asking questions is Yavn. He is nowhere to be found.
His disappearance from the friend lists of people has everyone talking.
Judging by what people have been saying, there are 4 "theories."

-Yavn has left VMK for good
-His character has been deleted or wiped of all data
-Yavn is traveling again
-Yavn has gone under a new username

Well, I think one of several things has happened.
1 - His contract was for 2 years and it is over...he is moving on.
2 - The penguin people (who's game stinks like a 3 month old dead fish by the way) have told him his services are no longer required.
2 - Yavn is tired of all of the complaining as well as the children on the game that cannot follow the rules, whose parents are not parenting and perhaps even the scamming, taken, baby, and report button abuse has driven him to the loony bin.

Obviously, it is up to you about what to believe, but one thing that everyone has come to accept: something is up.

I could not agree more.

And finally, the current state of VMK. It has come a long way in the last several years, but where is it going? A day may come when VMK's renewal is denied. As much fun as VMK is, remember its original purpose: Publicity for Disney Theme Parks.

Agreed again. As I have said many times before....if it is not putting money in Mickey's pockets, it is no longer useful to the corporation. As much as we all love Disney, we have to remember that they are there to turn a profit.

Perhaps they are getting ready to move to pay to play? If that is the case, I will not pay $6 a month so that I can gain virtual items. ($72 a year) I would rather buy some games for a DS, Cube or X-Box. Or, get my dogs teeth cleaned.

The name changes taking place in masses make very clear that something is going on in regards to the Disney/VMK relationship.

It could also be that VMK has just reached it end and they are throwing in the towel. Whatever it may be, let's take some advice that Woody gave to Buzz...Let's enjoy it while it lasts.

As long as VMK has a dedicated fan base like it does now, I don't think they would take it away anytime soon.

This is where I have to disagree with you. See comment above about Mickey and his deep pockets. ( Don't take it personal Mickey. I love you and your big ears!!)

 

[whs_singingrose]

you know, it was a fun month. I was/am very new to VMK, and didn't have a lot of friends, and always hoped that I would run into one of the DISers in the game, but never knew quite how to find you all During this month, I made so many friends, I probably would have never met, or it would have taken a lot longer. I got dream ears, shirt, pins, but most of all I enjoyed the new friends!

I am kind of glad this month is coming to an end. It just got a little crazy, IMO. I hoped to get the dream room, and camped out in one room for hours, and then got disappointed when it didn't happen. It seemed like everyone was excited the beginning of the month, but towards the end, people get angrier, and mean!! I know it must be frustrating to still have nothing, even though I think most have at least one dream item now.

I for one am looking forward to Halloween month! It'll be my first on VMK!

hmm.. I wonder who one of you Bestest Vmk friends is? lol
we spend way to mych time together and go crazy! Btw: How is my Afk Queen? I didn't get to talk to you in the game tonight!

Personally, I loved this month for the fact that I now have more Dis people on my friends list because we hung out in rooms for the whole night.. every night.

 

[DazzleMagic]

hmm.. I wonder who one of you Bestest Vmk friends is? lol
we spend way to mych time together and go crazy! Btw: How is my Afk Queen? I didn't get to talk to you in the game tonight!

Personally, I loved this month for the fact that I now have more Dis people on my friends list because we hung out in rooms for the whole night.. every night.

you of course Well, you didn't get to talk to me because I was afk!

 

[cteddiesgirl]

As long as VMK has a dedicated fan base like it does now, I don't think they would take it away anytime soon.

It doesn't matter what kind of fan base VMK has. Ultimately, if it's not making money for Disney, then they will take it offline. Since Walt died, the company has been almost nothing but about the bottom line. I realized that VMK could closed at any moment from the time I started playing 2 years ago. And it's still true today.


As for everything else, who really knows what's going on.
I do happen to think that Yavn may not be steering the ship any more. Whether he left, he was promoted elsewhere, his contract up, or he was fired, no one knows except the company and Yavn. I do wish him the best no matter what has happend.

 

[SorcererDonald16]

You make some very, very good points, SilentPedro. Below are my thoughts.

AFK rooms:
From a personal standpoint, I have to go AFK at different times. I'm in grad school, I work, and I just don't have time to be on the computer staring at VMK 3 hours or more at a time. Related to that, the past week especially has been awful; my computer freezes for an hour at a time sometimes, and I can't see or do anything. So while I may seem AFK, I really am not but just can't move or talk. So, I can understand why folks go afk. But I also totally relate in that when you are there and present and it's quiet as a mouse, it's strange. Usually you're lucky to find one person there to talk to, and sometimes they aren't the friendliest of sorts. I find I much more enjoyed myself when I stuck to my own guest rooms, but I gave that up once I realized most castle rooms were awarded in public rooms, or so it seemed.

The awarding of dreams:
This will be lengthy, so hang with me please. I will be perfectly honest here. I hate how this month is designed, how prizes are awarded, all of it. I think it is absolutely awful, and yes I have won a pair of ears and the Adventureland set. My boy character won the tron items. I think it is horrible that if we want a prize we need to be in game for hours on end just to hope we will somehow be in the right place at the right time. It is bad for children especially who are not allowed to be on the computer all day; their chances are drastically reduced. I'm finishing my degree in school counseling and if children are in the game all these hours, it's not easy to guess their grades will go down the drain in many cases. Everyone should be able to get a prize without having to spend hours on the computer.

As for the room, that is what bothers me the most about this month. Not only do you need to be in the right room at the right time, but you have to either be sitting in the right place or wearing the right thing, apparently. This especially got to me today. I had been in the same room for hours talking with another DISer, and my computer finally froze. I didn't see it, but a host came and a room was awarded. All those hours, all those days, and I finally happened to be in the right room! But I still did not win. I'm happy for everyone who wins, but I was and still am sad, and if I as a 20-something adult am so bummed, children must be also. I know life is not fair, I know we can't have all we want. But this is not real life, this is a game. I do not understand why everyone cannot have a reasonable shot at getting everything in this game. Yes, that includes Inferno, Stitch, beta, all of it. I have seen friends turn against friends because of this month, the nastiness level in people reach the nth degree over virtual items (yes, I may be bummed over virtual items not coming my way, but I sure am not being mean to people over them! ), people driven to tears, and so on. As I said in jest early in the month, it's not Dreams Month, it's Nightmare Month. In the parks it's different; you have rides and shows and all to be entertained by. Sure, it stinks that I never even saw the in-park Dream Team when I went in March, but I was just happy to be in WDW. VMK is very different; for many people, there is a joy in collecting things, so naturally many people are hanging around hoping to win. To make it so impossible for so many things just seems silly to me. But I keep thinking back to the message we get when we enter a code... "You'll be the envy of the kingdom." And I am sorry, but I have a very real problem with that message, figuratively speaking.

And on an unrelated note, with the Resort price hikes and the ticket price hikes, I may not be able to go back next year as I was so looking forward to. Just looking at the castle in person is a dream unattainable for many because of cost; so why must it be next to impossible to win that room? I just do not get it. At all.


Yavn:
I have no clue what is up, but when the mentions of VMK on his site first went away over the summer, I thought that was very interesting, to say the least. Who knows what has happened, but I think it's clear that something is up in terms of the game. In-park quests going away, Host games dwindling then going away, no Host prizes, and so on. I personally don't have a good feeling about all of this, but that is just me.

In summary:
All I know is VMK used to be a place that was my escape from stress and a source of fun for me. Now I am upset by it more than I enjoy it. A lot has changed this year especially, and I have not liked much of it.

 

[ForeverWDW]

Dreams Month - What a nightmare and blessing it has been for all of us, Hosts and Staff included. For months it seemed to always be rushing to get more credit, got to get more credits and why? All the brand new shiny items they were selling. As much as we complained about the 2 grand for the new tables, I wonder how many thousands they ended up selling? I know I bought more than I should have. And the new snack carts at a grand a piece? I for one was tired of all the credit running around. It's been nice to sit around chat and have lots of laughs with old and new friends. However with that said I find it to have been a very discouraging month for a lot of kids (young in real and young at heart). Many people have still not seen one host all month and I know they have put in a lot more hours hanging around then they should have had too. And then there are the real kids, How cruel is it to know that so many have ears and want to give them away and make them non tradeable? You know how many moms I have seen that would give their left and right arm to be able to trade them to their own kids? It's sad, very very sad. However I am still not going to give up hope on the VMK staff to find a way to fix all this. So staff if you are listening let me propose this: To make this month a month where dreams really do come true How about a simple quest for those hats and pins the kiddos want so very badly? No 5 grand on fireworks ( an almost impossible feat for us adults never mind the younger crowd) just an honest to goodness simple but fun VMK quest with dreamy questions to be answered. We have all enjoyed this month of hanging out with our friends but we all know how nasty it is about to get this last week.

The state of VMK - hmm I do whole heartedly agree on the 'against the values talking' getting way out of control and nothing being done. I sat in one room for well over 20 minutes reporting a guest and his friends for clearly swearing in game to other players. Twenty minutes?!? nothing was done while he continued to swear the entire time laughing bc he knew nothing would be done. Finally the boy must have crashed and I decided to pop into another room and ran into staff chatting away with players. I did say Staff and not Host. When I questioned this staff person why the reports were not answered and why the behavior was allowed to continue They gave the "I dont know " answer. Oh come on 20 minutes and I know I must have reported at least a dozen times. Many others had reported as well. Then there has been the references to outside sites, places people live, ages, grade levels in schools, my list goes on and on. I cringe each time I see it said and report anyways. But the sad fact is sometimes I report so if I get banned there is a record I reported the behavior and was not part of it. Saving my own skin reports is what I feel like.

Dear old Yavn, seriously I hope nothing bad has happened to him. I hope he is off on some tropical beach somewhere soaking up the sun. Not likely but would explain alot of why he is not back yet. His behavior has been odd since the start of summer. At first I chalked it up to new releases, new staffing issues, and generally needing a break for the summer. But as more and more time flies by the more we are all wondering where he is off to. Has he quit or been fired? Is he sick or taking a extended break? Is he working on some really cool items and just doesnt have time? But why was his page taken down? Why no newsletter in almost 2 months? And why would he clear his friend list? Oh I know! Yavn got a title change and is now OldCrazyMonkey! or maybe he is Guest19743012? hehe Anyways Yavn if your out there show some signs of life even if your not with VMK anymore. We would hate for you and your stuff to get deleted from not signing in for 6 months.

 

[JulyGirl]

I'm still on the fence about Dreams Month. I know so many players who can't spend hours a day waiting for Dream Ears. This does not mean they don't want them. I have seen a host 1 time and luckily I was given ears. I've spent way too much time trying to get them. I almost wish the ears were given out as a Host game prize. At least you know if you can get in the room, you have a chance at winning. With the Dream Team, you don't know if you have a chance at all.

I think Yavn is no longer with us on VMK. The game just does not "feel" the same. That's not to say that I don't enjoy it. I still love the game, but it seems like the "heart" of the game is not there. Halloween will tell the tale for me.

 

[amazingsuperpixie]

I think Yavn is no longer with us on VMK. The game just does not "feel" the same. That's not to say that I don't enjoy it. I still love the game, but it seems like the "heart" of the game is not there. Halloween will tell the tale for me.

I agree with you here. If Halloween/Halloween month is anything like this month for me, I don't think that I will be playing VMK much longer.

 

[Iris]

All good points from posts above. My thoughts are still with the kids. I can't imagine how frustrating it would be for a child to try to win any sort of dream prize when I myself, as an adult, am getting so frustrated I could scream, and I should know better.

I also do not have the time to be at the computer all day long in hopes of seeing a host. I was lucky to win a pair of ears and a pin and I think at this point I must settle for this. I have bascially kept my girls away from this event because I did not want them to suffer the frustration of trying to win something. With so many instances of rooms, the odds seem to be stacked against us and yet, I know of so many with four, five, six pairs of ears and mutlipe wins.

I am also in favor of some sort of end of month quest (in case VMK is listening) that would offer the opportunity to win at least a pair of dream ears or one of the two dream pins.

The room-- --I just see that as another incident of the "haves" and the "have nots". I am happy for some of my friends that have won the room but I am in that category of not having the room and no hopes of ever having it. I realize that this was supposed to work just like the dreams promotion at the parks, but why make something so beautiful for only a handful of lucky individuals? Even if I had won the room, I still think I would want EVERYBODY to have at least one of these rooms. Maybe those of you who have won the room don't feel that way, but I really do. Why can't we all have one of these rooms? The kids that play would just be so thrilled to have it (and adults too) and it could bring so much joy for so many little ones. Just my opinion.

So my final take on this month's promotion---I can't wait until it is over.

 

[Master Gracy]

I must say, I didn't like the past month.
(and I have won the room, three pairs of ears, and the logo pin)
they made it much too hard to get the items (which are rather nice i must admit)
I was lucky to have time this month to play as much as i did, had this been the other end of the year i would have been studying the entire time.
If one has to buy items, its a lot easier, build up credits when you have time, then log on and buy the items and log out again (instead of "room stocking")
i was very disappointed at the lack of pins, dreams furniture and anything to do with the month at all
the tiki table should not have been released so late, tiki month is when vmk should release tiki items (not in dream month )
well its almost halloween, and lets hope theres lots of new stuff to spend our credit overflow on

 

[bytheblood]

I can hear the exit doors opening...................

 

[cteddiesgirl]

I just see that as another incident of the "haves" and the "have nots". I am happy for some of my friends that have won the room but I am in that category of not having the room and no hopes of ever having it. I realize that this was supposed to work just like the dreams promotion at the parks, but why make something so beautiful for only a handful of lucky individuals? Even if I had won the room, I still think I would want EVERYBODY to have at least one of these rooms. Maybe those of you who have won the room don't feel that way, but I really do. Why can't we all have one of these rooms? The kids that play would just be so thrilled to have it (and adults too) and it could bring so much joy for so many little ones. Just my opinion.

I agree.
But I see this whole promotion as the "haves" against the "have nots". No matter what we do or do not end up with, we will each fall into either category for each item.
Hosts have already said that Dreams items will not be out again. Which I can understand since the "Year of a Million Dreams" is just about over.

Well, I see just a few hundred dreams really made and a few thousand dreams broken in VMK.

 

[Bugdozer]

I agree.
But I see this whole promotion as the "haves" against the "have nots". No matter what we do or do not end up with, we will each fall into either category for each item.
Hosts have already said that Dreams items will not be out again. Which I can understand since the "Year of a Million Dreams" is just about over.

Well, I see just a few hundred dreams really made and a few thousand dreams broken in VMK.

Hi,

The year of a million dreams is not about over. There was a press release close to a month ago that they have extended it another year to Oct. 2008. SO i guess they should call it the years of a million dreams...

I can hear the exit doors opening...................

Please take small children by the hand and watch your step.....

Bug