God's Imitator

Yao Yuan explained, ”’Evidence’ is relatively straightforward to define. Anything that clearly points toward a specific person as a possible Imitator can be used as grounds to open a trial.

”To give a fairly extreme example: if a draft of Gao Teng’s game design were stumbled upon by another player in the community, that draft could serve as evidence to name Gao Teng as a suspect.

”Of course, that kind of situation is an extreme exception, and finding concrete physical evidence is very difficult in practice.

”So when no physical evidence is available, a complete and coherent chain of reasoning that demonstrates someone is the Imitator can also be used to open a trial.

”I don’t think opening a trial needs to involve a special procedure or a separate vote.

”Because the motion already includes the false accusation penalty. If the accuser cannot provide a solid chain of reasoning or sufficient evidence, their own risk is substantial, so they would be unlikely to open a trial without being well prepared.

”Or, if people still feel uneasy about it, an additional rule could be added: at least one of the community’s three core game players must support opening the trial before it can proceed.

”That would provide a modest additional check.”

Ye Lin’s brow furrowed slightly, but she eventually said, ”Perhaps that would be better.”

As the player who had drafted the most motions in the community, Yao Yuan had given thorough thought to nearly every one of them before presenting them, which made it difficult to find any truly fatal flaw.The points raised by He Qinyun and Ye Lin were each met quickly with either a fitting explanation or a proposed adjustment.

But that didn’t mean the Community Trial Rules would pass without difficulty. The mere existence of such a rule was enough to give players pause.

So even though no one raised a concrete objection in the short term, no one moved to express open support for the motion either.

Yao Yuan continued, ”There’s no need to reach a decision right away.

”I put this draft together in a short amount of time, and it certainly isn’t perfect.

”This is a serious matter, and we agreed from the outset that we wouldn’t vote until next week. Today is simply about laying out the specific details so everyone has sufficient time to think through them.

”In the meantime, you might also want to turn your attention to the first motion, the Community Speaking Rule.”

Many players picked the first page back up. Seeing how much shorter it was, more than one of them exhaled quietly with relief.

Compared to the weightier motion, this one felt far more approachable.

Lu Qi looked slightly puzzled, ”I’m not entirely sure I understand.

”Brother Lu mentioned two points earlier. First, if anyone finds a clue about the Imitator but can’t raise it openly, they can share it privately with someone they trust.

”Second, everyone should speak during discussions.

”I assumed both of those were just suggestions. How did the second one become a formal motion?

”It doesn’t seem all that necessary, honestly.”

Yao Yuan explained, ”The first point genuinely doesn’t need to be formalised as a motion, partly because our goal isn’t to encourage players to form private factions. That could fracture the community.

”It’s simply a reminder that this is something players can do when necessary. We neither encourage it nor discourage it.

”But the second point does warrant a formal motion.

”From the Imitator’s perspective, they hold information others don’t. That makes it relatively easy to let something slip in ordinary conversation, which means they have to remain constantly alert and think carefully before every word they say.

”The optimal strategy for them is to say as little as possible, or nothing at all.

”There’s an old saying that words can get you into trouble, and silence never does. Everyone knows that.

”And there happen to be quite a few players in this community who naturally say very little. They’re almost certainly not the Imitator, but they may simply have nothing particular to say and prefer to stay quiet. That incidentally provides excellent cover for the Imitator.

”Of course, I’m not suggesting the Imitator must be among the quieter players.

”But either way, this motion doesn’t carry significant downsides.

”If a quiet player isn’t the Imitator, no matter what they say, they won’t reveal anything only the Imitator would know, and there’s no real additional risk to them.

”Only the Imitator would feel genuine pressure from this rule.

”And the reason it needs to be a formal motion is that without one, it simply won’t hold.

”There will always be players who instinctively resist speaking up, who avoid it, or who say just enough to satisfy the bare minimum without really contributing.

”We could try to enforce it through social pressure, rotating who speaks and keeping time at each meeting, but if a motion can handle that automatically, why go to the trouble?

”Codifying it in a motion is both more precise and more effective.

”Of course, the requirements in this motion are not strict, and the penalty is not heavy. Its symbolic value outweighs its practical effect.

”After all, it’s only a mandatory one minute of speaking and a 500-minute visa time fine.

”It’s a bit like a parking ticket. The amount isn’t large, but it still provides a meaningful deterrent.

”Unless someone has a particular reason to resist, there shouldn’t be any objection to accepting a consequence this minor.”

Yao Yuan paused briefly and continued, ”And encouraging everyone to speak up actively also carries an additional benefit.

”In the past, debriefs have often been led by a small number of players while the majority simply listen, and it’s hard to say how much the listeners actually absorb or take away.

”Once everyone is required to speak, even if some contributions are shallow or even a little laughable, there is still value in it. At the very least, players can work through their own questions, develop faster, and we can all get a clearer picture of where each person actually stands.

”It’s the same principle as a teacher who hopes all students will participate actively in class, and especially makes a point of calling on the quieter students in turn.”

Lu Bingjun looked around the room, ”The motion concerning the Imitator is a serious matter, and everyone should take the documents home and think carefully. We’ll hold the vote next week.

”For now, we can consider settling the Community Speaking Rule.

”If no one has any further amendments, I think we can go ahead and vote.”

No one raised a clear objection. Lu Bingjun submitted the motion at the Community Management Office, and everyone cast their vote.

[A player has submitted a motion. The community has reviewed and approved it for voting.]

[Motion content: New ’Community Speaking Rule.’]

[In favour: 9 votes]

[Against: 6 votes]

[The ’Community Speaking Rule’ is established.]

Lu Qi looked mildly surprised, ”Wait, that many votes against?”

She was clearly not the only one surprised by the result, because the motion itself was not especially demanding, and could even be described as inconsequential. On balance, the benefits appeared to clearly outweigh the drawbacks.

Most players had instinctively assumed the opposition would number at most one or two votes. Six felt significantly more than expected.