Magnitudinal Stages in Canon Development

A Waldzell Forum Essay [in preparation]

Last modified: Thu 4/3/97 1845 PST

Sources

• Line: Calendrical Time in the Waldzell Canon

Notes

The organization and behavior of Waldzell will evolve through several stages, some of which can already be predicted and planned for. The stage transitions are roughly defined by orders of magnitude in the growth of the inventory of Canon terms. The primary goal during each stage is to achieve all the prerequisites for evolution of Waldzell through the next transition and into the next stage.

• Stage 0: The Canon does not yet contain 10 terms. The goal during this stage is to establish the minimum structure required to enable at least one Waldzell GBG to be played, and the terms used there to be submitted to the Canon. Stage 0 was begun in 10401 HE (1975/1976 CE).
• Stage 1: The Canon contains between 10 and 100 terms. The goal during this stage is to promote a stable but relatively minimal version of the Waldzell GBG on an informal basis, so that the next stage transition can be passed after a few games. Stage 1 was reached on 28(9) 10422 HE (March 6th, 1997 CE).
• Stage 2: The Canon contains between 100 and 1,000 terms. The goal during this stage is to publish details of the initial, minimal version of the Waldzell GBG on the World Wide Web and to make the website known to a selected group of well-wishing players. The games of this expanded group of players will drive Waldzell through the next stage transition. The current target date for reaching Stage 2 is 1(11) 10422 HE (April 7th, 1997 CE).
• Stage 3: The Canon contains between 1,000 and 10,000 terms. The goals during this stage are to increment the Canon Ontology and the rules of the Waldzell GBG to appeal to a more diverse and anonymous audience, publish the new version on the website, and promote the website on a wider basis (concentrating on audiences that are likely to be favorably inclined to the idea of the Glass Bead Game). This widening dissemination will drive Waldzell through the next stage transition. The current target date for reaching Stage 3 is 1(1) 10423 HE (July 4th, 1997).
• Stage 4: The Canon contains between 10,000 and 100,000 terms. The goals during this stage are to diversify the Waldzell GBG into more formal, face-to-face settings, starting in the Puget Sound watershed. The experience gained from intense personal interaction will be used to increment the Canon Ontology and the rules of the Waldzell GBG through several versions until, near the end of the stage, a stable plateau with proven breadth of coverage has been reached. This intensive broadening of scope will eventually drive Waldzell through the next stage transition. The current target date for reaching Stage 4 is 1(1) 10424 HE (July 4th, 1998 CE).
• Stage 5: The Canon contains between 100,000 and 1,000,000 terms. The goal during this stage is to encourage widespread recreational use of the Waldzell GBG in broad areas of art, technology and science -- both in its various online forms and in formal and informal face-to-face settings. New mechanisms will be devised and deployed for managing the greater size and complexity of the Canon and of the Game Archive. Formal channels of communication for Waldzell GBG players, beyond what is provided by the now highly professionalized website, will be established -- in electronic or print media or both. The widespread use of the Waldzell GBG over an extended period of time, and the self-awareness of the community of players that is engendered in this stage, will drive Waldzell through the next stage transition. The current target date for reaching Stage 5 is 1(1) 10425 HE (July 6th, 1999).
• Stage 6: The Canon contains between 1,000,000 and 10,000,000 terms. The goal during this stage is to encourage the diversification of the Waldzell GBG into the formal educational and professional arenas. Champions will be found within the various professional and educational sectors, and the development of self-aware subgroups of Waldzell players will be engendered throughout this stage. The realization of economic benefit of the Waldzell GBG in many areas of professional life will drive Waldzell through the next stage transition. The current target date for reaching Stage 6 is 1(1) 10427 HE (2001 CE).
• Stage 7: The Canon contains more than 10,000,000 terms. Now that the previously recreational function of the Waldzell GBG has been merged with the economic concerns of the people who play it, further growth and development of the Canon can be expected to be self-sustaining. In any event, the Canon will have taken on a life of its own -- largely independent of the kind of planning efforts engaged in during previous stages. The current target date for reaching Stage 7 is 1(1) 10432 HE (2006 CE).