Theory

[icycalm]

In response to this and other shit like it:

http://insertcredit.com/2011/09/22/who- ... ost-story/

I'll be writing a short article on the subject, probably titled something like "Why There's Nothing Predatory About So-called "Social" Gaming And Those Who Say There Is Are Imbeciles". I'll see if it can make it in the first volume, otherwise it's going in the second. In the meantime, see if you can figure out my reasoning, and if you think of a better (shorter) title, let me know.

[icycalm]

Perhaps a better title would be:

It's Not So-called "Social" Gaming That's Predatory But Those Who Denounce It

The idea is that Tim's scaremongering (OMG VIDYAGEAMS ARE DIEING!1!) is having a worse effect on the artform (by diverting attention away from the real issues) than a bunch of crappy games that no one who plays games takes seriously anyway.

[icycalm]

http://supermeatboy.com/120/SMB_TG_update___TOYS_/#b

There is an on going theme these days to use a very basic video game shell and hang a "power up carrot" in front of the player. the player sees this carrot, and wants it! all the player needs to do is a few very rudimentary repetitious actions to attain it, once they get to it, another drops down and asks them to do more... but then the catch... instead of achieving these "goals" by running on the tread mill, you can instead just pay a single dollar and you instantly get to your goal! better yet pay 10 and unlock all your goals without even having to ever play the game!

words can not express how fucking wrong and horrible this is, for games, for gamers and for the platform as a whole... this business tactic is a slap in the face to actual game design and embodies everything that is wrong with the mobile/casual video game scene.

It's bad to pay for something that gives you pleasure. That's what he's basically saying. And the designers are being "predatory" when they give you what you want. Who's to fault for prostitution: the customers or the prostitutes? (PROTIP: The fault is in your viewing of prostitution as a "fault" at all.)

And then people wonder why I have developed a god-complex. When time and again it turns out that I am the only person on the planet who is able to write anything on all these subjects THAT MAKES SOME ACTUAL SENSE, the question would rather seem to be how could I NOT develop a god-complex under these circumstances? It really feels like I am the only one around able to so much as even THINK. The fact that a few people can BE MADE to understand these explanations AFTER I HAVE WRITTEN THEM DOWN doesn't really mitigate the problem, because it is clear that without me they would have been essentially as much in the dark about everything going on around them as everyone else. Does the computer seem intelligent when doing something you have PROGRAMMED it to do?