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> It's starting to all seem like Farmville. Something terribly boring, that somehow the general public has convinced itself is a lot of fun. Is it really such

by v64 11y ago

> It's starting to all seem like Farmville. Something terribly boring, that somehow the general public has convinced itself is a lot of fun. Is it really such a crazy idea that people like things that you don't? I like football and don't like soccer. Some people have fun playing Farmville. There's no objective criteria for entertainment, everyones' brain is tickled in different ways by different activities.

jimbokun 11y ago
"Some people have fun playing Farmville." Do they? I had this in mind when I made that comment: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-cleverest-explanation-as-to-why-zynga-is-a-multi-billion-company-you-will-ever-read-2010-4 http://www.businessinsider.com/the-cleverest-explanation-as-... Makes an interesting argument about Farmville's success being based more on creating social obligations, than on being inherently enjoyable. I was wondering if some of football's continuing popularity also rests on social obligations, like people in your municipality talking about the team, wearing the jerseys, posting messages on social media, participating in fantasy leagues, and using support of the team as a proxy for civic pride. I suspect there are those, like yourself, who actually like watching the games. But I also suspect there are a large number of people who watch for social reasons.
- irishcoffee 11y ago
  > I suspect there are those, like yourself, who actually like watching the games. But I also suspect there are a large number of people who watch for social reasons. I just can't be on the internet anymore without reading about 'social' anymore. People watch teen mom for 'social' reasons, or 'the bachelor' for social reasons. Top chef, hells kitchen, x-files, I can keep going. Humans are 'social' creatures by nature. Competition is human by nature. Survival of the fittest, feats of strength, preening, showing off, being knowledgeable about current events, speaking intelligently about the goings-on on the world, communication and idle chat about pop culture, thats how some people relate in their day-to-day 'shallow' interactions with others. I can't do this whole 'social' thing anymore. Its almost getting to the point where prime numbers are offensive, because they're too unique, its not fair to the other numbers. Am I alone in this? Am I just that ignorant? Sincere question, as I'm a fairly left-leaning person highly motivated to bring the 'little guy' up and make a positive impact on humanity.

by v64 11y ago

jimbokun 11y ago

"Some people have fun playing Farmville." Do they? I had this in mind when I made that comment: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-cleverest-explanation-as-to-why-zynga-is-a-multi-billion-company-you-will-ever-read-2010-4 http://www.businessinsider.com/the-cleverest-explanation-as-... Makes an interesting argument about Farmville's success being based more on creating social obligations, than on being inherently enjoyable. I was wondering if some of football's continuing popularity also rests on social obligations, like people in your municipality talking about the team, wearing the jerseys, posting messages on social media, participating in fantasy leagues, and using support of the team as a proxy for civic pride. I suspect there are those, like yourself, who actually like watching the games. But I also suspect there are a large number of people who watch for social reasons.

irishcoffee 11y ago
> I suspect there are those, like yourself, who actually like watching the games. But I also suspect there are a large number of people who watch for social reasons. I just can't be on the internet anymore without reading about 'social' anymore. People watch teen mom for 'social' reasons, or 'the bachelor' for social reasons. Top chef, hells kitchen, x-files, I can keep going. Humans are 'social' creatures by nature. Competition is human by nature. Survival of the fittest, feats of strength, preening, showing off, being knowledgeable about current events, speaking intelligently about the goings-on on the world, communication and idle chat about pop culture, thats how some people relate in their day-to-day 'shallow' interactions with others. I can't do this whole 'social' thing anymore. Its almost getting to the point where prime numbers are offensive, because they're too unique, its not fair to the other numbers. Am I alone in this? Am I just that ignorant? Sincere question, as I'm a fairly left-leaning person highly motivated to bring the 'little guy' up and make a positive impact on humanity.