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Nevertheless, it is difficult to imagine seventy-three million people playing a game that isn’t fun to play, just to keep up with the Joneses. I couldn't disag

Nevertheless, it is difficult to imagine seventy-three million people playing a game that isn’t fun to play, just to keep up with the Joneses. I couldn't disagree more with this. Ever glimpsed at WoW guild politics? Many people get involved in this game because it's possible to keep up with the Joneses in-game, if not in real life. This is not a small nitpicking point. Games like these develop complicated social webs and social capital because they create a reality preferable to the one we live in, one in which anyone can see a path to success, a path that they are in control of. The real world is more ambiguous.

piguy314 17y ago
I was addicted to world of warcraft for about 18 months and I finally came to the conclusion that I was mostly using it as a "success surrogate." It was much easier for me to be successful in game than in real life, and the cycle time was much shorter. In an MMORPG you can achieve meaningful progress in your avatar in one weekend of solid grinding, but in real life to achieve meaningful results usually takes weeks, months or years of hard work. It was partly the immediacy of the rewards that made the game so compelling I think.
- patio11 17y ago
  I think that was a large portion of the attraction for me, too. Plus, all the mental engagement of running a guild filled a void in my life, since my job was not very mentally engaging at the time. (Running a guild is of comparable complexity to running a fairly simple business like a hairdresser or restaurant, except with a bigger staff. You have employee relations, accounting, governance issues, embezzlement, the whole nine yards.) I've said it before and I'll say it again: you can structure your business such that it is also a success surrogate. Less dragons, better loot. (A sufficiently data-driven business can produce shiny pixels of happiness every week out of a few hours of effort. Trust me.)
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piguy314 17y ago

I was addicted to world of warcraft for about 18 months and I finally came to the conclusion that I was mostly using it as a "success surrogate." It was much easier for me to be successful in game than in real life, and the cycle time was much shorter. In an MMORPG you can achieve meaningful progress in your avatar in one weekend of solid grinding, but in real life to achieve meaningful results usually takes weeks, months or years of hard work. It was partly the immediacy of the rewards that made the game so compelling I think.

patio11 17y ago
I think that was a large portion of the attraction for me, too. Plus, all the mental engagement of running a guild filled a void in my life, since my job was not very mentally engaging at the time. (Running a guild is of comparable complexity to running a fairly simple business like a hairdresser or restaurant, except with a bigger staff. You have employee relations, accounting, governance issues, embezzlement, the whole nine yards.) I've said it before and I'll say it again: you can structure your business such that it is also a success surrogate. Less dragons, better loot. (A sufficiently data-driven business can produce shiny pixels of happiness every week out of a few hours of effort. Trust me.)

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