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I don't think this is an increasing phenomena due to games getting 'better' as much as due to the economic climate. Even children do it, I did. It can be a good

I don't think this is an increasing phenomena due to games getting 'better' as much as due to the economic climate. Even children do it, I did. It can be a good thing and a bad thing. The reason I am a hacker and earn a living as a 'professional software engineer' today, have worked in the games industry and now also at a startup is all because of the interest in games and software generated during my childhood playing video games in order to get escapism from the bullies. Games seemed a thing of beauty the way there were balanced. Even if the protagonist is getting attacked by one hundred enemies the programmer will provide some ability to fight back. Games are pleasurable because the 'hard work' you put in pays off. Life is not always like that, it's only sometimes like that, and for some people it doesn't seem to matter how hard they work, there's a lot of hopeless places to live in the world. People don't want to live in the USA and other places because they want easy access to Disney Land, they just want to play a fairer game. Now the fact that this is happening in the US, indicates that the economic situation is not as good as it once was for some people. If it improves people would come out of the games because there would be opportunity outside in the real world and anyone would pick the real world rather than games in that case because games are created by people and are rather limited and dull imitations of our real world, our real world is infinitely more interesting and complex.

Asooka 10y ago
Yeah I don't think games are different than anything else you can get addicted to. They're healthier than drugs and alcohol and keep you out of trouble. You don't even get the acute physical dependence you do with alcohol and they don't really make you dumber like some drugs. If someone is spending all day playing games, they have a mental health problem, or literally nothing better to do, which could be a societal problem. I mean at some point you can decide fuck it, the game is rigged, there's nothing I can do for my future, let me enjoy myself while I can. We've seen this play out with gangs, alcohol and plenty of other things more destructive than gamea.
intended 10y ago
I disagree - and I also think the counter point needs to be more dispersed. A majority of the games created today are straight up skinner boxes which engender and support addictive/gambling behaviors. Especially since today, most games are in your mobile phone and not your PC/Console. These programs use random reward schedules, linear reward schedules, everything. They use it with constantly fine tuned schedules, and with constant feedback. These are machines, which send dopamine shots to the brain at precision tool levels. There is no real world analogue that can beat 1) Random chance of huge drop (dopamine hit) 2) Clear performance metrics showing steps to next dopamine hit 3) Timers showing when next free dopamine hit is coming 4) Social tie ins to increase reach and invoke community/social mental systems as well as social proof/buy in 5) Streamlined, A/B tested interfaces and messaging. 6) Leader boards for the competitive 7) Mobile and thus constantly available I used to dream of making games which were like that, because I thought I was being a sneaky bastard. Then I saw these creatures appear on the market. Many people out there with less sense and more money are happy to blame the gamer and call it "just a game". Lets be clear: This kind of design should be banned/disallowed. And if anyone gets upset by using "banned" on HN, let me remind everyone that around the world Subliminal Advertizing is disallowed, if not directly illegal. Shiny skinner boxes in everyones hand are planes of existence worse than Subliminal ads. I am a gamer, and have been since the day I saw an atari, and fumbled with a sinclair spectrum. This shit is beyond unethical.

Asooka 10y ago

Yeah I don't think games are different than anything else you can get addicted to. They're healthier than drugs and alcohol and keep you out of trouble. You don't even get the acute physical dependence you do with alcohol and they don't really make you dumber like some drugs. If someone is spending all day playing games, they have a mental health problem, or literally nothing better to do, which could be a societal problem. I mean at some point you can decide fuck it, the game is rigged, there's nothing I can do for my future, let me enjoy myself while I can. We've seen this play out with gangs, alcohol and plenty of other things more destructive than gamea.

intended 10y ago

I disagree - and I also think the counter point needs to be more dispersed. A majority of the games created today are straight up skinner boxes which engender and support addictive/gambling behaviors. Especially since today, most games are in your mobile phone and not your PC/Console. These programs use random reward schedules, linear reward schedules, everything. They use it with constantly fine tuned schedules, and with constant feedback. These are machines, which send dopamine shots to the brain at precision tool levels. There is no real world analogue that can beat 1) Random chance of huge drop (dopamine hit) 2) Clear performance metrics showing steps to next dopamine hit 3) Timers showing when next free dopamine hit is coming 4) Social tie ins to increase reach and invoke community/social mental systems as well as social proof/buy in 5) Streamlined, A/B tested interfaces and messaging. 6) Leader boards for the competitive 7) Mobile and thus constantly available I used to dream of making games which were like that, because I thought I was being a sneaky bastard. Then I saw these creatures appear on the market. Many people out there with less sense and more money are happy to blame the gamer and call it "just a game". Lets be clear: This kind of design should be banned/disallowed. And if anyone gets upset by using "banned" on HN, let me remind everyone that around the world Subliminal Advertizing is disallowed, if not directly illegal. Shiny skinner boxes in everyones hand are planes of existence worse than Subliminal ads. I am a gamer, and have been since the day I saw an atari, and fumbled with a sinclair spectrum. This shit is beyond unethical.