3 ms·

Eh? Yea there are crap games out there. There is also crap music. And crap health IT software.

ivm 9y ago
The best games are also the most addictive. At least many single player titles end sooner or later but online ones are endless.
- jacinda 9y ago
  Would it also follow that the "best" drugs are the most addictive?
- wutbrodo 9y ago
  > The best games are also the most addictive Pft says who? Few of my favorite games can be described as addictive. You can't simultaneously make the argument that "addictiveness" in the sense you're using it is bad, and then quickly switch word senses to claim its a requirement for very good games.
  - ivm 9y ago
    I was developing and designing them, so by "good" I mean a good game design – it achieves its goal of generating endless fun. By "bad" I mean the impact of this game design on players' lives – the game is "too fun" for some of them.
    - danbolt 9y ago
      I don't know if this is necessarily a consensus, but I think expecting a game to be endlessly fun to be good isn't really the sort of standard we should be holding games to. Other media such as writing or film doesn't promise to be endlessly entertaining, and ones that might are more like engaging in sport, which I would say isn't necessarily entertainment in the same way. I think there are a lot of players that see the Skinner Box-like mechanics popping up in mainstream works, and are increasingly turned off by it too.
      - ivm 9y ago
        Replayability and long playing times are praised in reviews by both press and gamers. So Minecraft isn't considered an addictive game but it is.
- khedoros1 9y ago
  I've found that for me, games without an end are discouraging, and most multiplayer games are just draining, like going to a party where I don't know anyone.
geezerjay 9y ago
You're missing the fact that games are designed to be addictive through reward mechanisms that favour long hours of playtime. The ideal balance between positive and negative reinforcement schemes are responsible for motivating users to keep using. Some gamers pull all-nighters for multiple days in a row just to ensure that they keep receiving the stimulus they are seeking. The only difference between recreational drugs and games is that drugs act directly in the nervous system and are directly responsible for some physiological side effects.

ivm 9y ago

The best games are also the most addictive. At least many single player titles end sooner or later but online ones are endless.

jacinda 9y ago
Would it also follow that the "best" drugs are the most addictive?
wutbrodo 9y ago
> The best games are also the most addictive Pft says who? Few of my favorite games can be described as addictive. You can't simultaneously make the argument that "addictiveness" in the sense you're using it is bad, and then quickly switch word senses to claim its a requirement for very good games.
- ivm 9y ago
  I was developing and designing them, so by "good" I mean a good game design – it achieves its goal of generating endless fun. By "bad" I mean the impact of this game design on players' lives – the game is "too fun" for some of them.
  - danbolt 9y ago
    I don't know if this is necessarily a consensus, but I think expecting a game to be endlessly fun to be good isn't really the sort of standard we should be holding games to. Other media such as writing or film doesn't promise to be endlessly entertaining, and ones that might are more like engaging in sport, which I would say isn't necessarily entertainment in the same way. I think there are a lot of players that see the Skinner Box-like mechanics popping up in mainstream works, and are increasingly turned off by it too.
    - ivm 9y ago
      Replayability and long playing times are praised in reviews by both press and gamers. So Minecraft isn't considered an addictive game but it is.
khedoros1 9y ago
I've found that for me, games without an end are discouraging, and most multiplayer games are just draining, like going to a party where I don't know anyone.

geezerjay 9y ago

You're missing the fact that games are designed to be addictive through reward mechanisms that favour long hours of playtime. The ideal balance between positive and negative reinforcement schemes are responsible for motivating users to keep using. Some gamers pull all-nighters for multiple days in a row just to ensure that they keep receiving the stimulus they are seeking. The only difference between recreational drugs and games is that drugs act directly in the nervous system and are directly responsible for some physiological side effects.