I assume you're comparing to Reddit. I wouldn't say internet virtue points play any less of a role here. Your total "internet virtue points" here are displaye

I assume you're comparing to Reddit. I wouldn't say internet virtue points play any less of a role here. Your total "internet virtue points" here are displayed in the top right corner (whereas on Reddit you have to go looking). The virtue points any given comments gains are not visible to other people (unlike on reddit) but losses are. That doesn't seem like a big net difference between the two platforms. HN's karma system is just as good as Reddit's at faking a consensus and marginalizing whoever has even a slightly less popular viewpoint on a subject.