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A good book might hook someone into reading it all in a binge, but once it's done it's pretty much done. A game on the other hand can create a sort of rewards
by GVIrish 7y ago
A good book might hook someone into reading it all in a binge, but once it's done it's pretty much done.
A game on the other hand can create a sort of rewards treadmill where no one ever really 'finishes'. A book can't adjust rewards in real time to fuel addictive behavior.
Books don't really exploit gambling mechanics, which is what can drive some of the most pernicious addictions.
- Polylactic_acid 7y agoYep, people sink literally thousands of hours in to a single game. Some popular games literally punish you for the time you spend not playing the game or give you daily rewards so that you log in frequently.
- p1necone 7y agoThe op was specifically talking about minecraft - it has none of those dark patterns, it's just a good game. It's literally virtual building blocks (+ hack and slash combat and crafting and exploration etc). Would you have the same level of derision for kids who sink thousands of hours into playing with lego? Kids have a lot of spare time to kill.
- brlewis 7y agoFinding diamonds in minecraft isn't gambling mechanics?
- viridian 7y agoDig down to just above bedrock, and dig a long, level, 2x1 strip. You'll find diamonds within a few minutes. Each block destroyed this way exposes three potential diamond blocks. Finding diamonds is far more of a knowledge problem than a gambling one. Inefficient mining can make an 8 minute hunt for a diamond vein take over an hour. Also diamonds are a pretty hardy good, once you have a sword, pick, and armor, there isn't a huge reason to seek more until you consume those goods.