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> I just took it as silly fun as opposed to some kind of social commentary. But capitalism bad! Seriously, though, I wonder about folks who are incapable of i

> I just took it as silly fun as opposed to some kind of social commentary. But capitalism bad! Seriously, though, I wonder about folks who are incapable of imagining a duality of goals: both earning profit and maximizing guest happiness. It's not nasty or cynical to earn a profit if doing so involves improving the well being of others.

seanwilson 6y ago
The game is famous though for the trick of adding lots of salt to food to make the visitors spend more on drinks, which isn't improving well being. I'd bet on the designers adding this because it was a fun and amusing gameplay mechanic over them trying to say something about capitalism however. Similarly, people would build parks that were super dangerous, or create areas that set off chain reactions of visitors throwing up everywhere. It's a fun sandbox.
- dleslie 6y ago
  Lots of business simulation games completely fail at modeling the inflow of customers as a reaction to existing customer satisfaction. Ie, they don't model returning customers or the effect of customer dissatisfaction on attracting new customers. And yes, like with Rollercoaster Tycoon, one could do horrendous things; but that's less a reflection on the player's moral character as it is upon their curiousity and awareness of the lack of real harm.
darthrupert 6y ago
It's magic thinking to suppose that profit and general goodness always match up. There's no logical reason to think that would happen. What often happens, fortunately, is that they match well enough that the relative simplicity of the market system makes it a net positive. But to think that capitalism works wonders for society and customers is just silly. Theme Park parodies this fact of life very aptly.
- dleslie 6y ago
  No one in the article or this thread suggested that good intentions and profit will _always_ align. That is, indeed, a silly proposition. Capitalism has worked wonders for society; it has thus far surpassed all competing modes of wealth distribution in terms of life expectation, child mortality, literacy, and even technological development. Capitalist Democracies have performed so well it's sort of amazing. And in this globally connected world one doesn't have to settle; those that don't favour capitalism can travel to a number of south american states and enjoy an alternative. My sister in law has done just this, and is happily living off the land in Peru.
  - pmachinery 6y ago
    Improvements in life expectancy, child mortality, literacy are the result of socialist struggle and regulation, including free education, universal health care, increased workers' rights and welfare safety nets. As for wealth distribution, what do you think the "one-percent" is all about?
    - IG_Semmelweiss 6y ago
      wealth distribution is not a virtuous goal insofar that we have seen what attempts at the opposite end up causing. Everyone becomes equal, way way down. What is important, extremely important, but no one talks about - is equality of opportunity. In this regard, more than 50% of all americans will spend at least 1 year in the top 10% of all income. Compare that to most europe, where for example, the same 10 families in france in italy , after many centuries, still hold on to money and power...and never lose either. That is a worthy goal to keep improving on. It doesn't matter how much anyone amasses - what really matters is that everyone has a fair shot at it, too. https://medium.com/incerto/inequality-and-skin-in-the-game-d8f00bc0cb46 https://medium.com/incerto/inequality-and-skin-in-the-game-d...
    - Viliam1234 6y ago
      In Eastern Europe life expectancy increased and child mortality decreased after the fall of socialism.

seanwilson 6y ago

The game is famous though for the trick of adding lots of salt to food to make the visitors spend more on drinks, which isn't improving well being. I'd bet on the designers adding this because it was a fun and amusing gameplay mechanic over them trying to say something about capitalism however. Similarly, people would build parks that were super dangerous, or create areas that set off chain reactions of visitors throwing up everywhere. It's a fun sandbox.

dleslie 6y ago
Lots of business simulation games completely fail at modeling the inflow of customers as a reaction to existing customer satisfaction. Ie, they don't model returning customers or the effect of customer dissatisfaction on attracting new customers. And yes, like with Rollercoaster Tycoon, one could do horrendous things; but that's less a reflection on the player's moral character as it is upon their curiousity and awareness of the lack of real harm.

darthrupert 6y ago

It's magic thinking to suppose that profit and general goodness always match up. There's no logical reason to think that would happen. What often happens, fortunately, is that they match well enough that the relative simplicity of the market system makes it a net positive. But to think that capitalism works wonders for society and customers is just silly. Theme Park parodies this fact of life very aptly.

dleslie 6y ago
No one in the article or this thread suggested that good intentions and profit will _always_ align. That is, indeed, a silly proposition. Capitalism has worked wonders for society; it has thus far surpassed all competing modes of wealth distribution in terms of life expectation, child mortality, literacy, and even technological development. Capitalist Democracies have performed so well it's sort of amazing. And in this globally connected world one doesn't have to settle; those that don't favour capitalism can travel to a number of south american states and enjoy an alternative. My sister in law has done just this, and is happily living off the land in Peru.
- pmachinery 6y ago
  Improvements in life expectancy, child mortality, literacy are the result of socialist struggle and regulation, including free education, universal health care, increased workers' rights and welfare safety nets. As for wealth distribution, what do you think the "one-percent" is all about?
  - IG_Semmelweiss 6y ago
    wealth distribution is not a virtuous goal insofar that we have seen what attempts at the opposite end up causing. Everyone becomes equal, way way down. What is important, extremely important, but no one talks about - is equality of opportunity. In this regard, more than 50% of all americans will spend at least 1 year in the top 10% of all income. Compare that to most europe, where for example, the same 10 families in france in italy , after many centuries, still hold on to money and power...and never lose either. That is a worthy goal to keep improving on. It doesn't matter how much anyone amasses - what really matters is that everyone has a fair shot at it, too. https://medium.com/incerto/inequality-and-skin-in-the-game-d8f00bc0cb46 https://medium.com/incerto/inequality-and-skin-in-the-game-d...
  - Viliam1234 6y ago
    In Eastern Europe life expectancy increased and child mortality decreased after the fall of socialism.