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> But I resent that we live in a system where any independent creativity is exploited for financial gain. So what's the alternative system? One in which creato

> But I resent that we live in a system where any independent creativity is exploited for financial gain. So what's the alternative system? One in which creators of delightful projects like Wordle are prevented somehow from making money from their creations? That seems weird and bad.

js2 5y ago
The alternative in a capitalist system is something like the NEA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Endowment_for_the_Arts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Endowment_for_the_Art... The OP can also lament something without there being an alternative.
- dataangel 5y ago
  An NEA alternative won't change that way more people will want to do it than will be needed to do it.
  - js2 5y ago
    And UBI is the answer to that.
gunfighthacksaw 5y ago
Your counterpoint is a disingenuous strawman. The opposite of corporate exploitation is not necessarily ‘no exploitation’ but more like a donation or microfinance type model, something where the owner sells directly to a consumer to exploit their production. Did the creator sell to NYT because it was in line with their moral principles? Or was it more pragmatic due to living in a system where corporate exploitation is explicitly state sanctioned and therefore controls the majority of financial power?
- warkdarrior 5y ago
  Hear, hear. I'd pay $0.25/year to the original designer to play Wordle.
  - creato 5y ago
    Nice demonstration of how pointless it would have been to attempt to monetize wordle.
    - abnercoimbre 5y ago
      Right? I don't mean to rail against the commenter but are they being serious? Wordle is valuable enough to charge at least $1/mo per user. I'd personally say $2/mo to mitigate payment processor fees. P.S. This is assuming the user base comprises avid daily players (which seems true.) They would definitely get their money's worth.
  - Nevermark 5y ago
    How about $0.01 every time you play it? So up to $3.65 / year for avid users. > now millions play the game daily So a multiple of $3.65m a year! Payday without any need for third party motivations creeping in.
    - Shish2k 5y ago
      This would be an ideal support method for a lot of websites, if there was a system which made it practical to transfer small amounts of money with no more hassle than the “<website> wants to accesss <api>” browser prompts… Heck, we’re already dealing with cookie prompts all over the web; if adding a “$0.01 per article” prompt means we can get rid of the ads and thus get rid of the cookie prompt, it’s not even a net loss for usability
- micromacrofoot 5y ago
  He sold to NYT because they paid him a million dollars.
  - creato 5y ago
    And good for him. In less than a year, the fad will have passed and wordle will have 10% the users it has now. And lol at the idea that those users donations would have ever amounted to anything. Not to mention the hassle of accepting them. Also, wordle fits perfectly with the rest of NYT’s puzzle games. Honestly, if I made wordle, I’d be honored to have my game land there, aside from the cool million(s).
    - micromacrofoot 5y ago
      Yeah, he sold it for a princely sum to one of the only companies that successfully charges a subscription for word games. Really could not have gone better for all involved.
    - MattPalmer1086 5y ago
      He has apparently said [1] that he invented Wordle after really getting into the NYT's Spelling Bee game. So it makes sense for that to be it's new home. I'm disappointed I may have to start paying for it, but it's given me a lot of fun. [1] https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/wordle-new-york-times-nyt https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/wordle-new-yo...
    - Abishek_Muthian 5y ago
      I agree, Quizup[1] anyone? > As of May 2014, QuizUp had 20 million users and had raised over $26 million from venture capital investments. I think these type of Trivia games have just one option, Cash it at the peak of the fad or wait till it gets replaced by another fad. Considering NYT has dedicated subscribers for it's puzzle games, I think getting Wordle in it is a smart choice and perhaps may be they could turn it around profitably; Even if they don't I'm happy for Josh Wardle. We need more such successful indie exit stories like this, When there's someone to buy Facebook's Liberapay and IBM's Watson then we need not be too critical about acquisition of a product loved by millions. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuizUp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuizUp
- dataangel 5y ago
  I think one of the major remaining organizations that actually pays real journalists bought a word game their readers will enjoy and help keep their eyeballs on the drier but more important material, and compensated the creator with a life changing amount of money. Everyone wins.
marricks 5y ago
Where everyone can make such delightful inventions and not feel compelled by large actors to sell them. People like creating, inventing, playing, when they are secure and happy. Most people don’t live in that state though.
- 333c 5y ago
  I agree with this. I'd love to live in a world where our basic living needs (housing, food, clothing, healthcare, etc.) are met, and so every person feels safe and comfortable exploring play and creativity to the extent they desire. Is this aspirational and unrealistic? Absolutely! I'm not claiming this is something we can do today, but I think it's good to think about where we might like to go.
  - Cyberdog 5y ago
    I already live in this world. I do some work for other people for a few hours a day, and in exchange I have housing, food, clothing, healthcare, etc. Oh, were these things supposed to materialize for me for free with no effort on my part? Well, I suppose there's always prison, but I'd rather not.
- jrek 5y ago
  Whenever I make a small project I live in fear that the NYT will threaten to give me a million dollars for it.
- dataangel 5y ago
  People are also happy when they receive life changing amounts of money for their creative work. He made "low seven figures." I think he's feeling fine.
  - marricks 5y ago
    He’d feel more fine if he felt he couldn’t be compelled to sell :)
    - 5y ago
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
foolinaround 5y ago
easy microtransactions where the creator could have earned money without the need to sell out to NYT

js2 5y ago

The alternative in a capitalist system is something like the NEA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Endowment_for_the_Arts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Endowment_for_the_Art... The OP can also lament something without there being an alternative.

dataangel 5y ago
An NEA alternative won't change that way more people will want to do it than will be needed to do it.
- js2 5y ago
  And UBI is the answer to that.

gunfighthacksaw 5y ago

Your counterpoint is a disingenuous strawman. The opposite of corporate exploitation is not necessarily ‘no exploitation’ but more like a donation or microfinance type model, something where the owner sells directly to a consumer to exploit their production. Did the creator sell to NYT because it was in line with their moral principles? Or was it more pragmatic due to living in a system where corporate exploitation is explicitly state sanctioned and therefore controls the majority of financial power?

warkdarrior 5y ago
Hear, hear. I'd pay $0.25/year to the original designer to play Wordle.
- creato 5y ago
  Nice demonstration of how pointless it would have been to attempt to monetize wordle.
  - abnercoimbre 5y ago
    Right? I don't mean to rail against the commenter but are they being serious? Wordle is valuable enough to charge at least $1/mo per user. I'd personally say $2/mo to mitigate payment processor fees. P.S. This is assuming the user base comprises avid daily players (which seems true.) They would definitely get their money's worth.
- Nevermark 5y ago
  How about $0.01 every time you play it? So up to $3.65 / year for avid users. > now millions play the game daily So a multiple of $3.65m a year! Payday without any need for third party motivations creeping in.
  - Shish2k 5y ago
    This would be an ideal support method for a lot of websites, if there was a system which made it practical to transfer small amounts of money with no more hassle than the “<website> wants to accesss <api>” browser prompts… Heck, we’re already dealing with cookie prompts all over the web; if adding a “$0.01 per article” prompt means we can get rid of the ads and thus get rid of the cookie prompt, it’s not even a net loss for usability
micromacrofoot 5y ago
He sold to NYT because they paid him a million dollars.
- creato 5y ago
  And good for him. In less than a year, the fad will have passed and wordle will have 10% the users it has now. And lol at the idea that those users donations would have ever amounted to anything. Not to mention the hassle of accepting them. Also, wordle fits perfectly with the rest of NYT’s puzzle games. Honestly, if I made wordle, I’d be honored to have my game land there, aside from the cool million(s).
  - micromacrofoot 5y ago
    Yeah, he sold it for a princely sum to one of the only companies that successfully charges a subscription for word games. Really could not have gone better for all involved.
  - MattPalmer1086 5y ago
    He has apparently said [1] that he invented Wordle after really getting into the NYT's Spelling Bee game. So it makes sense for that to be it's new home. I'm disappointed I may have to start paying for it, but it's given me a lot of fun. [1] https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/wordle-new-york-times-nyt https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/wordle-new-yo...
  - Abishek_Muthian 5y ago
    I agree, Quizup[1] anyone? > As of May 2014, QuizUp had 20 million users and had raised over $26 million from venture capital investments. I think these type of Trivia games have just one option, Cash it at the peak of the fad or wait till it gets replaced by another fad. Considering NYT has dedicated subscribers for it's puzzle games, I think getting Wordle in it is a smart choice and perhaps may be they could turn it around profitably; Even if they don't I'm happy for Josh Wardle. We need more such successful indie exit stories like this, When there's someone to buy Facebook's Liberapay and IBM's Watson then we need not be too critical about acquisition of a product loved by millions. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuizUp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuizUp
dataangel 5y ago
I think one of the major remaining organizations that actually pays real journalists bought a word game their readers will enjoy and help keep their eyeballs on the drier but more important material, and compensated the creator with a life changing amount of money. Everyone wins.

marricks 5y ago

Where everyone can make such delightful inventions and not feel compelled by large actors to sell them. People like creating, inventing, playing, when they are secure and happy. Most people don’t live in that state though.

333c 5y ago
I agree with this. I'd love to live in a world where our basic living needs (housing, food, clothing, healthcare, etc.) are met, and so every person feels safe and comfortable exploring play and creativity to the extent they desire. Is this aspirational and unrealistic? Absolutely! I'm not claiming this is something we can do today, but I think it's good to think about where we might like to go.
- Cyberdog 5y ago
  I already live in this world. I do some work for other people for a few hours a day, and in exchange I have housing, food, clothing, healthcare, etc. Oh, were these things supposed to materialize for me for free with no effort on my part? Well, I suppose there's always prison, but I'd rather not.
jrek 5y ago
Whenever I make a small project I live in fear that the NYT will threaten to give me a million dollars for it.
dataangel 5y ago
People are also happy when they receive life changing amounts of money for their creative work. He made "low seven figures." I think he's feeling fine.
- marricks 5y ago
  He’d feel more fine if he felt he couldn’t be compelled to sell :)
  - 5y ago

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

foolinaround 5y ago

easy microtransactions where the creator could have earned money without the need to sell out to NYT