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Well, the lumping together of WoW and Farmville is pretty bizarre and makes me think you have no idea what these games are actually like. Reminds me of Tipper G

by nknight 15y ago

Well, the lumping together of WoW and Farmville is pretty bizarre and makes me think you have no idea what these games are actually like. Reminds me of Tipper Gore. Then you go on to say "we agree the gambling industry needs checks and balances", which is pretty damned presumptuous. Have you completely failed to notice the strong libertarian bent of HN? In many ways, I'm practically a socialist, but I cringe outwardly at the thought that government should regulate the behavior of consenting adults. Yes, gambling can be seriously problematic for some people and their families/loved ones, and I'm not against government efforts to educate people and help treat problem gamblers, nor am I against things like requiring casinos to post odds, but go any further and you quickly get way outside my comfort zone. Think of drugs and take a guess at how many people on HN actually support the "war on drugs". The number people who agree with special regulation of gambling is probably quite similar, and quite small.

intended 15y ago
Thanks for responding. I do realize that HN has a strong libertarian bent, still I assume that healthy debate is more important than ideology. For the record: I am not advocating suffocation by regulation. I am asking where the line is drawn, and how people feel about the basic marriage between operant conditioning and micro transactions. Responding to what you said about WoW and Farmville: I did specify that I am talking about the REWARD systems employed by the games. Having played both, I know the differences between them as games. (suffered as a Shaman from nearly version 1) Both though do use basic operant conditioning techniques. In WoW you have your XP bar which gives you your fixed ratio reinforcement, and then drops which provide your variable ratio reinforcement. Then you have your various other schedules which come from leveling up professions, progression, achievements and so on. Farmville has similar mechanisms - your constant crop growth and timings are your regular reinforcement and then you have random drops which provide your variable reinforcement. There really isn't any other science behind these systems when it comes to how the reward mechanisms are designed. The games themselves are very different. Skill/ingenuity does play a huge role in WoW (like the rogue who soloed patchwork), I am in no way comparing the skill requirements of the two games. Farmville can be played by a bot.
JonnieCache 15y ago
>Well, the lumping together of WoW and Farmville is pretty bizarre and makes me think you have no idea what these games are actually like. Reminds me of Tipper Gore. The reward schedules, which is what he's talking about, are exactly the same.

by nknight 15y ago

intended 15y ago

Thanks for responding. I do realize that HN has a strong libertarian bent, still I assume that healthy debate is more important than ideology. For the record: I am not advocating suffocation by regulation. I am asking where the line is drawn, and how people feel about the basic marriage between operant conditioning and micro transactions. Responding to what you said about WoW and Farmville: I did specify that I am talking about the REWARD systems employed by the games. Having played both, I know the differences between them as games. (suffered as a Shaman from nearly version 1) Both though do use basic operant conditioning techniques. In WoW you have your XP bar which gives you your fixed ratio reinforcement, and then drops which provide your variable ratio reinforcement. Then you have your various other schedules which come from leveling up professions, progression, achievements and so on. Farmville has similar mechanisms - your constant crop growth and timings are your regular reinforcement and then you have random drops which provide your variable reinforcement. There really isn't any other science behind these systems when it comes to how the reward mechanisms are designed. The games themselves are very different. Skill/ingenuity does play a huge role in WoW (like the rogue who soloed patchwork), I am in no way comparing the skill requirements of the two games. Farmville can be played by a bot.

JonnieCache 15y ago

>Well, the lumping together of WoW and Farmville is pretty bizarre and makes me think you have no idea what these games are actually like. Reminds me of Tipper Gore. The reward schedules, which is what he's talking about, are exactly the same.