3 ms·

I guess we've known for a while (at least since EverQuest or World of Warcraft at the very latest) that when you combine "polish" with content designed to scrat

I guess we've known for a while (at least since EverQuest or World of Warcraft at the very latest) that when you combine "polish" with content designed to scratch some addiction-seeking itch in our brains, bad things can happen. At least with those you know the flat rate you're going to be paying over the course of the coming year? I'm sure there's an argument that can be made about you getting "your money's worth" for that $400 of entertainment... but jeez... $400? That's an awful lot of money for a video game. If you knew back when you first installed the game that you'd end up spending so much money on it again, do you think you'd still go ahead and install it?

omonra 14y ago
I imagine that people are not paying $400 for 'a video game' but rather a sense of accomplishment. Ie it simply feels good to get shit done, to score points, to achieve something. Playing these games allows the user to short-circuit this and produce same psychological effect without the work involved. Think of it as masturbation - nature made sex pleasurable so that organisms would procreate. But humans have figured out a way to achieve same result (ie firing pleasure neurons, serotonin release, etc) without going through the trouble of finding a mate (and having to care for the little person that may come after)
GFischer 14y ago
I've spent thousands of dollars on Magic: the Gathering cards and stuff (across 15 years). I think it's way more than I should have, and I'll never get it back. It does have the addicting part (packs and drafts are addictive as hell), and a "collectible" part for rationalization. I have some kind of personal problem that leads me into these time sinks, because I've mostly quit, only to replace it with other time wasters (League of Legends and others). edit: omonra, your post is dead.
- jacques_chester 14y ago
  > I have some kind of personal problem that leads me into these time sinks Your personal problem is that you're a higher animal. Out of the reinforcement schedule patterns that maximise conditioning, the "Variable Interval Reinforcement Ratio" or VIRR is the most powerful. That is: systems with random payoff schedules are the most addictive to higher animals. Pigeons, rats, humans: if good stuff happens at random we quickly become shackled to whatever it was we were doing. Gambling: random payoffs. Addictive. Buying MtG booster packs: random payoffs. Addictive. Many, many computer games: random payoffs. Addictive.
JabavuAdams 14y ago
> If you knew back when you first installed the game that you'd end up spending so much money on it again, do you think you'd still go ahead and install it? No. I expected to spend about $20. I'd have bought a drill-press or cheap logic analyzer instead.
- jordan0day 14y ago
  Ha, that's a great answer. I want to be clear I wasn't intending to be critical or chiding you with my "jeez $400 is a lot of money!" comment. I'm not sure if it came off that way or not. I've got my own mobile gaming addiction -- I'm just fortunate that the game I'm addicted to (Civilization Revolution) didn't have microtransactions for a long time, and what they've added recently, I've been able to avoid.

omonra 14y ago

I imagine that people are not paying $400 for 'a video game' but rather a sense of accomplishment. Ie it simply feels good to get shit done, to score points, to achieve something. Playing these games allows the user to short-circuit this and produce same psychological effect without the work involved. Think of it as masturbation - nature made sex pleasurable so that organisms would procreate. But humans have figured out a way to achieve same result (ie firing pleasure neurons, serotonin release, etc) without going through the trouble of finding a mate (and having to care for the little person that may come after)

GFischer 14y ago

I've spent thousands of dollars on Magic: the Gathering cards and stuff (across 15 years). I think it's way more than I should have, and I'll never get it back. It does have the addicting part (packs and drafts are addictive as hell), and a "collectible" part for rationalization. I have some kind of personal problem that leads me into these time sinks, because I've mostly quit, only to replace it with other time wasters (League of Legends and others). edit: omonra, your post is dead.

jacques_chester 14y ago
> I have some kind of personal problem that leads me into these time sinks Your personal problem is that you're a higher animal. Out of the reinforcement schedule patterns that maximise conditioning, the "Variable Interval Reinforcement Ratio" or VIRR is the most powerful. That is: systems with random payoff schedules are the most addictive to higher animals. Pigeons, rats, humans: if good stuff happens at random we quickly become shackled to whatever it was we were doing. Gambling: random payoffs. Addictive. Buying MtG booster packs: random payoffs. Addictive. Many, many computer games: random payoffs. Addictive.

JabavuAdams 14y ago

> If you knew back when you first installed the game that you'd end up spending so much money on it again, do you think you'd still go ahead and install it? No. I expected to spend about $20. I'd have bought a drill-press or cheap logic analyzer instead.

jordan0day 14y ago
Ha, that's a great answer. I want to be clear I wasn't intending to be critical or chiding you with my "jeez $400 is a lot of money!" comment. I'm not sure if it came off that way or not. I've got my own mobile gaming addiction -- I'm just fortunate that the game I'm addicted to (Civilization Revolution) didn't have microtransactions for a long time, and what they've added recently, I've been able to avoid.