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This is perhaps the most depressing article I've seen posted on HN in a few months. I have to believe that the vast majority of that $200mm is a function of c
by ghshephard 13y ago
This is perhaps the most depressing article I've seen posted on HN in a few months. I have to believe that the vast majority of that $200mm is a function of coercive revenue strategy as illuminated so well here: http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RaminShokrizade/20130626/194933/ http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RaminShokrizade/20130626/1949...
These games prey on those least equipped to understand how their fears/desires are being exploited, and it's a shame to see they are being rewarded so well in doing so.
- areeved 13y agoYou mean the same way that fashion and automobile companies prey on those who want cars and clothes to combat their own desires or fears (e.g. lack of self-esteem)? Shameful.
- toble 13y agoIt's all relative, including everyone's perception of ethics. This 'game' sounds more like a fruit/slot machine, but much more sophisticated and accessible.
- jacques_chester 13y agoGambling and addictive drugs are regulated because, ultimately, they rely on a clear failure mode in cognition. Collapse the action-reward feedback loop and you run the risk of losing a productive member of society. It passes from internally negative to a proper externality. Governments are interested in the latter. No, there isn't a clear categorisation rule to say what's exploitative and what's just people who need to take responsibility for their own actions. That's because the world is fuzzy and isn't made of syllogisms.
- chongli 13y agoGambling and addictive drugs are regulated because, ultimately, they rely on a clear failure mode in cognition. This is the official line; it's not the real reason. The real reason has a lot more to do with racism (in the case of drugs), cronyism, pork-barrel politics and protectionism.
- jacques_chester 13y agoYou're injecting a parochial view of political history. The path dependency varies from country to country. That there is convergence to me suggests that it's an attractor in the space of policy settings.
- chongli 13y agoHence the official line comment. Obviously, the issue is a lot more complex than we've described here because it involves so many competing interests and all opinions are shaped by the whims of a vast cultural-political machine.
- samolang 13y agoHave you actually played Candy Crush? It's a well designed game that is a lot of fun to play. At no time do you actually have to pay for anything. People voluntarily pay because they want to keep playing at that moment or because they want to get more levels. Even then it's far cheaper than going to an arcade.
- jacques_chester 13y agoIn the exact article linked it is explained that Candy Crush starts as a skill game and then makes a subtle shift to being a money game. If a casino was changing a game from skill to luck in the middle of play they would be shut down.
- rdouble 13y agoCriticisms of these games always include references to casino games, but aren't they more just like arcade games? Most arcade games you have to keep paying to stay alive, also. As a side note, I'm not sure how seriously one should take an article that is a giant jpeg hosted on download-free-games.com.
- jacques_chester 13y agoArcade machines never took credit cards. If they had, our parallels would be drawn differently.
- rdouble 13y agoCasino games don't take credit cards, either.
- jacques_chester 13y agoBecause they're banned from doing so.
- samolang 13y ago