boiled-covered wretch etc.

[prog]

Died before level 20. Threw out executable (again), emptied trash. Need a shower. (I mean: literally.)

I sort of feel that my occasional public railing against digital games that function mostly through their continual and entirely illusory exploitation of one's accomplishment-drive makes me like unto a gay-bashing Republican who desperately cruises public restrooms when nobody's watching. (Yes, redundant definition, wev.) On the other hand, I deny nothing, and at least can confidently speak from experience.

Comments

[rserocki.livejournal.com]

Well, at least Zangband and ToME cost nothing. I play such games every so often, although I almost always go into wizard/debug/cheat mode in them.

[prog.livejournal.com]

I can't agree. The time these games take up is far far more expensive than any price tag they would have, if they cost money.

And their output is basically nil, except for spurts of fun. I feel deflated and useless when a game finally careers to an end.

[rserocki.livejournal.com]

Do you think you would feel the same way if you spent as much time playing chess against the computer or against other humans through a computer?

[prog.livejournal.com]

Playing a game like Chess is a real intellectual challenge, and encourages mental growth and sharpening.

Playing D&D with (cool) people exercises one's freewheeling creativity and helps form social bonds.

Angband combines these two pursuits in some ways, but when you add in real neurochemical addictiveness - which I'm willing to agree that not all are equally susceptible to - the cost can outweigh the benefits.

[prog.livejournal.com]

Let me refine this, replying only to myself now.

A game like Angband or even WoW can count as time well spent along the lines of Chess or D&D or a board game with friends or kayaking around the lake. There is always a cost in time and sometimes a cost in money, and on the surface the payoff is entertainment. But there are other rewards in mental/physical/social improvement, and this can be very valuable stuff, often more valuable than choosing to spend the same chunk of time earning money.

But when one approaches any of these activities with an addictive mindset, these payoffs can end up in the back seat to playing for its own sake, and that is not time well spent. I pick on games like Angband and WoW because I argue that they are intentionally designed to zap a person's "You did it! Now you're stronger! Keep going!"-based pleasure center, encouraging them to play long after the palpable mental and social rewards for a given play session have petered out.

[rserocki.livejournal.com]

Okay, then.

[rserocki.livejournal.com]

(or maybe I could more argumentative and say that the games themselves still do not cost anything, but as you say, it is the time spent playing the games that cost something.

Direct & Indirect WoW $: some arbitrary amount to purchase + monthly fees + whatever amount of money you would otherwise be making if you weren't playing.
Direct & Indirect Zangband $: $0 purchase + $0 monthly fee + whatever amount of money you would otherwise be making if you weren't playing. Unless you were being poetic and saying you would be doing something productive if you weren't playing.)

[gemini6ice.livejournal.com]

well, he freelances, so it's plausible.

I think time and money are interchangeable even if you wouldn't otherwise be earning money. I think of time as a commodity we have a certain accruing supply of, and how much we earn an hour represents the "market value" of our time. It's generally easier to convert to money than to convert to hours.

This is also how I justify educational loans: If I earn $20/hour now, then paying $4000 for a class translates to 200 hours I am selling to pay for this. But if I take out a loan and owe $6000 (b/c of interest) and must pay it back when I earn $40/hour, then I am selling only 150 hours.

[rserocki.livejournal.com]

well, he freelances, so it's plausible.
Yeah, I know.

[chocorisu.livejournal.com]

I don't mind that there are a lot of achievement-driven games since that's the type of experience most "gamers" crave. I just resent that it's poisoned the minds of game designers to other kinds of experience.