Comment by asah
3 years ago
Can I ask something as an Old Guy(tm)?
I thought games were supposed to be fun and entertaining. If the developer makes it un-fun, then why keep playing? why not finding something else fun to do? e.g. play another game? learn a new skill? do something IRL? etc.
Serious q, please don't bash.
You have to first define what makes a game “fun”.
The theory outlined in Glued to Games (Ryan & Rigby, 2011) suggests that games we perceive as “fun” are actually satisfying our basic needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.
If you satisfy your need for competency by playing video games and don’t get that need met anywhere else, then you’ll keep coming back, despite the developers trying to squeeze money out of you every time you log on.
> If you satisfy your need for competency by playing video games and don’t get that need met anywhere else, then you’ll keep coming back,
A different way to look at it is that my selfless dedication to video game KDR is helping to save other players from addiction, by eliminating their feelings of competency.
When it comes to anti-consumer actions taken by companies, many times one can take a blind eye to it as long as they can still play the game. The problem is that’s it’s like a frog in boiling water. At some point you realize that you need to give your email, phone number, credit card info, money, advertising attention, and more just so you have the privilege of downloading their special launcher that is the only one that can run their game, which of course also requires you to install a root kit in your system for “anti-cheat”. Only for you to open the game, which requires you to have internet, just to be able to play a single-player game mode.
The game’s fun though. And it only takes 5 seconds to actually load it up once you’ve downloaded everything and installed it. So it’s fine, right?
Consider it just like other software like Microsoft Windows. “It’s supposed to make your life easier, so if it doesn’t, why not just stop using it?” Because it still does make it easier, even with all of the crap that Microsoft does that we can rightfully complain about.
Perhaps also consider it like Twitter. Why stay if it’s so toxic? Because everyone is on there, and if you aren’t, then you’ll never talk to your friends, since it’s not like they’d move platforms just for your sake.
It doesn't have to be fun if it's addicting enough
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning_chamber
"Okay, but couldn't we at least make the game fun anyway?"
"No! It has to be just barely fun. If the game was TOO FUN then there would be no reason to MICROPAY in order to make it MORE FUN!"
This is besides your point on anti-consumer practices, but games aren't solely for "fun".
Art is about experiencing something, a sad documentary, a tragic movie, a horror movie aren't "fun" in the candy and rollercoaster sense, games are the same.
One that speaks to me, I really enjoy factorio, but I wouldn't call it "fun".
For the core of your point though, getting locked into something because it's how you socialise, (whether directly with friends, or indirectly with a community), or via abusing addictive characteristics in consumers, games can still retain a base even without providing value like my other examples.
One big difference between now and back in the day is the prominence of professional gaming leagues. It's not just about stomping noobs for bragging rights; it can be a genuine dream for people like becoming an NBA star.
I know a guy who destroyed several friendships because he believed he could go pro in League of Legends.
Going to festivals is fun but requires long journeys carrying lots of heavy things and those generally are not very fun, especially on the way home.
The point of the meme is to mock the gates and hurdles you encounter in trying to get to the fun, not the fun itself.
For example, Microsoft potentially requiring people to have an always-on camera pointed isn't something that anyone wants, but they might tolerate it to play FortNite/whatever.