So I've heard about something that passed with way less fanfare than should have accompanied a change of this magnitude.
The National Security Amendments Bill (No. 1) is now a thing here in Oz permitting practically unrestricted monitoring of Australian internet activity by ASIO & ASIS (hi guys).
Don't you just love a government that decides that "these are the rights you are entitled to as a citizen of this nation unless we determine otherwise on a whim" and claims it's in the name of "national security".
Uh... are we under threat? I'm pretty sure we're more of a threat to ourselves than from faceless foreign stereotypes, we voted for this stupid government after all (well, I didn't but a vast majority of shiftless morons in this country did). If our neighbours are pissed at us, maybe stop being a dick? Or is that what scares you? Corruption from within!
Seems kind of plausible, but not in the way that you think.
If I had more inclination and know-how I'd throw some stupid image meme thing together with a picture of a cruise ship and the caption "STOP THE BOAT PEOPLE!" because that's what retards need to convince them to maybe try thinking at least a little.
Don't worry, the world won't end. It will take more than that. But don't let other people take credit for it because they were "watching out for us".
Friday 17 October 2014
Wednesday 8 October 2014
"Game" Theory
First off, yes I'm still here for those of you who read this (hi Mum).
Second, why am I seeing Asian dating ads on my page?
Third, I'll preface this brief entry with the announcement that I am clearly insane, because I still play Marvel Heroes.
But this has led me to have an interesting thought about the nonsense of random drops and clickfests. Go back far enough and a "game" was not much more than a mildly amusing teaching tool. Well to some it was serious business and still is in some cases, but they were designed to teach a skill outside of the application of that skill. Like chess, it was designed to teach battle tactics, without the noise and bloodshed and pressure of a real battle situation.
There, victory could be earned. By out-thinking your opponent, or even just knowing them well enough to gauge their tactics, you could win. And that's about it. Of course these days there are tournaments with prizes and such, way back when it was created, maybe a display of skill meant a promotion, so there probably was a tangible reward for playing.
Now take the ARPG. For the most part, "rewards" are simply things that you can use in the game that enable you to keep playing, making your character more powerful or durable so that you can be better at the game and get more stuff. Except usually all that stuff is randomly assigned. Most frequently it's just equipment that has a random chance of dropping and has a bunch of randomly rolled affixes on it. And all it does is let you keep playing the game.
OK, fine, it's somewhat endless and mindless so you can use it as entertainment... which means it's not really rewarding you, as it is enticing you to keep playing, for whatever reason (money usually). This is nothing new or controversial, I'm hardly the first to say it. But if it isn't really rewarding play, then it's not really great entertainment. If it's not trying to teach a skill, it's not really a game.
If anything, you could suggest that because all things will eventually drop, that it rewards and/or teaches patience. I don't think something that teaches patience should be so fast-paced. I don't think that something trying to teach patience should induce RSI or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
I get that the frustration it causes can be seen as an attempt to encourage patience. I don't think that you should get paid for it.
So yes, I'm still embittered and full of hate, but maybe I'll be trying to share more of it with you in the near future, aren't you excited? I had an idea a while back to do a more proper review of Mass Effect 3 and couple it with a sort of retrospective of the series, and the original idea was to do this around the first anniversary of its release. Then at the first anniversary of my first review. Then at the second anniversary of its release.
Well it's coming up on the second anniversary of my original review, so look forward to that being postponed as well.
Second, why am I seeing Asian dating ads on my page?
Third, I'll preface this brief entry with the announcement that I am clearly insane, because I still play Marvel Heroes.
But this has led me to have an interesting thought about the nonsense of random drops and clickfests. Go back far enough and a "game" was not much more than a mildly amusing teaching tool. Well to some it was serious business and still is in some cases, but they were designed to teach a skill outside of the application of that skill. Like chess, it was designed to teach battle tactics, without the noise and bloodshed and pressure of a real battle situation.
There, victory could be earned. By out-thinking your opponent, or even just knowing them well enough to gauge their tactics, you could win. And that's about it. Of course these days there are tournaments with prizes and such, way back when it was created, maybe a display of skill meant a promotion, so there probably was a tangible reward for playing.
Now take the ARPG. For the most part, "rewards" are simply things that you can use in the game that enable you to keep playing, making your character more powerful or durable so that you can be better at the game and get more stuff. Except usually all that stuff is randomly assigned. Most frequently it's just equipment that has a random chance of dropping and has a bunch of randomly rolled affixes on it. And all it does is let you keep playing the game.
OK, fine, it's somewhat endless and mindless so you can use it as entertainment... which means it's not really rewarding you, as it is enticing you to keep playing, for whatever reason (money usually). This is nothing new or controversial, I'm hardly the first to say it. But if it isn't really rewarding play, then it's not really great entertainment. If it's not trying to teach a skill, it's not really a game.
If anything, you could suggest that because all things will eventually drop, that it rewards and/or teaches patience. I don't think something that teaches patience should be so fast-paced. I don't think that something trying to teach patience should induce RSI or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
I get that the frustration it causes can be seen as an attempt to encourage patience. I don't think that you should get paid for it.
So yes, I'm still embittered and full of hate, but maybe I'll be trying to share more of it with you in the near future, aren't you excited? I had an idea a while back to do a more proper review of Mass Effect 3 and couple it with a sort of retrospective of the series, and the original idea was to do this around the first anniversary of its release. Then at the first anniversary of my first review. Then at the second anniversary of its release.
Well it's coming up on the second anniversary of my original review, so look forward to that being postponed as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)