TANSTAAF2PL, part 2

[quarrel]

Since they became commonplace, free-to-play games have been criticized as unethical, greedy, manipulative, pathologically damaging…you name it. (And the more famous ones are.) It’s something that I’ve been dwelling on for months, given that for the last year and a half, my job has had me making exactly the sort of game that hits all the low notes:

Comments

[shaterri]

I think the difference in people's minds is very akin to the 'white hat' / 'black hat' hacker debates. How people feel about the tools themselves depends (as it arguably should) on the ends they're being put to; the ends don't justify the means, but they do adjust them. If people think you're doing it to their benefit (where 'benefit' here is generally just 'for their entertainment' - but keep in mind that this all applies to 'tricks' that are used for self-improvement like dieting and arguably even to professional tools like Cognitive Behavior Therapy), then they're happy enough and even eager to let themselves be 'manipulated' - in some ways it's all just a big magic show. But use the same techniques (just) to try and get money from them, and suddenly you're a magician-turned-pickpocket; same tools, different ends

[rowyn]

I think that covers everything I wanted to say and then some. And also more eloquently. :)