Tag: Marked

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Week 2 Reading Response

  • what advergames have you played? did they influence a purchase?
    •  I’m not sure if I actually played the games but Bazooka candy brands (they make push-pops, ring pops, juicy drop pops, etc) has a site where you can play numerous games featuring their products. I remembered hearing about this as a kid. Back then, it probably wouldn’t have influenced a purchased but I might have asked someone else to buy it for me.
    •  Similarly, I’ve also played the M&M Kart Racing on the Wii, which probably made me want to eat M&Ms as a small child; however, I’m not sure if that tactic would work on me now. I also played Minion Rush, the Temple Run like game, but I’m not sure that convinced me to want to watch the movies, I likely played because of the movie. 
    • Another game I’m not sure counts is Bring Me the Horizon’s Scream Star. This game is a generic rhythm game but it connects to Spotify to stream their newest album. The game essentially just tries to get you to listen to their new album more than anything. I wouldn’t say that this influenced a purchase but probably made me stream the album a little bit more. 
    • A few years back, the Olympics also had their own games on Google and you could go around and play a lot of the different Olympic sports and compete with others across the world. I think that this was encouraging people to watch and support the Olympics. I loved the game but I don’t think I ended up watching the Olympics. 
  • why do the advergames tooth protector and escape work? What makes chase the chuckwagon and shark bait fail?
    • Tooth Protector and Escape have deeper meaning embedded into the game rather than just creating a game to try to sell more of a product. In Tooth Protector, it actually taught children the importance and process of maintaining good oral health and it even made it seem that having sweets or junkfood at one time is not the end of the world. You used Johnson & Johnson products to protect and take care of the teeth. This also made the game better because it situated the products in a manner where it provides a solution to a problem, one that can be applied to real life at the same time. Escape’s deeper meaning is that the game is found only by pressing the escape button on Google, which people are likely to only do if they are in a stressful situation and bored out of their minds. The mountain bike brand that the game is by offers an escape from daily troubles, very much like the game. 
    • On the other hand, Chase the Chuckwagon was just trying to get kids to convince their parents to buy the Purina dog food so they could get the game and there was really no reason other than that. It didn’t really seem like it had much of a purpose other than to sell more dog food. Like Chase the Chuckwagon, McDonald’s Shark Bait game also has nothing to do with the product that is being advertised, Fish Filet sandwiches, and it was merely trying to get people to know that McDonald’s has them all year round, but the gameplay was not related. 
  • what does volvo’s drive for life accomplish? Volvo’s Drive for Life demonstrates one of the key features of Volvo cars—their safety—and turns it into a game. The game allows you to drive three different Volvo cars and you can test them out with and without the safety features. This demonstrates what Volvo’s safety actually does in a way that is more understandable, interactive, and fun than statistics and test videos. It also allows users to drive the cars in somewhat realistic scenarios unlike standard racing games and it helps demonstrate Volvo’s traffic safety as well. 
  • what company used in-advergame advertising? Bed Bath and Beyond was advertised in the Dodge Stow n’ Go Challenge game. 
  • what was one if the first home-console advergames and what beverage was it for? Kool-Aid Man on the Atari by General Foods. 
  • what makes the toilet training game sophisticated and do you agree? Ian Boogost argues that the toilet training game is sophisticated not just because of its mechanics, but because of its ability to portray drunkenness in one manner—that is having to relieve yourself. It takes one product feature of J2O and amplifies it. It almost offers a realistic experience. I suppose I would agree with this statement. The game directly relates to the product and the product is seen as a “hero” or “solution” that makes this game effective. 

what do advergames and anti-advergames have in common, and what principles do they share? They both are trying to persuade people, but in different ways. One is to persuade people not to support a company or product and the other is the exact opposite. Bogost says “Even though such games seem to contradict the goals of advergames that promote rather than depose, both types actually share fundamental principles: they demonstrate claims about the function (or dysfunction) of products and services, giving the player a first-person account of how the features and functions of those products and services intersect with his wants and needs” (p. 230).

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Week 2 Game Thoughts and Reviews

McDonald’s Game

  • Was it fun? Yes, despite the darker message of the game overall, it is kind of a fun game to see how far you can make it without becoming bankrupt. 
  • What were the player interactions? While you weren’t interacting with other players, the player is able to interact with the game by controlling all of the different sectors of McDonald’s, including the pasture, the slaughterhouse, the restaurant, and the corporate side. You can place cows and grow pastures, kill cows, hire people, etc. 
  • How long did it take to learn? While the general mechanics of the game are fairly simple, there are a lot of little parts to this game that make it take a little longer to learn. It also didn’t help that there were 30 pages in the tutorial alone. After the first few rounds of watching the game and playing it, I then really started to learn the game. 
  • Would you play it again? I think I would but probably not for an extended period of time. It gets frustrating because it is very difficult to not become bankrupt. 
  • Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. The first act begins when you first load up the game and you begin placing your first plots of cows and soy. You need to also hire people to work at the restaurant and make sure that your cows go to the slaughterhouse. The second act begins when you sort of start to develop a strategy for moving the cows through the McDonald’s cycle. You start to replace cows when they get killed and you may need to kill some yourself if they become disease-ridden. You may also start to implement some of the different marketing strategies in the corporate setting. I found myself in the second act partaking in more of the shady business practices like using GMOs in my crops and giving my cows some special stuff. I also deforested and relocated people. The third act is when you start to significantly lose money to the point where you cannot recover and you bankrupt McDonald’s. 
  • What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? This game is a single-player game so there aren’t really competitive or collaborative aspects to the game, although it is like a competition between you (operator of McDonald’s) and the rest of the world. 
  • What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game’s metaphor is about the unethical business practices of McDonald’s. It calls out a lot of McDonald’s shady practices with trying to make money off cheap burgers including environmental concerns, health concerns, etc. One of the standout game mechanics for me is how I had to kill a cow if it became sick and it torched them. It was a little cruel. I also was shocked when I had a bunch of cow skeletons in my pasture and then was totally unable to use the land. 

Intergroup Monopoly

  • Was it fun? Yes, I always enjoy playing Monopoly; however I think that I would have liked it more had I been one of the 1% players. 
  • What were the player interactions? Like normal Monopoly, players had to pay each other rent when landing on propers, give each other money based on some of the special community chest cards, the 1% player could buy others’ properties from them, etc. 
  • How long did it take to learn? Since I went in already knowing how to play normal monopoly, this version didn’t take very long at all. Some of the little special rules were hard to immediately catch on to, so we just kept referring back to them. 
  • Would you play it again? Probably not under these rules. I will definitely play normal Monopoly again and appreciate the symbolism of this version, but for just the purposes of playing a game out of enjoyment, the game is too unfair to want to play again. 
  • Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. The 3 act structure is very similar to the 3 act structure of normal Monopoly. The first act begins during the setup of the game. For this edition, we had to decide the “roles” of each player. To decide this, we just rolled the dice and whoever got the highest numbers were the more “ideal” roles. I dealt out the money to the players, with the 1% player getting significantly more money and properties than all of the other players. The white men played under normal rules and the females and minorities played with even less perks and properties. After this initial setup, the players began to take their first few turns, moving across the board. Players, depending on their role and opportunity to, began to buy the first properties. 
  • What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? 
  • What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? 

Pepsi Man Thoughts

I actually really like the idea of this game. Even though the mechanics are simple and the gameplay doesn’t really have much to do with Pepsi, something about the game is just so charming to me. It’s fun, silly, and makes me think nicely of the Pepsi brand. I know some Pepsi fanatics that would probably love this game now. Will this game convince me to drink Pepsi? No. I’m not sure anything could get me to drink that. 

Sneak King Thoughts

This game does seem fun. I’m a little bit confused by the premise of the game and why you would want the king to seem like a sneaky criminal, but it still looks like something that I could enjoy playing, especially with the silly animation style. Would this make me hungry for a Burger King burger? Honestly, if I was hungry enough, it might convince me to get one, but probably only if I was starving. 

Chex Quest Thoughts

This actually looks like a somewhat solid game, but the premise as it relates to Chex Mix is a little weird, but I think that’s okay. It looks more fun than what I would imagine a Chex Mix game being like and I like the character designs. I could see my younger brother enjoying this and as a child, he might use that as justification to get my mom to buy him Chex Mix. For adults however, I don’t think that Chex Quest is going to do enough to make people go out and buy it unless you are a pre established Chex Mix consumer. The idea of this game does me think a little bit better of the Chex Mix brand, since they are willing to put effort into making a high quality game. I would play this game with friends once, just to experience it because it is a silly concept. 

M&M Kart Racing Thoughts

I haven’t seen this game in years. I definitely was reminded of how terrible the gameplay and mechanics are, and it confirms to me that I wasn’t just really bad at it as a kid (although that was probably a factor too). Although the gameplay has little to do with M&Ms, if I recall correctly, it was still effective to me as a kid as a method of persuasion to buy M&Ms. I think it might just be my love for M&Ms though. If I wasn’t already a committed consumer, I’m not sure how well this game would convince me to get M&Ms. I really wish I still had this on the Wii to experience how bad it is again. 

America’s Army Thoughts

I don’t like the idea of this game at all. I am already not the biggest first person shooter game fan, but I especially don’t like that this one is glorifying war and the US military. It feels like propaganda to try to get young males to join the military and doesn’t address any of the negative aspects of the experience. Also, you are generally playing a game for entertainment purposes and this is making it seem like killing people in a real life war would be too? That just doesn’t sit right with me. Despite that, if this game is well-done, I think it could be effective to convince some people to join the military. Do I agree with that? No, but I don’t think that the military is necessarily known for their ethics. 

Cool Spot Thoughts

This game is also charming to me! I think that it’s really fun that you play as the 7Up Spot. The only thing is I think that the music would get annoying after having to restart a level so many times, but it is still a cute game. I don’t think that this game would persuade me to drink 7Up. It just might make the brand seem more “fun” if anything. 

Vote!!!

  • Was it fun? Yes, despite it being somewhat repetitive and more educational, I enjoyed it. 
  • What were the player interactions? While you weren’t interacting with other players in the game, you had to interact with the different candidates running for office in the general election by asking them questions at debates. 
  • How long did it take to learn? Almost instantly. This game was super simple to learn and it walked you through every step. 
  • Would you play it again? No, probably not. This game took too long and was a little too educational for me to want to play more than once. 
  • Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. In the first act and when you open up the game, you cast a vote at the general election, but you are uninformed so it makes you go back home and start to become an informed voter by using different apps. You start to collect information about the different candidates by using these apps and attending town meetings or debates. The second act would be when you start to form an idea of who the different candidates are and whose policies line up with your values. You are still conducting research on the candidates, but you are starting to form a more cohesive picture of the candidates. The third act is when you know who you are voting for and it is finally election day. You cast your vote and you see who won the election. (I’m pretty sure the people that win are always the people that you vote for). 
  • What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? While this is a single player game so it’s not collaborative or competitive in the traditional sense, I wouldn’t really call this a competitive game by any means. It’s more of just going through a storyline of the voting process and there isn’t anything to really say that you “won”.  
  • What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout? The game’s metaphor is about becoming an informed voter and performing your civic duties. The standout mechanic for me was being able to ask the candidates questions directly at the townhall meetings. I found that it was the best way to gather information from the candidates and the quickest. 
  • Overall, this seems like a pretty good game, especially for a social studies/history class in high school. Honestly I think that the long length of the game was helpful to make the voting process seem more like a continuous educated process rather than researching the night before the election. The game was a little slow but it was effective at what it was trying to accomplish. 
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Thoughts on GETTING OVER IT

I have played getting over it in the past, and it is so very frustrating. Not only are the mechanics hard to get used to (especially on IPad) but the little voice who wants to make sure that you know you messed up is so horrible. The game itself is great, it cause a strong reaction, and makes you want to play more to prove to yourself (and that stupid voice) that you can actually do it.

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New Game

I’ve recently been obsessed with the game Inscryption, it is a card game that you play online, it has storyline, secrets, and it is so absolutely frustrating. I highly recommend watching videos of people playing it, and playing it for yourself!

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Thoughts on MONOPOLY

I had rolled to play the 1% in our game. I had the most advantage when it comes to the entire game, though it didn’t feel right. Yes, it is 100% fun to win at Monopoly, but the meaning behind all of our roles in the game put me in a position where it felt like cheating. I didn’t enjoy watching the other players have to be careful with their money, and constantly be put into jail.

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  • what advergames have you played? did they influence a purchase?

I’ve never personally played any advergames, and I’ve also never been influenced to purchase anything from them.

  • why do the advergames tooth protector and escape work? What makes chase the chuckwagon and shark bait fail?

In Tooth Protector, the game’s underlying theme is to show the player to consider the reality of eating sugary snacks, it’s rationalistic. In Chase, the game is trying to convince players to buy the product and it isn’t considering that players may need a better reason to just buy it (or convince their parents to buy it)

  • what does volvo’s drive for life accomplish? 
    I really enjoy how the essay states this, “in Volvo Drive for Life the goal is to traverse the mundane reality of automobile transit.” It’s completely up to the player on how to drive the vehicle, but it shows the reality of the safety features of Volvos cars
  • what company used in-advergame advertising 

Dodge used this advertising, in their Dodge Stow n Go Challenge, they advertised Bed Bath and Beyond’s store to buy.

  • what was one if the first home-console advergames and what beverage was it for? 
    One of the first home-console advergames was Kool-Aid Man, “a video game for the Atari 2600 and Mattel Intellivision home console systems”
  • what makes the toilet training game sophisticated and do you agree?

Because not only were the mechanics of the game great to play, it let the player experience the demonstrative advertising, with procedural representation of their products. I do agree!

  • what do advergames and anti-advergames have in common, and what principles do they share?

They show that products and services have a function whether it’s good or bad, “the reasoned and conscious interrogation of individual wants and needs, rather than manipulated subservience to corporate ones”

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5 Game Ideas That Explore Change in Players

  1. A game that explores domestic violence in relationships, and how different types of abuse form and using resources to help put an end to the abuse
  2. A game that divulges into littering, with different types of boards like the beach, a forest, the city, and you as a player need to be proactive to help clean up your board before the planet (your board) dies.
  3. A trivia game about real facts that aren’t taught in schools, that everyone should know. Facts about LGBTQIA+, BLM, Climate Change, Human Body, etc.
  4. A game that speaks on empathy, and compassion, makes you have a deep loving connection with something, to having it taken away from you. Makes you react a particular way, with no personal choice, ex. You go about your daily life and mourn in private, or You have time to mourn, but you can’t do it in certain situations because people will tell you you’re over exaggerating.
  5. Final game that speaks on mental health, and stereotypes surrounding certain mental illnesses. Like a Guess Who? game
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week 1 questions

  • What are the issues Ian Bogost raises about social games with Cow Clicker?

Ian lists his most important concerns such as, Enframing, Compulsion, Optionalisim, and Destroyed time.

I actually agree with him, especially in the Compulsive area.

  • How do social games like FarmVille enframe friends?

Social Games like FarmVille enframe friends by not making them friends, but as Ian says makes them valuable sources for materials, it’s not that you’re working together with them, you’re just using them.

  • How do social games destroy time outside of the game?

Social games can cause a compulsion, which can almost cause an addiction, and that wastes (or destroys) time out of your day, because you and your friends start to rely and expect each other to play (enframing)

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Week 2 – Persuade

5 Game ideas that explore change

  1. Trashy-Trudger – You are a turtle in the ocean, except there is an abundance of trash floating around in the ocean. The turtle is a marble, which has to be rolled to the other side in order to get to the other turtles. Every time you successfully roll to the other side, more trash is added to the board. You roll a dice to see how much trash is added to the board, which could potentially block your path.
  2. Donkeys Vs. Elephants – This game revolves around the tense political environment between two parties. One person is a donkey, and the other is an elephant. There are three tabs to knock over, with a slingshot for each person. The goal is to knock over the three tabs of the opposite party, and the first person to get all three tabs wins. However, there is a large crowd of people in between of the parties, which can alter the path of slingshotting. On the beginning of someone’s turn, they can roll a dice to move the crowd however many times the dice rolls. (Politics control the public.)
  3. Phone fiend frenzy – The goal of this game is simple – which is to make it to the other end of the city. You must use your phone to navigate the city, but you mustn’t use your phone too much, as looking at your phone while walking could make you run into something. Certain distractions might pop up on your phone as you walk, so you have to use it wisely.
  4. Paper Pleasing – The objective is to make a successful business in selling paper. However, you have to find unique ways to make the paper without using too many trees. The trees are limited, so you have to manage the amount of which you cut them down to make enough money. You use the managed money to make other types of paper.
  5. Internet Warrior – This is a trivia game. A group of players are asked fairly tricky problems, whether it is a riddle or a word problem. The individual player is allowed to search up the answers on the internet, at the cost of points for dishonesty. The ratio of not being able to find the answer on google can outweigh the point opportunity, risking points. If the player can avoid suspicion cheating, they can keep their points.

Thoughts on The McDonald’s Game

This game is very hard in my opinion. There is a lot of managing that you have to do in so many different positions at McDonald’s. You have to take care of the cows, manage money and serve customers (on top of other considerations). I can see how McDonald’s is trying to prove the point that there is a lot that goes into managing the corporation. As a game, there is too much for me to worry about. It is also easy to lose money, and hard to get the money back up. I feel that this is a game that definitely has to be practiced. One other thing I’ll note is that the game is a bit sad. You are instructed to SHOOT the cows when they get sick. Instead of caring for the cows, they are disregarded. I guess the game is being brutally honest, which is respectable. I understand that the game isn’t 100% realistic, but at the same time I can see how it could be sugarcoating a potential harsh reality.

Week 2 Questions

  1. What advergames have you played? Did they influence a purchase?
    • Come to think of it, I haven’t really played any advergames. I think I’ve noticed a few advergames over the years, but they never really entice me. I can’t help but view them as a marketing tactic rather than a playing experience, so I never usually engage. The only advergame I played recently was The McDonald’s game, which was very difficult. I didn’t really feel tempted to purchase any McDonald’s after playing, but the game isn’t going to stop me from eating at McDonald’s. I think advergames are clever in pertaining to the gaming community, however.
  2. Why do the advergames tooth protector and escape work? What makes chase the chuckwagon and shark bait fail?
    • Advergames such as Tooth Protector and Escape effectively integrate their branding into gameplay, while making the playing experience more seamless and meaningful. The gameplay itself is considered addicting, with interesting concepts and simple features. On the contrary, games such as chuckwagon and shark bait do the opposite. The connection between gameplay and branding is superficial or unclear. These games don’t integrate the product’s core value into the gameplay, making players less likely to feel a deeper connection with the brand. The game mechanics are even considered generic.
  3. What does Volvo’s drive for life accomplish?
    • Volvo’s Drive for Life campaign blends brand values with an engaging experience. It seeks to connect players with emotional and personal aspects, aligning with the brand’s concept of protecting life. On the values of safety, the campaign uses persuasive gameplay and storytelling to convey these ideas in a way that’s memorable. This way, these games aren’t just an advertising platform but a commitment to safety and responsibility.
  4. What company used in-advergame advertising
    • Chevrolet
  5. What was one of the first home-console advergames and what beverage was it for? 
    • Kool-Aid Man, which was on the Atari 2600 in 1983. As you could guess, the beverage was for Kool-Aid.
  6. What makes the toilet training game sophisticated, and do you agree?
    • One of the main mechanics, which was the urination mechanic was considered remarkable. It implements a strange attractor that draws and repels the player’s cursor target in an increasingly haphazard fashion. The lack of control the player has over the urination stream is also unique, as it simulates intoxication. I can’t say I agree with these mechanics being “sophisticated.” It’s hard for me to be impressed, with all of the newer, crazier game mechanics being implemented today. However, the mechanics are essential for making a good game, in which I can see how this game looked fun.
  7. What do advergames and anti-advergames have in common, and what principles do they share?
    • Advergames and anti-advergames use mechanics in order to communicate a message. Whether it is a story or gameplay, both types of games involve the players emotionally and cognitively. Both utilize video games to create a more impactful message than traditional forms of advertising media, showing how games can be used not just to entertain, but to influence and shape consumer perspectives. In short, typical principles of persuasion are used through interaction, immersion, and engagement with the player.
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5 Game Ideas To Change Peoples Minds.

  1. Recycle City – This game will include a main character whos goal is to recycle as much as possible because it helps them finantially in the game. it is almost a source of curancy. I chose this michanic because i want the people who play this game to realize that recycling can help not only the earth but your pockets too.
  2. Ballet Barrage – In this game my goal is to get people to vote. To do this i will highlight the concequences of not voting ( obviously over exaggerate them ) and show them the power one vote can have on an outcome.
  3. Soul Food – This game will persuade people to eat better by giving them speed boosts when they chose a vegitable over a brownie while moving through the map. (subway surfers type of game)
  4. Electric Bill – In this game the main character “Bill” has to keep his houses energy bill down or he loses. you have to run around the house turing lights off that your antagonist son keeps leaving on. it gets harder and faster as time goes on.
  5. Smart Spending – In this game you will simulate someone going through life making smart finantial decistions and good choices lead to long term wealth and bad decitions lead to bankruptcy.
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Endless Game/ With wrinkle

My idea is going to stem off my unboxing game where you unbox things satisfyingly and get cooler tools and cooler boxes to unbox. my wrinkle is going to be adding the amazon logo to everybox to get people to purchase things from amazon. Maybe if you unbox so many boxes in game then you get a free purchase from amazon under $20.

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Week 1 Question Set

  1. Ian Bogost shows that social games such as Cow Clicker, are usually boring and overall repetitive. In this game, you click a cow every few hours which just relies on the players addictive tendencies.
  2. Games like Farm Ville use friends as resources, which can make friendships sort of more like a transaction / sale rather than a real connection or bond.
  3. Social games force players to check in once in a while or watch advertisements in order to skip timers. By doing this, you feeled tied up in the game since you are waiting for a timer to run out.

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Week 1 Questions

What are the issues Ian Bogost raises about social games with Cow Clicker?

Ian Bogost critiques social games like Cow Clicker for several issues:

Enframing: Social games reduce friends and social interactions to mere resources to be exploited for in-game progress, rather than fostering genuine connections.

Compulsion: These games create addictive, repetitive behavior, drawing players back through manipulative design that exploits human psychology, much like slot machines. (boo gambling)

Optionalism: Social games often make gameplay optional and shallow, with actions that can be skipped by spending money, removing meaningful player effort.

Destroyed Time: Social games invade players’ time even when they’re not playing, creating anxiety about missed rewards and fostering a sense of constant obligation.

How do social games like FarmVille enframe friends?

Enframing refers to how the game treats friends not as people but as resources that players can use to advance in the game. (Don’t worry, I also had to look it up.) One example of this is as follows:

Externalizing Social Value: Rather than interacting with friends in ways that build genuine relationships, the game turns these interactions into transactions—asking friends for in-game help, sending virtual gifts, or recruiting them to join the game.

How do social games destroy time outside of the game?

Social games like FarmVille destroy time outside the game by creating a sense of obligation that lingers even when players aren’t actively playing. Some examples of this include:

Obligation to Return: Since social games are built around timers and rewards, players feel like they have unfinished business, leading them to think about the game when they should be focusing on other activities. It’s not just about the time spent playing but the time spent thinking about or planning when to play.

Interrupting Daily Life: The game’s mechanics make players feel like they need to constantly check in, and this can take away from time spent on more meaningful or productive tasks as they prioritize the game to avoid feeling guilty about missing out.

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Week 1 Response | Dill DeSantis

Game Thoughts:

  • Painstation: The concept is absolutely hilarious, but it’s honestly hard to say if I’d actually go through with playing it; On one hand, I don’t like being hurt – but on the other hand, it would be an extremely unique gaming experience.
  • Getting Over It: I’ve had several opportunities to play this game, but i have deliberately chosen not to because I already know I wouldn’t have the patience for it. I don’t dislike it, I think it’s a good looking and well-designed game, but it’s simply not a game I want to play; it seems like you can either love or hate it, there’s no middle ground.
  • Townscaper: I was pleasantly surprised by this game; the quality, sound design, and visuals were above what I expected from the pictures. I can certainly see the appeal, but I cannot imagine that I would stick with for long, as the options seem quite limited.

Questions:

  • Ian Bogost critiques social games for their manipulative design. He argues that they reduce friendships to mere in-game assets, not genuine connections. Developers exploit this by integrating viral mechanics that encourage players to recruit others, not for fun but for engagement metrics. He also highlights how these games rely on compulsive loops, keeping players hooked with minimal effort yet endless repetition. The most concerning issue, however, is the sheer amount of wasted time—players may spend hours completing trivial tasks, reinforcing an artificial sense of progress.
  • Social games like FarmVille turn friendships into transactional relationships. Instead of fostering genuine social interaction, these games treat friends as resources to be used for in-game progression. Players are encouraged to “invite” others to perform tasks like watering crops or feeding animals, making progress feel dependent on social obligation rather than personal strategy. While this mechanic can create a sense of community, it ultimately prioritizes engagement over meaningful social connections.
  • These games seep into daily life, constantly demanding attention even when not actively playing. Push notifications remind players to check in, fostering a sense of urgency to return. Additionally, time-based mechanics—such as waiting for crops to grow or buildings to finish—keep players tethered, stretching gameplay across hours or even days. Many games capitalize on this by offering microtransactions to speed up progress, effectively monetizing patience and further reinforcing time-wasting mechanics.
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Other thoughts on games played in class

Painstation 

Painstation reminds me of a more intense version of those games where you would need to hold a metal stick thingy and it would randomly shock a player until everyone was eliminated. I like to think that I would play Painstation if I had an opportunity to, but I’m such a wimp about everything I probably wouldn’t if I saw someone else get hurt playing it. I never even played that shocking game because I was scared. I definitely know some people who would play this game now and it would be super entertaining, but I think some people could take it too far. 

Getting Over it

I had never seen or played Getting Over It until now. I think I would enjoy watching other people play it, but I don’t even know if I would want to attempt to play it myself. I think that I would be really bad at it and I don’t want to experience the frustration.