I’m not sure what you’re getting at, are you saying videogames are gambling? You’re paying to play a skill game.
The difference would come down to whether the activity is meaningfully “fun.” For example: would someone pay to play a slot machine that they can’t win? Is the act of playing a slot machine actually “fun” or just “addicting.” Is there a difference?
You play a video game, and your body releases chemicals that make you feel good.
You snort some cocaine and your body releases the same chemicals.
Assuming that paying 25 cents to play a round of Dig-Dug is OK, but paying a pile of cash to snort coke is not OK, what is the line where it goes from ok to not ok? What exact ratios of cost, harm, and pleasure are acceptable and not acceptable?
Who am I to tell someone they’re not having fun? But if they wreck their life from engineered-to-abuse-psychology games, that’s not good. This is kind of what tort law is for, right?
I don’t have a good answer.
Nobody agrees on the specifics of acceptability on such a granular level. However, there are a few things we do agree on, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that society has agreed that paying lots of money to snort cocaine is not ok.
I also don’t think it’s a stretch to say that society has agreed that it’s ok to pay a quarter for a few lives in dig-dug.
If it’s just a matter of degrees after this point then everyone can draw their own personal lines and the only lines that truly matter are the ones society largely agree upon, sometimes aka laws.
So fine, you think it’s self harming behavior to bet $1 against the chance to win $2 on a coin toss and I don’t. The only line that matters the law that doesn’t exist against it.
I think paying $1 for the chance to win $2 on a coin toss is perfectly fine. I think paying $1 for the chance to win $0.75 is not.
Ok so following from that, you’re not of the opinion that pandante between friends using seriousface gambling rules is self harm akin to using drugs?
If nobody is cheating, then everyone has the same odds and same payout. Nobody is taking an unfair cut. If there is any skill factor whatsoever, it will come into play and have a relatively meritocratic influence on the game. Everyone is consenting.
As long as nobody is putting in obscenely large amounts of money such that losing will bring them harm, seems not a problem.
Compare it to some friends playing Warhammer. Everyone gives a pile of money to Games Workshop. That’s like someone coming to your friends game of Pandante and just taking all the money and everyone ends up with 0. At least if you play Pandante ONE of your friends will have the moneys.
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We agree ideologically, good day sir.
Holy Crap! Never thought FFG would do this, but would love to see them adapt some of their other LCGs for PC:
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I finally dragged myself away from PUBG to play some Overwatch again, and rocked down my mouse sensitivity in there as well. Goddamn it makes the difference.
Will the third time be the charm and I’ll actually play Okami now that it’s available for the PC?
I played Okami on a PS2. Have they changed anything substantial since then? I remember a lot of recycled boss fights, in particular a tentacle-y one that happened three times.
You still fight him three times, yes. Game is pretty much unchanged, just higher res.
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I loved everything about Okami except actually playing it all the way through.
It was just waaaaaaaay too repetitive.
I haven’t played through it yet, but a frequent criticism of the game is that it’s about 1/3 too long.
I don’t know if 1/3 is high enough. I was pretty much done with the game the first time you fight the main boss, and then I find out that it’s not only not over but that’s only the halfway point. It would’ve been okay if the second half was different from the first, but no, it’s just more of the same. I have had no desire to revisit it.
I like Okami a lot, but it is good to take a break after the first fight with Orochi and then the fight with Ninetails.
Go play a different game for a bit.
I am surprised by how great Mario Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is, especially in the context of the year that Switch has already have. Eating the corpse of the Wii U definitely gave Switch some crazy superpowers. One of the best single years any console has ever had.