Spiral Knights - Richard Garfield (Creator of Magic The Gathering), Discusses What He Calls "Skinnerware"

Richard Garfield (Creator of Magic The Gathering), Discusses What He Calls "Skinnerware"

5 replies [Last post]

Thu, 09/22/2016 - 19:11

Fruitalicious

First, here's his post.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/richard-garfield/a-game-players-manifesto...

I found it a good read and drew a lot of parallels between it and Spiral Knights. We have power ups, though mostly just sparks of life, incredibly pricey cosmetics, as well as unfair advantages (mixmaster/orbitgun anyone?) in a competitive setting. These things are worrying, but perhaps Grey Havens will be different- all or most of these things were developed under SEGA, including the Golden Slime Casino. It seems plausible that Grey Havens would move away from the old direction? Only time will tell (unless Cronus does or something) of course.

Fri, 09/23/2016 - 04:13

Dats-Mah-Boi

I think that post is 100%

I think that post is 100% accurate, and a good read as well. However, I do not see it as a problem.

As the saying goes, there's a sucker born every minute. Of course, there is an attempt to cover it up as a "medical disorder" like everything these days. Can't do well in school? Disorder. Homicide? Disorder. But this is basic nature. You spend money to get what you want. No one can tell you only to spend X amount. If someone wants to spend $10k on pretty rocks, who's to stop them? The developers did nothing wrong. People need to learn to live with the consequences of their own actions.

Fri, 09/23/2016 - 04:12

Dats-Mah-Boi

And now comes the part where

And now comes the part where all the goody-goodies reply saying that everyone should have their hands held through life and every widdle pwoblem is not their fault.

Fri, 09/23/2016 - 04:34

Bonjourhippo

you asked fo' it

everyone should have their hands held through life and every widdle pwoblem is not their fault.

Fri, 09/23/2016 - 11:45

Bopp

insightful

The essay is insightful. Briefly, it argues that games should not exploit addicted "whales" (which has been discussed in Spiral Knights forums for years), and then gives many concrete examples of what that means. Crucially, the essay is not concerned with designing games that seem fair to paying and non-paying players. For Spiral Knights, the most important parts are:

Energy bar: This was the major flaw of Spiral Knights pre-2013-07-30, but now it's not an issue. There are still appetite bars on sprites, but you can't pay to speed them up, so they aren't exploitative of addicts.

Cosmetics: In terms of fairness, they are an ideal way to fund a game, because they don't affect game play at all. But remember that the essay is about addiction, not fairness. Cosmetics can exploit addiction, if they are extremely rare. Otherwise they are non-exploitative.

Leveling: The essay thinks that paying for leveling is non-exploitative, as long as there is a clear ceiling on the cost. It also prefers that the costs not increase dramatically with the levels. Our Radiants are in a gray area here: a higher ceiling than the essay advocates.

Access to Tools: The essay thinks that paying for powerful items is non-exploitative, as long as there is a clear ceiling on the cost. Our Overcharged Mixmaster is in a gray area, because there is a fixed price on a chance to get the item. The author of the essay would be happier if the item simply had a fixed price.

Fri, 09/23/2016 - 12:32

Fehzors-Forum-Alt

@Lethal-Bunduru

I'm pretty sure gambling addiction is a real thing. You can look up some articles if you don't believe me it's a fascinating subject.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-brain-gets-addicted-to...

I know it goes against your rather undeterministic world view but do give it a chance and keep an open mind.

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Richard Garfield (Creator of Magic The Gathering), Discusses What He Calls "Skinnerware"