
Data Brokers: Online Game Revenue Models with AI - jacquesm
https://imgur.com/a/rhFuj
======
frisco
This is almost certainly fake:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7qhcxo/ai_is_...](https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7qhcxo/ai_is_literally_everywhere_watching_and_listening/dsq93mm/?utm_content=permalink&utm_medium=front&utm_source=reddit&utm_name=pcmasterrace)

(Regardless of whether it's fake or not, it definitely brings up a lot of
interesting questions as a lot of stuff described here is not impossible...)

~~~
pdkl95
A lot of these criticisms are based on the sloppy use of terminology and "pop"
misunderstandings of machine learning ("AI"). However, this is clearly some
sort of sales-pitch to a business (i.e. _non-technical_ ) audience. That kind
of presentation is _often_ filled with pop buzzwords with abused definitions
and exaggerated claims.

~~~
frisco
I think the purported backstory of how the internet came into possession of
these slides via 4chan is at least as suspicious as the technical points.

This would definitely not be the first time sketchily photographed fake
“leaks” have appeared there. Who is this company? Are they real? Who gave this
presentation and to what audience?

------
pdkl95
> Our main revenue creation tactic ... involves utilizing persistent bait-and-
> switching ...

That's a very clear confession of _mens rea_ [1].

> Clever Indicators - Intro

> This monitoring system keeps specialized information contained within the
> device so that our company and your company is not able to take in any raw
> or identifiable data. This means there is no legal issues across borders.

Aka, intent to bypass GDPR and similar laws by "cooking" the data (e.g.
hashing) into what DJB calls[2] "magic crypto pixie dust" that "takes
personally identifiable information and makes it incomprehensible to the
marketing department" or anybody else that doesn't understand how hashes can
be reversed, correlated, tracked, etc.

> The software takes in things like acceleration XYZ, geoposition, SMS
> send/receiving timings ..., GSM strength and estimated XYZ location, nearby
> audio, nearby MAC address/wifi names, and nearby cell phones discovered
> through a completely passive side channel attack

The rest of "Schedule 'Z'" shows some of the uses for that data. After reading
that, does anybody still think giving easy access to sensors is a good idea?
You cannot determine the behavior of Turing complete software without running
it, and you cannot enumerate badnesss.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_rea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_rea)

[2]
[https://projectbullrun.org/surveillance/2015/video-2015.html...](https://projectbullrun.org/surveillance/2015/video-2015.html#bernstein)

~~~
iaw
There's also the section where they describe intentionally skirting laws by
using AI to perform actions that would be illegal for a human.

This entire presentation feels dirty.

~~~
anonytrary
Not to mention the pictures taken as if they were riding a bull. The ideas in
their presentation are interesting, nonetheless. Fuck professionalism! /s

------
iaw
This is a gross deformation of what a game should be.

We've hit the point where many applications that claim to be games are more
like gambling for electronic rewards, this presentation unabashedly pushes
things farther away from the historic value proposition offered by games
(enjoyment) and closer to the present value proposition offered by gambling
(rewarding compulsivity).

~~~
anonytrary
TLDR: There are two ways to justify progress in a game: proof-of-play and
proof-of-pay. Stay away from games that allow the latter if you like your
money.

\---

Yeah this is the problem with pay-to-win games. Pay-to-win often becomes pay-
to-resell-equips-for-a-profit, which is just gambling on the future value of
those in-game digital tokens, items, and currency. Without a good _game_
underneath, it eventually becomes one big valueless scheme.

Pay-to-play is often implemented in such a way that it is actually pay-to-win.
A really good bullshit test on any video game is to first ask which category
it falls under:

    
    
      1. Pay-to-play (sufficiently constant join-fee, this is fine.)
      2. Pay-to-win (DANGER!)
      3. Free-to-play (often implies paying for cosmetics, this is fine.)
    

One should carefully understand all value streams associated with a particular
game, specifically _when real currency goes into the system, what comes out?_
Some red flags that indicate a game may be pay-to-win:

    
    
      1. You can buy EXP
      2. You can buy better gear
      3. You can buy scrolls that allow you to progress much faster (exp boosts, spawn increases, item drop rate increases, etc.)
      4. You can skip levels with money
    

Put simply, if Kim Jong-un can walk into the game and be the best player in
under 72 hours, then the game is probably a waste of time. MMO games need to
be done right, there can't be sudden phase-change events like a new player
suddenly becoming the best player because they bought $84,000 in items from
the cash shop (twinking is fine, since it can be backed by proof-of-play).

------
etiam
Article reference for "aggressively targeting women during the last 2 days of
the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle" in "Schedule Z"
[http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal....](http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0183462)

"We are also in the process of contacting the author of
[http://jmlr.csail.mit.edu/papers/volume14/stowell13a/stowell...](http://jmlr.csail.mit.edu/papers/volume14/stowell13a/stowell13a.pdf)
which with their help in applying their algortithm listed in the paper will
help us to pinpoint certain variables we require."

~~~
BatFastard
There are enough real techniques in here that it has some credibility. Looks
like some of the things I have seen marketing teams who really don't
understand the tech put together.

------
pimmen
When these statisticians, engineers and developers stand face to face with one
of their beloved "whales" who lost his wife, children and home to his
addiction will they say "I was just doing my job, could you ever forgive me?"
or will they say what they were thinking when they implemented this shit:

"Thank god you're so predictable, sir! You're not an idiot, really, we're just
really good at our job! But, now you're spent."

~~~
make3
I mean, the cigarette people for example have done much worse for much longer.
Not all humans are humanists. That's why governments need to regulate what is
legal and what is not, like they did in many jurisdictions with cigarettes.

~~~
pimmen
And we stopped the cigarette people from advertising to children and required
that they become completely transparent about their habit forming product.

As you say, we can't make everyone a humanist but we can demand that everyone
be transparent when they're selling a potentially life destroying product.

~~~
make3
that was exactly my point, the part about government regulations, if you did
read the comment

~~~
pimmen
I did read the comment, that's why I refereed back to it with an "as you say".

------
exikyut
The google drive links are still up. Has anyone tried emailing the owner yet?
The email address is really weird.

------
philipodonnell
Reading this made me a little queasy. Is it real?

~~~
X6S1x6Okd1st
Nothing about to reads like it's real to me. Show the "AI Profile" to anyone
that works on building models and they'll find it funny, not sinister.

------
X6S1x6Okd1st
Sounds like this came from 4chan which runs the following disclaimer

> The stories and information posted here are artistic works of fiction and
> falsehood.

> Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact.

------
X6S1x6Okd1st
AI profile:

Breadth: Ultra-Wide Depth: Ulta-Deep Noise: Very Low Problem Set: [omitted]
Goal Tree: [omitted] Residual Block Weight: [omitted] Server Origin: Testing
setup room past [censored]'s Gate Conference Room.

That is hilarious, I'd really enjoy it if Breadth: Ultra-Wide became a meme,
it's so nonsensical.

