
WWDC 2010 Wrap-Up - mattyb
http://daringfireball.net/2010/06/wwdc_wrapup
======
philwelch
"The demo seemed targeted specifically to existing FarmVille players, because
I (having never played the game) couldn’t make heads or tails out of how one
is supposed to play or what sort of entertainment it was supposed to provide."

FarmVille isn't intended to provide entertainment, it's only intended to
addict you (to Zynga's benefit). It's one of the more horrible things one can
invent with software.

~~~
WalterGR
> FarmVille isn't intended to provide entertainment

Kindly, justify this statement.

~~~
philwelch
There are certain design tradeoffs between entertainment and addictiveness,
but I don't think a game which encourages players to get up at 4 in the
morning to click on isometric squares to harvest virtual crops chose the
"entertainment" side of that tradeoff.

In fact, I don't think _any_ game where the central mechanic involves clicking
on isometric squares repeatedly to plant and harvest virtual crops is
entertaining. You may claim they intended Farmville to be entertaining, but
they're not that incompetent--they certainly made it addictive.

~~~
WalterGR
> In fact, I don't think _any_ game where the central mechanic involves
> clicking on isometric squares repeatedly to plant and harvest virtual crops
> is entertaining.

I'm still unclear on your argument. Are you saying that any activity that
people engage in, that you don't find entertaining, was invented solely to be
addictive?

~~~
philwelch
No universal quantifiers--I'm just saying that Farmville, in particular, was
designed to be addictive at the cost of being entertaining. If you have a
counterpoint, kindly make it--this isn't quite the right forum for a Socratic
argument.

~~~
WalterGR
Okay, here goes:

 _FarmVille isn't intended to provide entertainment, it's only intended to
addict you (to Zynga's benefit)._

That's an absolutely ridiculous statement, and I'm shocked that it has gotten
so many upvotes on Hacker News. Slashdot, sure, but not here.

Do you have any insight into Zynga's development of the game? If not you have
no grounds upon which to make that hyperbolic statement.

...Unless you're arguing that anything you don't find entertaining was
therefore designed _solely_ to be addictive.

 _Farmville, in particular, was designed to be addictive at the cost of being
entertaining._

Are you saying that its entertainment value is _lessened_ by its addictive
aspect, or that it's not entertaining at all? If the former, your original
statement needs modification.

~~~
potatolicious
Just about everyone I know - including people who play FarmVille - agree that
it's really not very fun, but the app (I hesitate to call it a "game") compels
them forward with a number of addictive mechanics.

No offense, but it really sounds like you have a horse in this race - do you
work for Zynga?

~~~
WalterGR
_Just about everyone I know - including people who play FarmVille - agree that
it's really not very fun, but the app (I hesitate to call it a "game") compels
them forward with a number of addictive mechanics._

Few people I know classify watching TV as "fun," but it passes the time and is
entertaining.

 _No offense, but it really sounds like you have a horse in this race - do you
work for Zynga?_

None taken. I absolutely have no relationship whatsoever with Zynga.

Consider the argument

 _Television isn't intended to provide entertainment, it's only intended to
addict you (to the networks' benefit)._

I can't imagine it would be so uncritically received by Hacker News.

Clearly FarmVille has addictive elements, like any game. I'm shocked that
Hacker News so enthusiastically accepts that "FarmVille isn't intended to
provide entertainment", and is punishing me for saying so.

~~~
chc
A similar statement about TV (or most other games for that matter) wouldn't
match our experience. Most of us have been entertained or know someone who has
been entertained by TV. FarmVille does not share this quality. Most of us know
at least one person who has played it, but no one who actually seems to be
entertained. My girlfriend used to play it a lot, but she spoke of it in terms
of fulfilling a need or obligation rather than deriving enjoyment. I suspect a
lot of people have similar experiences, and that is why they find your
comparison to TV to be specious.

------
thought_alarm
> Apple should have put iPhone 4 units on display in Moscone, like they did
> with the original iPhone at Macworld 2007, if only to inspire developers to
> create double-resolution artwork for the custom UI elements

I think the Simulator provides all the inspiration a developer needs. Seeing
your work suddenly presented to you at twice the resolution and detail is very
stunning and thought provoking.

------
tlrobinson
"It’s interesting that Apple is going to sell it for $5 rather than include it
in the system. I’m not sure why."

Sarbox?

------
scrame
OMG! Gruber farted an opinion about apple!

I wonder if he thinks their new products and direction are the future of
technology.

If anything, he might have been too hard on apple, in suggesting that they do
something different than the exact thing that they did, because apple is
flawless with marketing and product differentiation. And the iPad is _fast_.

I can't wait for more footnotes from the revolution.

