We are home from a two-week vacation. Fortunately, we came back with enough time to relax before going back to work, because vacation is something that demands recovery time.
A fair amount of folks’ talking past one another is because of the differing goals that they bring to the table. Some people are at a restaurant for the dining experience rather than the food. Some people are playing the same game as you but not for the purpose of having fun. If you’re an anti-social teetotaler who just happens to like sitting on stools at bars, you are going to be a very lonely voice in a discussion about what makes a good tavern.
The title suggests the big distinction I am thinking about. After work, some people like to chill while others want to do something. I don’t know how much of this is a factor of personality or type of work, although the two are hardly independent, and of course it can vary by the day. Some people are not going to have a good time going out to “have a good time.” Even within narrower frames, some people tend towards more challenging entertainments, say marathons instead of going for a walk or George Martin versus JK Rowling. Baseball is America’s favorite pastime — it is mostly downtime, punctuated by brief potential activity, less occasionally by actual action.
I do not have far to run with this idea today. I am just reflecting on how this covers many differing reactions. I am very insistent that a game be a good game, repeatedly arguing that if I just want something to do while hanging out with my friends, we have lots of options that do not involve monthly fees, level barriers, and a dedicated server with maintenance windows. Other people, eh, they’re not here for the game; if they have fun, bonus, but they’re just looking for something to mess around with after work.
: Zubon
The original Civilization games are a good example of this. While the achievers can play on super-hard mode, I prefer to knock around on one notch higher than “stupid-easy” mostly because if I wanted to work, I’d still be at work.
I have kinda noticed the point of this post every time I do anything at all. Apparently, I’m a strange person.
The success of the f2p model can be attributed to people who just want to mess around, I’d say. They pick it up ’cause it’s free and they want something to do, but get hooked and end up buying a horse or some exp boosts or whatever.