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Skinner Box

MexorillaMexorilla Member Posts: 313
in The Pub at MMORPG.COM

http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted.html 

 

an interesting article i came across. 

Comments

  • maplestonemaplestone Member UncommonPosts: 3,099

    Why do I keep clicking on these threads compulsively?

  • AmarantharAmaranthar Member EpicPosts: 5,852
    Originally posted by maplestone

    Why do I keep clicking on these threads compulsively?

    For a +12580 sword? Because it's not available in a cash shop around here?

    Once upon a time....

  • therain93therain93 Member UncommonPosts: 2,039

    Yeah, it's an old article.    The best part is the conclusion:

     "The terrible truth is that a whole lot of us begged for a Skinner Box we could crawl into, because the real world's system of rewards is so much more slow and cruel than we expected it to be. In that, gaming is no different from other forms of mental escape, from sports fandom to moonshine....The danger lies in the fact that these games have become so incredibly efficient at delivering the sense of accomplishment that people used to get from their education or career. We're not saying gaming will ruin the world, or that gaming addiction will be a scourge on youth the way crack ruined the inner cities in the 90s. But we may wind up with a generation of dudes working at Starbucks when they had the brains and talent for so much more. They're dissatisfied with their lives because they wasted their 20s playing video games, and will escape their dissatisfaction by playing more video games. Rinse, repeat.

     

    It's a shame more people do not take an introductory psychology course.

  • TheLizardbonesTheLizardbones Member CommonPosts: 10,910

    Originally posted by therain93
    Yeah, it's an old article.    The best part is the conclusion: "The terrible truth is that a whole lot of us begged for a Skinner Box we could crawl into, because the real world's system of rewards is so much more slow and cruel than we expected it to be. In that, gaming is no different from other forms of mental escape, from sports fandom to moonshine....The danger lies in the fact that these games have become so incredibly efficient at delivering the sense of accomplishment that people used to get from their education or career. We're not saying gaming will ruin the world, or that gaming addiction will be a scourge on youth the way crack ruined the inner cities in the 90s. But we may wind up with a generation of dudes working at Starbucks when they had the brains and talent for so much more. They're dissatisfied with their lives because they wasted their 20s playing video games, and will escape their dissatisfaction by playing more video games. Rinse, repeat. It's a shame more people do not take an introductory psychology course.

    Why would an introductory psych course make any difference?

    I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.

  • maplestonemaplestone Member UncommonPosts: 3,099
    Originally posted by therain93

     

    when they had the brains and talent for so much more. 

    If there's one thing that life has made abundantly clear to me, it's that I never actually had any talent to begin with.

  • therain93therain93 Member UncommonPosts: 2,039
    Originally posted by lizardbones

     

    Originally posted by therain93
    Yeah, it's an old article.    The best part is the conclusion:

     

     "The terrible truth is that a whole lot of us begged for a Skinner Box we could crawl into, because the real world's system of rewards is so much more slow and cruel than we expected it to be. In that, gaming is no different from other forms of mental escape, from sports fandom to moonshine....The danger lies in the fact that these games have become so incredibly efficient at delivering the sense of accomplishment that people used to get from their education or career. We're not saying gaming will ruin the world, or that gaming addiction will be a scourge on youth the way crack ruined the inner cities in the 90s. But we may wind up with a generation of dudes working at Starbucks when they had the brains and talent for so much more. They're dissatisfied with their lives because they wasted their 20s playing video games, and will escape their dissatisfaction by playing more video games. Rinse, repeat.

     

    It's a shame more people do not take an introductory psychology course.

     


    Why would an introductory psych course make any difference?

     

    You mean, why would having a fundamental understanding and appreciation for perception, motivation and emotional development make any difference? *shrug* I don't know, it seemed like a smart thing to write....

  • therain93therain93 Member UncommonPosts: 2,039
    Originally posted by maplestone
    Originally posted by therain93

     

    when they had the brains and talent for so much more. 

    If there's one thing that life has made abundantly clear to me, it's that I never actually had any talent to begin with.

    Nonsense -- you have wit as well as the ability and willingness to write a grammatically correct sentence on the internet! ( ' :

  • TheLizardbonesTheLizardbones Member CommonPosts: 10,910

    Originally posted by therain93
    Originally posted by lizardbones   Originally posted by therain93 Yeah, it's an old article.    The best part is the conclusion:    "The terrible truth is that a whole lot of us begged for a Skinner Box we could crawl into, because the real world's system of rewards is so much more slow and cruel than we expected it to be. In that, gaming is no different from other forms of mental escape, from sports fandom to moonshine....The danger lies in the fact that these games have become so incredibly efficient at delivering the sense of accomplishment that people used to get from their education or career. We're not saying gaming will ruin the world, or that gaming addiction will be a scourge on youth the way crack ruined the inner cities in the 90s. But we may wind up with a generation of dudes working at Starbucks when they had the brains and talent for so much more. They're dissatisfied with their lives because they wasted their 20s playing video games, and will escape their dissatisfaction by playing more video games. Rinse, repeat.   It's a shame more people do not take an introductory psychology course.  
    Why would an introductory psych course make any difference?  
    You mean, why would having a fundamental understanding and appreciation for perception, motivation and emotional development make any difference? *shrug* I don't know, it seemed like a smart thing to write....


    Why would it make any difference in the context of Skinner Boxes and Video Games? I don't dispute that it's a good idea to learn a bit about how your brain works, but I didn't see any lives change after my second semester in psych, much less after the first semester. Just knowing about built in behaviors doesn't mean someone is going to change those behaviors. Especially when those behaviors are built in to help keep you alive.

    I mean, we deal with this kind of stuff every day on television, in movies, going to the grocery store and listening to the radio. Watch a good commercial and get a chuckle out of it. Watch a commercial and suddenly be afraid that your house will get flooded. And so on.

    This isn't something that's suddenly happening now. I'm sure developers are getting better at building the skinner boxes, but it's not like video games haven't been skinner boxes since the Atari 2600 came out. I mean, if the arcades I went to in the 80's weren't huge skinner boxes designed to make you think you were being rewarded for spending quarters, then there were some fantastically lucky arcade owners.

    I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.

  • AmarantharAmaranthar Member EpicPosts: 5,852
    Originally posted by therain93
    Originally posted by maplestone
    Originally posted by therain93

     

    when they had the brains and talent for so much more. 

    If there's one thing that life has made abundantly clear to me, it's that I never actually had any talent to begin with.

    Nonsense -- you have wit as well as the ability and willingness to write a grammatically correct sentence on the internet! ( ' :

    Yeah, and really most "talent" in this world is the result of learning and practice. You're obviously not a dumb person. Just stick with it, whatever it is, and roll with the punches. You probably know this anyways, just sayin'.

    Once upon a time....

  • KenFisherKenFisher Member UncommonPosts: 5,035
    Originally posted by maplestone
    Originally posted by therain93

     

    when they had the brains and talent for so much more. 

    If there's one thing that life has made abundantly clear to me, it's that I never actually had any talent to begin with.

     

    Same!  My life is a confused contradiction.  I'm not even a good gamer.

    Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security.  I don't Forum PVP.  If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident.  When I don't understand, I ask.  Such is not intended as criticism.
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