The games, they control us now.

Received in email from octopoid_horror last night.

I hate it when it becomes obvious how a game is playing on people's behaviour.

Codblops, for example.

For the benefit of Mr Ducker - CoD multiplayer has levels. You start at level 1. As you play in matches, achieve objectives and kill people, you get XP. XP means you unlock a greater variety weapons and equipment. Eventually you hit maximum level. At max level you can keep on running around with everything unlocked but XP being useless to you OR you can prestige. Prestiging is where you go back to level 1, but with more e-peen and a few bonus unlocks.

"Oho" thought I as I approached maximum level "that's not for me. I'll stay level 50 forever and wander around with all my cool gear shooting people."

*gets to level 50*

*watches as XP becomes pointless because I'm max level*

*suddenly feels bored*

FUCK YOU PAVLOV AND SKINNER. FUCK YOU FOR BEING RIGHT

Interesting Links for 15-3-2011

• The 5,000 Labour Voters Who Secured This Tory - Lib Dem Coalition
  (tags: libdem conservatives labour voting fptp)
• One Genre to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them - why the BBC's focus on lit-fic puts people off reading.
  (tags: books reading bbc fantasy horror literature)
• Why is Barnes and Noble performing well as a business while Borders has filed for bankruptcy?
  (tags: books borders business economics internet)
• Taiwan hotel offers Batman-sex room with Batman-sex bed. Extra points for saying "I'm the Goddamn Batman!"
  (tags: batman sex wtf)
• A Review Of The Lord of the Rings Movies By A Tolkein Virgin. Amusingly written too.
  (tags: Tolkein review lotr movies)
• Obama defends torture of Bradley Manning
  (tags: torture obama usa military)
• Lib Dems thwart Tory hopes of human rights convention withdrawal
  (tags: libdem rights uk europe)
• Supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton Cycle turbines promise giant leap in thermal-to-electric conversion efficiency
  (tags: efficiency electricity power)
• David Lynch to direct Duran Duran concert.
  (tags: music video DavidLynch DuranDuran)
• Geeks need to stop being negative all the time, and engage in positive criticism for a change.
  (tags: culture geeks)
• Wii sales drop by 24%, still ahead of both MS and Sony
  (tags: xbox microsoft sony ps3 wii nintendo sales)
• NHS plans will not change significantly: Downing Street. This will be....interesting
  (tags: nhs uk government)
• Does Brian Cox have an unlikely lovechild?
  (tags: BrianCox physics funny photo)
• Jobless to be forced to carry out work for no pay. How about creating some jobs and actually paying them?
  (tags: uk government welfare work)
• No, really, pi is wrong: The Tau Manifesto
  (tags: pi mathematics)

You know, I keep forgetting what "ecumenical" _means_.

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