Compulsion Loops - Revision history

Caseorganic at 00:14, 1 December 2011

2011-12-01T00:14:26Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:14, 1 December 2011
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	===Definition===		===Definition===
	Artificial incentive systems are part of our cyborg reality. The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar.<ref>Intermittent Reinforcement - Are You Addicted to Email and Smartphones? Author Unknown. Published Sep 1, 2010. http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/ Accessed Jun 2011.</ref> If all E-mail arrived in one's mailbox once per day, society would revolve around checking for mail once a day. Instead, E-mail can appear at any time, day or night. This intermittent reinforcement ~~is causing~~ an increase in information addiction as more and people check their mail and social network inboxes more frequently.		Artificial incentive systems are part of our cyborg reality. The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar.<ref>Intermittent Reinforcement - Are You Addicted to Email and Smartphones? Author Unknown. Published Sep 1, 2010. http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/ Accessed Jun 2011.</ref> If all E-mail arrived in one's mailbox once per day, society would revolve around checking for mail once a day. Instead, E-mail can appear at any time, day or night. This intermittent reinforcement causes an increase in information addiction as more and people check their mail and social network inboxes more frequently.

	===Compulsion Loops in Games===		===Compulsion Loops in Games===

Caseorganic at 04:21, 29 November 2011

2011-11-29T04:21:27Z

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	~~[[Image:compulsion-loops-Maggie-Nichols.jpg\|center\|600px]]~~

	===Definition===		===Definition===
	~~Part~~ of our cyborg reality ~~are artificial incentive systems~~. The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar.<ref>Intermittent Reinforcement - Are You Addicted to Email and Smartphones? Author Unknown. Published Sep 1, 2010. http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/ Accessed Jun 2011.</ref> If all E-mail arrived in one's mailbox once per day, society would revolve around checking for mail once a day. Instead, E-mail can appear at any time, day or night. This intermittent reinforcement is causing an increase in information addiction as more and people check their mail and social network inboxes more frequently.		Artificial incentive systems are part of our cyborg reality. The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar.<ref>Intermittent Reinforcement - Are You Addicted to Email and Smartphones? Author Unknown. Published Sep 1, 2010. http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/ Accessed Jun 2011.</ref> If all E-mail arrived in one's mailbox once per day, society would revolve around checking for mail once a day. Instead, E-mail can appear at any time, day or night. This intermittent reinforcement is causing an increase in information addiction as more and people check their mail and social network inboxes more frequently.

	===Compulsion Loops in Games===		===Compulsion Loops in Games===
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	[[Category:Book Pages]]		[[Category:Book Pages]]
	[[Category:Finished]]		[[Category:Finished]]
	~~[[Category:Illustrated]]~~

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Caseorganic at 16:26, 31 October 2011

2011-10-31T16:26:03Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:26, 31 October 2011
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	===Definition===		===Definition===
	Part of our cyborg ~~realityare~~ artificial incentive systems. The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar.<ref>Intermittent Reinforcement - Are You Addicted to Email and Smartphones? Author Unknown. Published Sep 1, 2010. http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/ Accessed Jun 2011.</ref> If all E-mail arrived in one's mailbox once per day, society would revolve around checking for mail once a day. Instead, E-mail can appear at any time, day or night. This intermittent reinforcement is causing an increase in information addiction as more and people check their mail and social network inboxes more frequently.		Part of our cyborg reality are artificial incentive systems. The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar.<ref>Intermittent Reinforcement - Are You Addicted to Email and Smartphones? Author Unknown. Published Sep 1, 2010. http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/ Accessed Jun 2011.</ref> If all E-mail arrived in one's mailbox once per day, society would revolve around checking for mail once a day. Instead, E-mail can appear at any time, day or night. This intermittent reinforcement is causing an increase in information addiction as more and people check their mail and social network inboxes more frequently.

	===Compulsion Loops in Games===		===Compulsion Loops in Games===

Caseorganic at 06:34, 14 October 2011

2011-10-14T06:34:52Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:34, 14 October 2011
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	===Compulsion Loops in Games===		===Compulsion Loops in Games===
	Games can also contain compulsion loops revolving around virtual characters with intermittent actions and effects. The structure and obligations of Farmville are very similar to those of the Tamagotchi. Many mechanics involve caring for needy animals, crops, and plots of land. "The secret to Farmville's popularity is neither gameplay nor aesthetics", writes A. J. Liszkiewicz, "Farmville is popular because in entangles users in a web of social obligations. When users log into Facebook, they are reminded that their neighbors have sent them gifts, posted bonuses on their walls, and helped with each others' farms. In turn, they are obligated to return the courtesies. As the French sociologist Marcel Mauss tells us, gifts are never free: they bind the giver and receiver in a loop of reciprocity. It is rude to refuse a gift, and ruder still to not return the kindness.<ref>Mauss, Marcel. The Gift. ~~Chapter One~~. ~~Google Books France~~. http://books.google.fr/books?id=xlkVAAAAIAAJ. Accessed Aug 2010.</ref> "We play Farmville, then, because we are trying to be good to one another," says Liszkiewicz, "because we are polite, cultivated people".<ref>Liszkiewicz, A. J. Patrick. Cultivated Play: Farmville. Media Commons. March 09, 2010. http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/content/cultivated-play-farmville Accessed Jun 2011.</ref>		Games can also contain compulsion loops revolving around virtual characters with intermittent actions and effects. The structure and obligations of Farmville are very similar to those of the Tamagotchi. Many mechanics involve caring for needy animals, crops, and plots of land. "The secret to Farmville's popularity is neither gameplay nor aesthetics", writes A. J. Liszkiewicz, "Farmville is popular because in entangles users in a web of social obligations. When users log into Facebook, they are reminded that their neighbors have sent them gifts, posted bonuses on their walls, and helped with each others' farms. In turn, they are obligated to return the courtesies. As the French sociologist Marcel Mauss tells us, gifts are never free: they bind the giver and receiver in a loop of reciprocity. It is rude to refuse a gift, and ruder still to not return the kindness.<ref>Mauss, Marcel. The Gift: forms and functions of exchange in archaic societies. W. W. Norton & Company. 1967. http://books.google.fr/books?id=xlkVAAAAIAAJ. Accessed Aug 2010.</ref> "We play Farmville, then, because we are trying to be good to one another," says Liszkiewicz, "because we are polite, cultivated people".<ref>Liszkiewicz, A. J. Patrick. Cultivated Play: Farmville. Media Commons. March 09, 2010. http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/content/cultivated-play-farmville Accessed Jun 2011.</ref>

	==References==		==References==

Caseorganic at 06:33, 14 October 2011

2011-10-14T06:33:13Z

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 ===Definition===
-Part of our cyborg future will be the creation of artificial incentive systems in digital space. This has already occurred with E-mail. The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar. <ref>http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/</ref>
+Part of our cyborg realityare artificial incentive systems. The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar.<ref>Intermittent Reinforcement - Are You Addicted to Email and Smartphones? Author Unknown. Published Sep 1, 2010. http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/ Accessed Jun 2011.</ref> If all E-mail arrived in one's mailbox once per day, society would revolve around checking for mail once a day. Instead, E-mail can appear at any time, day or night. This intermittent reinforcement is causing an increase in information addiction as more and people check their mail and social network inboxes more frequently.
-Compulsion loops are also found in all video games. In Super Mario Bros., for example, the reward is reaching the next level, and the method of reaching it is completing the current level. When a player's skill in the game is below the threshold required to complete the level, they become frustrated and feel the outlay to achieve the goal is too high, and are lost. Conversely when the outlay is very low the goal is devalued, which can also lead to disengagement. The structure and obligations of Farmville are very similar to those of the Tamagotchi.
+===Compulsion Loops in Games===
+Games can also contain compulsion loops revolving around virtual characters with intermittent actions and effects. The structure and obligations of Farmville are very similar to those of the Tamagotchi. Many mechanics involve caring for needy animals, crops, and plots of land. "The secret to Farmville's popularity is neither gameplay nor aesthetics", writes A. J. Liszkiewicz, "Farmville is popular because in entangles users in a web of social obligations. When users log into Facebook, they are reminded that their neighbors have sent them gifts, posted bonuses on their walls, and helped with each others' farms. In turn, they are obligated to return the courtesies. As the French sociologist Marcel Mauss tells us, gifts are never free: they bind the giver and receiver in a loop of reciprocity. It is rude to refuse a gift, and ruder still to not return the kindness.<ref>Mauss, Marcel. The Gift. Chapter One. Google Books France. http://books.google.fr/books?id=xlkVAAAAIAAJ. Accessed Aug 2010.</ref> "We play Farmville, then, because we are trying to be good to one another," says Liszkiewicz, "because we are polite, cultivated people".<ref>Liszkiewicz, A. J. Patrick. Cultivated Play: Farmville. Media Commons. March 09, 2010. http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/content/cultivated-play-farmville Accessed Jun 2011.</ref>
 ==References==
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 [[Category:Book Pages]]
-[[Category:Marked for Editing]]
+[[Category:Finished]]
 [[Category:Illustrated]]
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Caseorganic at 19:19, 13 September 2011

2011-09-13T19:19:55Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:19, 13 September 2011
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	*[[Automatic Production of Space]]		*[[Automatic Production of Space]]
	*[[Tamagotchi]]		*[[Tamagotchi]]
			*http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted_p2.html
			*http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3085/behavioral_game_design.php
			*http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3011/the_psychology_of_choice.php
			*http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1783/were_not_listening_an_open_.php
			*http://www.gamasutra.com/view/authors/54/John_Hopson.php
			*http://www.nickyee.com/eqt/skinner.html
			*http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3085/behavioral_game_design.php?page=1

	==References==		==References==

Caseorganic at 03:08, 31 July 2011

2011-07-31T03:08:57Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:08, 31 July 2011
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	[[Image:compulsion-loops-Maggie-Nichols.jpg\|center\|600px]]		[[Image:compulsion-loops-Maggie-Nichols.jpg\|center\|600px]]

	===~~Compulsion Loops in Video Games~~===		===Definition===
	Compulsion loops are also found in all video games. In Super Mario Bros., for example, the reward is reaching the next level, and the method of reaching it is completing the current level. When a player's skill in the game is below the threshold required to complete the level, they become frustrated and feel the outlay to achieve the goal is too high, and are lost. Conversely when the outlay is very low the goal is devalued, which can also lead to disengagement.		Part of our cyborg future will be the creation of artificial incentive systems in digital space. This has already occurred with E-mail. The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar. <ref>http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/</ref>

			Compulsion loops are also found in all video games. In Super Mario Bros., for example, the reward is reaching the next level, and the method of reaching it is completing the current level. When a player's skill in the game is below the threshold required to complete the level, they become frustrated and feel the outlay to achieve the goal is too high, and are lost. Conversely when the outlay is very low the goal is devalued, which can also lead to disengagement. The structure and obligations of Farmville are very similar to those of the Tamagotchi.

	In real life, the time and space between goals and accomplishments is often large. For some, it is physically impossible to achieve certain things, like purchasing a Ferrari or rising above middle management in their career path. Online gaming, especially sites like Farmville, step in to fill that void.		In real life, the time and space between goals and accomplishments is often large. For some, it is physically impossible to achieve certain things, like purchasing a Ferrari or rising above middle management in their career path. Online gaming, especially sites like Farmville, step in to fill that void.

	Whereas one doesn't have the money, time or room for a real garden, Farmville ~~gives you~~ one without the back-aching labor. All reality is replaced by small icons, and time is compressed so that goals and accomplishments are right next to one another. Everything has a point value and a reward. When real life takes so long to reward someone, online gaming is often a better and more enjoyable alternative.		Whereas one doesn't have the money, time or room for a real garden, Farmville provides one without the back-aching labor. All reality is replaced by small icons, and time is compressed so that goals and accomplishments are right next to one another. Everything has a point value and a reward. When real life takes so long to reward someone, online gaming is often a better and more enjoyable alternative.

	"The secret to Farmville's popularity is neither gameplay nor aesthetics. <strong>Farmville is popular because in entangles users in a web of social obligations.</strong> When users log into Facebook, they are reminded that their neighbors have sent them gifts, posted bonuses on their walls, and helped with each others' farms. In turn, they are obligated to return the courtesies. As the French sociologist Marcel Mauss tells us, gifts are never free: they bind the giver and receiver in a loop of reciprocity. It is rude to refuse a gift, and ruder still to not return the kindness.[11] We play Farmville, then, because we are trying to be good to one another. We play Farmville because we are polite, cultivated people.		"The secret to Farmville's popularity is neither gameplay nor aesthetics. <strong>Farmville is popular because in entangles users in a web of social obligations.</strong> When users log into Facebook, they are reminded that their neighbors have sent them gifts, posted bonuses on their walls, and helped with each others' farms. In turn, they are obligated to return the courtesies. As the French sociologist Marcel Mauss tells us, gifts are never free: they bind the giver and receiver in a loop of reciprocity. It is rude to refuse a gift, and ruder still to not return the kindness.[11] We play Farmville, then, because we are trying to be good to one another. We play Farmville because we are polite, cultivated people.

	# Farmville is defined by obligation, routine, and responsibility;		# Farmville is defined by obligation, routine, and responsibility;
	# Farmville encroaches and depends upon real life, and is never entirely separate from it;		# Farmville encroaches and depends upon real life, and is never entirely separate from it;
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	Of these points, the fourth is the most troubling. While playing Farmville might not qualify as work or labor, it is certainly a productive activity, as playing Farmville serves to enlarge and strengthen social capital. Capital is defined as "any form of wealth employed or capable of being employed in the production of more wealth."[13] New media companies like Zynga and Facebook depend upon such wealth in generating revenue, just as President Obama depends on social capital to raise money, to organize, and to communicate. Unlike President Obama, though, Zynga is not an elected official, and is not obligated to act with the public's interests in mind".<ref>[http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/content/cultivated-play-farmville Cultivated Play] Liszkiewicz, A. J. Patrick. SUNY Buffalo (Amherst). Accessed March 09, 2010.</ref>		Of these points, the fourth is the most troubling. While playing Farmville might not qualify as work or labor, it is certainly a productive activity, as playing Farmville serves to enlarge and strengthen social capital. Capital is defined as "any form of wealth employed or capable of being employed in the production of more wealth."[13] New media companies like Zynga and Facebook depend upon such wealth in generating revenue, just as President Obama depends on social capital to raise money, to organize, and to communicate. Unlike President Obama, though, Zynga is not an elected official, and is not obligated to act with the public's interests in mind".<ref>[http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/content/cultivated-play-farmville Cultivated Play] Liszkiewicz, A. J. Patrick. SUNY Buffalo (Amherst). Accessed March 09, 2010.</ref>

	~~===Compulsion Loops and Email===~~
	Part of our cyborg future will be the creation of artificial incentive systems in digital space. This has already occurred with E-mail. The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar. <ref>http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/</ref>

	~~The structure and obligations of Farmville are very similar to those of the Tamagotchi.~~

	===Related Reading===		===Related Reading===

Aaronpk at 01:36, 3 July 2011

2011-07-03T01:36:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:36, 3 July 2011
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	Compulsion loops are also found in all video games. In Super Mario Bros., for example, the reward is reaching the next level, and the method of reaching it is completing the current level. When a player's skill in the game is below the threshold required to complete the level, they become frustrated and feel the outlay to achieve the goal is too high, and are lost. Conversely when the outlay is very low the goal is devalued, which can also lead to disengagement.		Compulsion loops are also found in all video games. In Super Mario Bros., for example, the reward is reaching the next level, and the method of reaching it is completing the current level. When a player's skill in the game is below the threshold required to complete the level, they become frustrated and feel the outlay to achieve the goal is too high, and are lost. Conversely when the outlay is very low the goal is devalued, which can also lead to disengagement.

	In real life, the time and space between goals and accomplishments is often large. For some, it is physically impossible to achieve certain things, like purchasing a Ferrari or rising above middle management in their career path. Online gaming, especially sites like Farmville, step in to ~~take care of~~ that void.		In real life, the time and space between goals and accomplishments is often large. For some, it is physically impossible to achieve certain things, like purchasing a Ferrari or rising above middle management in their career path. Online gaming, especially sites like Farmville, step in to fill that void.

	Whereas one ~~doesn’t~~ have the money, time or room for a real garden, Farmville gives you one without the back aching labor. All reality is replaced by small icons, and time is compressed so that goals and accomplishments are right next to one another. Everything has a point value and a reward. When real life takes so long to reward someone, online gaming is often a better and more enjoyable alternative.		Whereas one doesn't have the money, time or room for a real garden, Farmville gives you one without the back-aching labor. All reality is replaced by small icons, and time is compressed so that goals and accomplishments are right next to one another. Everything has a point value and a reward. When real life takes so long to reward someone, online gaming is often a better and more enjoyable alternative.

	"The secret to ~~Farmville’s~~ popularity is neither gameplay nor aesthetics. <strong>Farmville is popular because in entangles users in a web of social obligations.</strong> When users log into Facebook, they are reminded that their neighbors have sent them gifts, posted bonuses on their walls, and helped with each ~~others’~~ farms. In turn, they are obligated to return the courtesies. As the French sociologist Marcel Mauss tells us, gifts are never free: they bind the giver and receiver in a loop of reciprocity. It is rude to refuse a gift, and ruder still to not return the kindness.[11] We play Farmville, then, because we are trying to be good to one another. We play Farmville because we are polite, cultivated people.		"The secret to Farmville's popularity is neither gameplay nor aesthetics. <strong>Farmville is popular because in entangles users in a web of social obligations.</strong> When users log into Facebook, they are reminded that their neighbors have sent them gifts, posted bonuses on their walls, and helped with each others' farms. In turn, they are obligated to return the courtesies. As the French sociologist Marcel Mauss tells us, gifts are never free: they bind the giver and receiver in a loop of reciprocity. It is rude to refuse a gift, and ruder still to not return the kindness.[11] We play Farmville, then, because we are trying to be good to one another. We play Farmville because we are polite, cultivated people.
			# Farmville is defined by obligation, routine, and responsibility;
			# Farmville encroaches and depends upon real life, and is never entirely separate from it;
			# Farmville is always certain in outcome, and involves neither chance nor skill;
			# Farmville is a productive activity, in that it adds to the social capital upon which Facebook and Zynga depend for their wealth;
			# Farmville is governed not by rules, but by habits, and simple cause-and-effect;
			# Farmville is not make-believe, in that it requires neither immersion nor suspension of disbelief.

	~~(1) Farmville is defined by obligation, routine, and responsibility;~~		Of these points, the fourth is the most troubling. While playing Farmville might not qualify as work or labor, it is certainly a productive activity, as playing Farmville serves to enlarge and strengthen social capital. Capital is defined as "any form of wealth employed or capable of being employed in the production of more wealth."[13] New media companies like Zynga and Facebook depend upon such wealth in generating revenue, just as President Obama depends on social capital to raise money, to organize, and to communicate. Unlike President Obama, though, Zynga is not an elected official, and is not obligated to act with the public's interests in mind".<ref>[http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/content/cultivated-play-farmville Cultivated Play] Liszkiewicz, A. J. Patrick. SUNY Buffalo (Amherst). Accessed March 09, 2010.</ref>
	~~(2) Farmville encroaches and depends upon real life, and is never entirely separate from it;~~
	~~(3) Farmville is always certain in outcome, and involves neither chance nor skill;~~
	~~(4) Farmville is a productive activity, in that it adds to the social capital upon which Facebook and Zynga depend for their wealth;~~
	~~(5) Farmville is governed not by rules, but by habits, and simple cause-and-effect;~~
	~~(6) Farmville is not make-believe, in that it requires neither immersion nor suspension of disbelief.~~

	Of these points, the fourth is the most troubling. While playing Farmville might not qualify as work or labor, it is certainly a productive activity, as playing Farmville serves to enlarge and strengthen social capital. Capital is defined as ~~“any~~ form of wealth employed or capable of being employed in the production of more wealth.”[13] New media companies like Zynga and Facebook depend upon such wealth in generating revenue, just as President Obama depends on social capital to raise money, to organize, and to communicate. Unlike President Obama, though, Zynga is not an elected official, and is not obligated to act with the ~~public’s~~ interests in mind".<ref>[http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/content/cultivated-play-farmville Cultivated Play] Liszkiewicz, A. J. Patrick. SUNY Buffalo (Amherst). Accessed March 09, 2010.</ref>

	===Compulsion Loops and Email===		===Compulsion Loops and Email===
	Part of our cyborg future will be the creation of artificial incentive systems in digital space. This has already occurred with E-mail. ~~As for that bit of rat psychology I promised to follow up on:~~ The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar. <ref>http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/</ref>		Part of our cyborg future will be the creation of artificial incentive systems in digital space. This has already occurred with E-mail. The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar. <ref>http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/</ref>

	The structure and obligations of Farmville are very similar to those of the Tamagotchi.		The structure and obligations of Farmville are very similar to those of the Tamagotchi.

Caseorganic at 04:24, 1 July 2011

2011-07-01T04:24:23Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:24, 1 July 2011
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			[[Image:compulsion-loops-Maggie-Nichols.jpg\|center\|600px]]

	===Compulsion Loops in Video Games===		===Compulsion Loops in Video Games===
	Compulsion loops are also found in all video games. In Super Mario Bros., for example, the reward is reaching the next level, and the method of reaching it is completing the current level. When a player's skill in the game is below the threshold required to complete the level, they become frustrated and feel the outlay to achieve the goal is too high, and are lost. Conversely when the outlay is very low the goal is devalued, which can also lead to disengagement.		Compulsion loops are also found in all video games. In Super Mario Bros., for example, the reward is reaching the next level, and the method of reaching it is completing the current level. When a player's skill in the game is below the threshold required to complete the level, they become frustrated and feel the outlay to achieve the goal is too high, and are lost. Conversely when the outlay is very low the goal is devalued, which can also lead to disengagement.
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	[[Category:Book Pages]]		[[Category:Book Pages]]
	[[Category:Marked for Editing]]		[[Category:Marked for Editing]]
			[[Category:Illustrated]]

	__NOTOC__		__NOTOC__

Caseorganic at 00:32, 1 July 2011

2011-07-01T00:32:11Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:32, 1 July 2011
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	Compulsion loops are also found in all video games. In Super Mario Bros., for example, the reward is reaching the next level, and the method of reaching it is completing the current level. When a player's skill in the game is below the threshold required to complete the level, they become frustrated and feel the outlay to achieve the goal is too high, and are lost. Conversely when the outlay is very low the goal is devalued, which can also lead to disengagement.		Compulsion loops are also found in all video games. In Super Mario Bros., for example, the reward is reaching the next level, and the method of reaching it is completing the current level. When a player's skill in the game is below the threshold required to complete the level, they become frustrated and feel the outlay to achieve the goal is too high, and are lost. Conversely when the outlay is very low the goal is devalued, which can also lead to disengagement.

	~~===Compulsion Loops and Email===~~		In real life, the time and space between goals and accomplishments is often large. For some, it is physically impossible to achieve certain things, like purchasing a Ferrari or rising above middle management in their career path. Online gaming, especially sites like Farmville, step in to take care of that void.
	~~Part of our cyborg future will be the creation of artificial incentive systems in digital space. This has already occurred with E-mail.~~

	As for that bit of rat psychology I promised to follow up on: The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar. <ref>http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/</ref>


	~~<blockquote>~~
	~~"Farmville is like Harvest Moon with Tamagotchis. One becomes obligated to continue playing. One size fits all".~~
	~~</blockquote>~~

	~~===Definition===~~
	"FarmVille is a real-time farm simulation game developed by Zynga, available as an application on the social-networking website Facebook. The game allows members of Facebook to manage a virtual farm by planting, growing and harvesting virtual crops and trees, and raising livestock"<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmville Wikipedia Article on Farmville]</ref>.

	FarmVille launched in June 2009 and subsequently became the largest and fastest-growing social game ever <ref>Market Watch (August 27, 2009). "[http://www.sys-con.com/node/1084929 Zynga's FarmVille Becomes Largest and Fastest Growing Social Game Ever]". Press release. Retrieved October 11, 2009.</ref> surpassing 80 million users in Feb 2010<ref>[http://mashable.com/2010/02/20/farmville-80-million-users/ Mashable - Farmville Surpasses 80 Million Users</ref>.

	~~===Discussion===~~
	In real life, the time and space between goals and accomplishments is often large. For some, it is physically impossible to achieve certain things, like purchasing a Ferrari or rising above middle management in their career path. Online gaming, especially sites like Farmville,step in to take care of that void.

	Whereas one doesn’t have the money, time or room for a real garden, Farmville gives you one without the back aching labor. All reality is replaced by small icons, and time is compressed so that goals and accomplishments are right next to one another. Everything has a point value and a reward. When real life takes so long to reward someone, online gaming is often a better and more enjoyable alternative.		Whereas one doesn’t have the money, time or room for a real garden, Farmville gives you one without the back aching labor. All reality is replaced by small icons, and time is compressed so that goals and accomplishments are right next to one another. Everything has a point value and a reward. When real life takes so long to reward someone, online gaming is often a better and more enjoyable alternative.

	~~===Cultivated Play: Farmville===~~

	~~The structure and obligations of Farmville are very similar to those of the Tamagotchi. This article is probably the best article I've read on anthropology of digital web.~~

	"The secret to Farmville’s popularity is neither gameplay nor aesthetics. <strong>Farmville is popular because in entangles users in a web of social obligations.</strong> When users log into Facebook, they are reminded that their neighbors have sent them gifts, posted bonuses on their walls, and helped with each others’ farms. In turn, they are obligated to return the courtesies. As the French sociologist Marcel Mauss tells us, gifts are never free: they bind the giver and receiver in a loop of reciprocity. It is rude to refuse a gift, and ruder still to not return the kindness.[11] We play Farmville, then, because we are trying to be good to one another. We play Farmville because we are polite, cultivated people.		"The secret to Farmville’s popularity is neither gameplay nor aesthetics. <strong>Farmville is popular because in entangles users in a web of social obligations.</strong> When users log into Facebook, they are reminded that their neighbors have sent them gifts, posted bonuses on their walls, and helped with each others’ farms. In turn, they are obligated to return the courtesies. As the French sociologist Marcel Mauss tells us, gifts are never free: they bind the giver and receiver in a loop of reciprocity. It is rude to refuse a gift, and ruder still to not return the kindness.[11] We play Farmville, then, because we are trying to be good to one another. We play Farmville because we are polite, cultivated people.
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	Of these points, the fourth is the most troubling. While playing Farmville might not qualify as work or labor, it is certainly a productive activity, as playing Farmville serves to enlarge and strengthen social capital. Capital is defined as “any form of wealth employed or capable of being employed in the production of more wealth.”[13] New media companies like Zynga and Facebook depend upon such wealth in generating revenue, just as President Obama depends on social capital to raise money, to organize, and to communicate. Unlike President Obama, though, Zynga is not an elected official, and is not obligated to act with the public’s interests in mind".<ref>[http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/content/cultivated-play-farmville Cultivated Play] Liszkiewicz, A. J. Patrick. SUNY Buffalo (Amherst). Accessed March 09, 2010.</ref>		Of these points, the fourth is the most troubling. While playing Farmville might not qualify as work or labor, it is certainly a productive activity, as playing Farmville serves to enlarge and strengthen social capital. Capital is defined as “any form of wealth employed or capable of being employed in the production of more wealth.”[13] New media companies like Zynga and Facebook depend upon such wealth in generating revenue, just as President Obama depends on social capital to raise money, to organize, and to communicate. Unlike President Obama, though, Zynga is not an elected official, and is not obligated to act with the public’s interests in mind".<ref>[http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/content/cultivated-play-farmville Cultivated Play] Liszkiewicz, A. J. Patrick. SUNY Buffalo (Amherst). Accessed March 09, 2010.</ref>

			===Compulsion Loops and Email===
			Part of our cyborg future will be the creation of artificial incentive systems in digital space. This has already occurred with E-mail. As for that bit of rat psychology I promised to follow up on: The concept is called "intermittent reinforcement". It came out of Skinnerian experiments that found that rats who got irregular rewards from food-bar-pushing were far more driven to compulsively push the bar. <ref>http://factoidz.com/intermittent-reinforcement-are-you-addicted-to-email-and-smartphones/</ref>

			The structure and obligations of Farmville are very similar to those of the Tamagotchi.

	===Related Reading===		===Related Reading===
	*[[Playground as Factory]]		*[[Playground as Factory]]
	*[[Automatic Production of Space]]		*[[Automatic Production of Space]]
			*[[Tamagotchi]]
	~~=== External Links ===~~
	*[~~http://www.wonderhowto.com/wonderment/farmville-dr-phil-treats-addict-0113859/ Farmville Addiction]~~
	*[http://i.imgur.com/KAWCs.png Boyfriend and Girlfriend break up over Farmville]
	*[~~http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-farm-look-3d-farmville-300373/ Resource of Farmville Tutorials~~]
	*[http://mashable.com/2009/08/27/farmville-facebook/ 11 Million Facebook Users Flock to Virtual Farming Daily]
	*[http://www.wonderhowto.com/wonderment/farmville-craze-extends-cake-art-0113891/ Farmville Cakes]

	==References==		==References==
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