Social games vs gambling

Raph Koster · 3 Jul 2013

Raph Koster did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

Our reading
Free-to-play games use the same techniques as gambling machines in order to maximise what players spend and how long they stay.

Their wordsIn the sense that social games make use of many of the same techniques as gambling games do in order to maximize financial spend and retention, yes.
Our reading
A slot machine triggers the brain’s learning and curiosity pathways while teaching nothing, and that one-way exchange is what makes it contemptuous of the player.

Their wordsSlot machines don’t teach you anything; they trigger the learning and curiosity pathways without actually giving you a benefit in return.

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