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Evil Kit posted:The dev is noted to have worked slot machines and such, and the why the treasure opening animations work is literally drawn from that lol. VS uses a lot of the tricks of that industry. It's now $4.99, plus a $1.99 DLC, but still more bang for your buck than most AAA games released in the last decade or so.
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# ? Jan 21, 2023 08:12 |
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# ? Jun 8, 2024 15:40 |
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I had initially misread the part about it being the dev who had worked on a lot machines as the game being about slot machines and thought it was talking about Luck Be a Landlord. That made some sense because it’s a pretty fun game, but it came out in 2020 so I wasn’t sure why it’s be up for goty now.
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# ? Jan 23, 2023 23:26 |
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https://twitter.com/jasonschreier/status/1617647012903784463
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# ? Jan 23, 2023 23:46 |
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paywalled, so:Jason Schreier posted:A manager at video game developer Blizzard Entertainment said he was ousted after refusing to give a low evaluation to an employee that he felt didn’t deserve it in order to fill a quota. It sounds like the stack ranking bullshit was a technically-on-the-books policy for years but management just started actually enforcing it again which is what triggered this.
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# ? Jan 23, 2023 23:55 |
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"It is this guy's turn to be the worst performing Blizzard employee."
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# ? Jan 24, 2023 00:04 |
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The Bee posted:"It is this guy's turn to be the worst performing Blizzard employee." When I was at MS in the early 2000's we each took turns being the guy on the team with a mere 3.0 (out of 5) performance rating. It was stupid, the entire review process was theater.
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# ? Jan 24, 2023 01:05 |
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Hell we were stack ranking for years at Blizzard CS, still through when I left. It was a hilarious disaster after the first round. We did our first stack ranking and it went okay because we had a ton of low performers. We then used the stack rank for schedule choice priority. The vast majority of top ranks chose day shift, and most of the overnights were filled out with the bottom performers. So, the next stack rank forced a ton of top performers to be ranked at the bottom of their shift, giving them low schedule priority, screwing their (mediocre at the best of times) raises and profit sharing.
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# ? Jan 24, 2023 02:09 |
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"Birmingham wrote that several directors and leads on the World of Warcraft team had asked if they could be given “developing” ranks instead of their employees " Lol. I love those kinds workarounds. Good effort on that manager, hope he finds a less lovely place to work and takes some of his team along.
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# ? Jan 24, 2023 13:16 |
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Evil Kit posted:The dev is noted to have worked slot machines and such, and the why the treasure opening animations work is literally drawn from that lol. VS uses a lot of the tricks of that industry. i kinda wonder if non-predatory games like VS can function as the equivalent of nicotine patches for gambling addicts. probably only on a case-by-case basis if at all.
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# ? Jan 24, 2023 13:30 |
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Catgirl Al Capone posted:i kinda wonder if non-predatory games like VS can function as the equivalent of nicotine patches for gambling addicts. probably only on a case-by-case basis if at all. VS doesn't have baked in social elements. And if it did, they'd need some sort of content around that. From there it's harder to not monetize it.
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# ? Jan 24, 2023 17:17 |
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leper khan posted:VS doesn't have baked in social elements. And if it did, they'd need some sort of content around that. From there it's harder to not monetize it. The majority of gambling doesn't have a social aspect, namely, the pure skinner box slots.
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# ? Jan 24, 2023 23:13 |
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Brian himself has spoken out. https://twitter.com/BrianBirming/status/1617688536983175168?t=Zo3rdE0exWD7d439W0ZECg&s=19 Long tweet thread, here's the whole thing. Brian Birmingham posted:"I wasn't intending to make this public, but apparently its in the news already, so I'd at least like to set the record straight. I am no longer an employee of Blizzard Entertainment, though I would return if allowed to, so that I could fight the stack-ranking policy from inside. I'm told the forced stack-ranking policy is a directive that came from the ABK level, ABOVE Mike Ybarra. I don't know for sure, but I suspect it's true. Everybody at Blizzard I've spoken to about this, including my direct supervisors, expressed disappointment about this policy.
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# ? Jan 25, 2023 00:37 |
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I know it can be hard for employees at lower levels to understand, but this information allows executives to make hard decisions in tough economic times. For example, if those 5% of employees are let go, then Bobby Kotick's next yacht can have two jacuzzis, instead of just one.
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# ? Jan 25, 2023 09:30 |
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Noticed that the PMG for working at Valve just released: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9aCwCKgkLo
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# ? Jan 25, 2023 15:06 |
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Catgirl Al Capone posted:Noticed that the PMG for working at Valve just released: I felt this over focused on Valve not making a statement during the height of BLM, rather than the more corrosive effects of allowing distinctly horrible games on its store or the proliferation of gambling sub-sites (which is what the video set itself to answer).
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# ? Jan 25, 2023 23:33 |
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woke kaczynski posted:One thing I wish existed is an actually "good" fake version of these games for people with alzheimer's etc, that's another demographic taken advantage of disproportionately by these gambling mechanics. Catgirl Al Capone posted:i kinda wonder if non-predatory games like VS can function as the equivalent of nicotine patches for gambling addicts. probably only on a case-by-case basis if at all. At one point in time I fell into doing some sort of personal research on gacha and lootboxes, particularly just to see firsthand how predatory some of this stuff could be. I'd heard as much and I'd seen as much from videos on the topic, but I'd never cognizantly been in the shoes of targeted party. I stuck purely to free-to-play games and didn't put any money into it, just to see how much the systems would try and push. Admittedly, I have one of the exact kinds of inclinations towards compulsive spending these "games" would hook onto and bleed me dry from, but luckily(?) I'm flat broke in regards to spending money most days of the month anyways. Going in with a good knowledge of the abusive tactics helped too, of course, (but the urge still arose a few times, disregarding how blatant the tactics can get.) Mid-way through that experiment and even for a time after I'd ended it, I'd had the idea of a game that could scratch the itches these predatory money pits rely on but without any of it ever charging a cent. The eternal worry though, was even if it could end up helping some folks, it could just serve as the gateway drug of sorts for those not yet prone to gambling, compulsive spending, etc. Once they've exhausted the content of this prospective game, what stops some person from seeking a similar experience and falling into the gacha/lootbox hole as result? If you weren't mimicking the dopamine spikes and instead opted for a nicotine-patch like approach, you'd likely just have a thoroughly boring game fit only to kill time more actively than staring at the wall. At that point, why not just play a good, normal game? I was never really able to reconcile that thought so I put the idea down and resolved it'd be best just make a decent game that's just fun instead. I'm no expert on psychology or the neuroscience of addiction, so maybe someone who does really know something about the subjects could say better on whether a thing would truly help or would exist as just a double edged sword. ...Although, I can't deny that a certain portion of the idea was spawned from my brain itself wanting the game to exist so that it could scratch the itch left behind by ending the experiment. The "daily routine grind + maybe vague PvP + collect appealing garbage like a magpie all turned up to 11" design really sucks in an addictive personality like mine and I hate it. I'll be honest, the one game that kept it's hooks in me the longest really only lost me because a server merge happened and I couldn't really "keep up" as a F2P anymore. I had definitely been getting tired of it, but that made it easier to end what was no longer really an experiment. Regardless, this kind of garbage predatory nonsense should've gotten stomped out long ago.
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# ? Jan 26, 2023 02:12 |
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Odd Wilson posted:The "daily routine grind + maybe vague PvP + collect appealing garbage like a magpie all turned up to 11" design really sucks in an addictive personality like mine and I hate it. There are many non-gacha "games as a service" that lean on this same addictive loop, notably paid MMOs like WoW but also some f2p-but-gambling-free games like Destiny.
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# ? Jan 26, 2023 04:05 |
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fez_machine posted:I felt this over focused on Valve not making a statement during the height of BLM, rather than the more corrosive effects of allowing distinctly horrible games on its store or the proliferation of gambling sub-sites (which is what the video set itself to answer). This is part 2 following their previous video which was all about the issue of gambling, primarily in Valve's games. If you mean there's still not enough info with that context, then I'm not sure how much more can be said, though I'd love more.
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# ? Jan 26, 2023 04:15 |
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RPATDO_LAMD posted:There are many non-gacha "games as a service" that lean on this same addictive loop, notably paid MMOs like WoW but also some f2p-but-gambling-free games like Destiny. God Of War just made a big deal out of min-maxing feedback loops (and they definitely aren't alone there). Vampire Survivors is not some scary new level of engagement
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# ? Jan 26, 2023 06:17 |
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Sab Sabbington posted:This is part 2 following their previous video which was all about the issue of gambling, primarily in Valve's games. If you mean there's still not enough info with that context, then I'm not sure how much more can be said, though I'd love more. It's the later, the first video was firmly from an outside Valve view. With all the interviews from ex and current employees I would have liked more info on the decision making about steam and its negative effects.
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# ? Jan 26, 2023 08:17 |
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fez_machine posted:It's the later, the first video was firmly from an outside Valve view. With all the interviews from ex and current employees I would have liked more info on the decision making about steam and its negative effects. as stated in the video Valve is absurdly secretive so all the material that they have to go off is what employees and ex-employees are willing and able to say.
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# ? Jan 26, 2023 14:05 |
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RPATDO_LAMD posted:There are many non-gacha "games as a service" that lean on this same addictive loop, notably paid MMOs like WoW but also some f2p-but-gambling-free games like Destiny. Yeah, this is true. It is just the GaaS design method in action. I grew up with WoW in the TBC - Cata era, and it's probably why I'm a sucker for said loop. Although for me, it was pretty low reward almost the entire time- stalling content to get your subscription money rather than trying to rip money constantly with the temptation of the next big high. I haven't checked in with WoW since early Legion (still a never-ending grind with pitiful reward), so I've no idea if they've gone and stepped it up into predatory design. I think they saved that for Diablo Immoral. I can't say anything for Destiny: it completely failed to hook me, I don't know if it was a lessened interest in FPS games at the time or already gained predisposition against lootboxes themselves, but it was unrewarding as hell. GaaS definitely leans on that loop though, they just don't apply it nearly as aggressively and destructively from what I've seen. AAA industry has been trying to chase the "forever game" since Ultima Online proved it could be profitable. The difference in effort to potential dopamine hit gained is the important part. The gacha/lootbox/slot machines are basically handing you dopamine injections where past the initial hit, the vast majority will be placebo in content as it frictionlessly removes dollars from your wallet all while obfuscating the means of doing so. So while I dislike GaaS too, the ineffectually restricted digital gambling fronts that employ it to prey on the vulnerable to destructive levels currently earn more of my enmity. That's not to say that GAAS can't be destructive in and of itself, even without microtransactions. It's just not something that can be easily regulated, whereas the explicitly predatory methods of digital gambling fronts, be it gacha, lootboxes, or literal slots, are something that can be reasonably caged. Pay-to-win GaaS only needs the aspect of gambling added to be no different than most mobile gacha garbage. Which is fitting, I suppose, given that P2W GaaS is really just its ancestor. anyways, off to playing good games that aren't trying to own my life and only cost a single purchase
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# ? Jan 26, 2023 17:07 |
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Ironically, the ActiBlizz studio Proletariat has dropped its push for a union votequote:The Communications Workers of America (CWA) has dropped its request for a union vote at Activision Blizzard's Proletariat studio after accusing CEO Seth Sivak of "making a free and fair election impossible". In a statement released yesterday, the CWA accused Sivak of responding to the union push with "confrontational tactics" that "demoralized and disempowered the group," so the vote won't go ahead at all.
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# ? Jan 27, 2023 14:23 |
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Odd Wilson posted:I haven't checked in with WoW since early Legion (still a never-ending grind with pitiful reward), so I've no idea if they've gone and stepped it up into predatory design. They absolutely did with Shadowlands, the previous expansion to the current one. Lots of little time-wasters were introduced, and they added up to a pretty significant annoyance. I mean, some of these things already existed since Legion, BfA, forever, etc., but they really doubled-down on it for SL. It's one of the reasons why I quit the game for good last year. However, I will say that for collectors and completionists, the game was pure solid gold, if you can stomach the other BS that comes along with it. Some of that isn't necessarily Blizz's fault, per se, where it has more to do with the format of being a MMO. If they ever take the game offline (as in, I see no other players within the game world unless I specifically consent, like in Diablo 3), remove the subscription fee, and make a host of other player-friendly changes, I'll consider coming back to it.
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# ? Jan 27, 2023 18:29 |
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https://www.gamesindustry.biz/review-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2-this-week-in-business This is amazing, it reminds me of a Regular Cars Review video, they start off making fun of the people who drive the car and then slides into a dissertation on existential dread and the loss of the American dream. quote:What good is a 10-point scale if basically everything reviewed earns between a 7 and a 9?
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# ? Jan 27, 2023 23:50 |
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^^ very good review, also very depressing...Catgirl Al Capone posted:as stated in the video Valve is absurdly secretive so all the material that they have to go off is what employees and ex-employees are willing and able to say. Yeah, I imagine NDAs applied a lot more there than elsewhere. To me it confirmed that Valve would be a miserable place to work - it feels like they set the company up perfectly to promote a lot of the worst tendencies in the industry. It also imo explains a lot of why it's like pulling teeth to get Valve to meaningfully restrict things like gambling etc. - barring avoiding legal action, where's the incentive (or support) for any particular employee to push through something that hurts profits? I realize there are some differences, but their set up also reminded me a lot more of Tencent's model than I would have thought. My impression from working with them a bit is that at Tencent you aren't tied to any particular project either, which in practice seems to incentive rent-seeking rather than really investing in any individual thing.
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# ? Jan 28, 2023 00:10 |
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Catgirl Al Capone posted:Noticed that the PMG for working at Valve just released: Thanks for posting this.
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# ? Jan 28, 2023 00:45 |
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Doesn't Valve have a 'cutting edge' management structure where everyone works on whatever they want and are judged on the results? Which to me sounds like an absolute joke; just a tech company fat off its monopoly position that can subsidize 90% of staff to waste time as long as 10% keep Steam online.
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# ? Jan 28, 2023 14:59 |
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Strategic Tea posted:Doesn't Valve have a 'cutting edge' management structure where everyone works on whatever they want and are judged on the results? Yeah that's what the video's about.
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# ? Jan 28, 2023 15:01 |
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"flat" corporate hierarchies are the biggest red flag; i hope no one here will ever see a job posting featuring that and apply
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# ? Jan 28, 2023 15:11 |
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Back when they published their employee manual that structure sounded like such a dream. Now that I'm leading projects and have a view of the entire process, I realize it's a nightmare.
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# ? Jan 28, 2023 16:14 |
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I've seen presentations by two companies that operate with a flat management system. They appear to be doing quite well and without the scope creep or delays that Valve clearly suffers. They made it very clear, repeatedly and with emphasis that a flat organization requires an incredibly specific and focused mission statement. Management was required to be very hands-on in regards to communicating the businesses' stated goals. Employees were free to work on projects and move about in the company as they wished but only in service to the mission statement. Valve doesn't appear to do that at all, just a totally carefree approach to doing literally anything, whether it's experimental hardware, new storefront features that are mostly discarded/left stagnant or videogames (lol). One commonality though is that all the businesses, including Valve, rely heavily on R&D. I think that's the largest benefit of a flat system. It allows different departments to interact with each other and share skillsets and ideas for improvement. That is... not something that happens easily or at all in a more stratified organization. (like MS' teams not talking to each other which is why the OS is a hodgepodge of new and old UI elements) Of course they didn't talk about representation, hiring and salary processes so who knows if they are still dysfunctional on that level. Fruits of the sea fucked around with this message at 16:26 on Jan 28, 2023 |
# ? Jan 28, 2023 16:21 |
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valve's libertarian pseudo-flat structure has an entirely different character from flat worker cooperatives
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# ? Jan 28, 2023 17:41 |
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Flat structures in various businesses have become a red flag in the same vein as unlimited PTO or the hiring person saying they're not a team, they're a family during the interview process. Undoubtedly there are circumstances where that might be true and/or functional, but it makes me side-eye really loving hard and absolutely defaults to a big warning sign.
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# ? Jan 29, 2023 02:42 |
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if the power structures aren't explicit, they'll be implicit and that's worse.
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# ? Jan 29, 2023 02:56 |
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Pretty much. The vibe from ex employees at Valve is that it's basically Gaben's fiefdom where all the teams fight over getting him to support them.
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# ? Jan 29, 2023 14:21 |
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Mokinokaro posted:Pretty much. The vibe from ex employees at Valve is that it's basically Gaben's fiefdom where all the teams fight over getting him to support them. And he chooses to support nobody, seeing how their IPs are doing.
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# ? Jan 29, 2023 14:26 |
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Gaben is a distant and unknowable god
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# ? Jan 29, 2023 14:33 |
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I keep mistaking him for the Minecraft guy for some reason.
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# ? Jan 29, 2023 14:35 |
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# ? Jun 8, 2024 15:40 |
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Tankbuster posted:Gaben is a distant and unknowable god There was that interview he did like some months before Alyx was announced and launched where he saw Breath of the Wild winning awards and he said he felt a feeling like, "Man, I miss the feeling of winning awards." That was what got Alyx moved into production, he missed that feeling where you win awards.
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# ? Jan 29, 2023 20:50 |