On the Ball: Teabagging in Rapture

[copycatalyst]

So, would ordinary society fare better with telekinetic, fireball slinging sea slugs than Rapture? I'm sorry but Rapture is not an objectivist critique. But good point about the ongoing problem of teamwork and victory-oriented strategies on RPG team-based PvP.

Okay, now that you got me thinking, the core of objectivism is not living for yourself, but that your talents and services to society should be fairly and voluntarily rewarded by those who benefit from your work. Collectivism, by contrast, demands the services from its participants for free. Socialism conscrips citizen's economic freedom so that those in power can spend other people's earnings as it suits them.

Now, back to topic: it is all about reward. People do what you reward them for. If you reward banks for handing out dumbass subprime mortgages, expect them to do just that. If you reward players in Arathi basin for zerging their honor kills rather than defending flags, then that is what they do. If one is rewarded for victory and victory only, then teamwork toward that goal would form naturally. The only problem there is if one side is better and always wins, the other side would be unmotivated to play and there would be no game at all.

Agreed. Guess I don't need to post anything that came to mind while reading the article now.

 

[Nomanslander]

Everyone keeps saying the story in the first one was better, the first few hours were good being introduced to Ryan and Rapture, but I never connected with the protagonist in the game and I found the plot twists near the end just silly.

Plus the story with the protagonist Jack seemed like it was written by 12 year olds considering he was just one giant plot hole running around in the game.

BS2 is a far better game than the first in every degree, they just could have done more with it...and I guess that's the problem with most people.

Considering Mass Effect series made leaps and bounds with their second installment, everyone was expected BS2 to do the same.

 

[Dom Camus]

Socialism conscrips citizen's economic freedom so that those in power can spend other people's earnings as it suits them.

This doesn't match the theory, though, does it?

You want something more like: "Socialism conscrips citizens' economic freedom to improve quality of life for the lazy and the incompetent at the expense of the productive." (I kept your original tone of outrage and distaste in there and added a little pro-Right prejudice. Did I get the mix right?)

People do what you reward them for.

Sadly not. The economics of the situation is that people respond to incentives, certainly. However, the problem is that the magnitude of the incentives relative to the individual's other priorities determine the response (both strategically and empirically). This is why it's so hard for socialist governments to use incentives to motivate ethical behaviour by private enterprise. Because abusive behaviour can be so incredibly lucrative that the incentives offered are pathetic by comparison.

 

[ben---neb]

Jordan Deam appreciates that there's finally an online shooter that realizes cooperation is for spineless commie parasites.

Quote of the Week.

 

[sbose22]

mindfucked

 

[Fearzone]

You want something more like: "Socialism conscrips citizens' economic freedom to improve quality of life for the lazy and the incompetent at the expense of the productive." (I kept your original tone of outrage and distaste in there and added a little pro-Right prejudice. Did I get the mix right?)

I suppose but I've been trying to cut back on my trolling.

Because abusive behaviour can be so incredibly lucrative that the incentives offered are pathetic by comparison.

Pretty much that is what I meant by "reward." While any situation can offer multiple rewards, people will prefer, if they have to pick one, the most valuable reward, over the "right" one.

 

[sunpop]

So I take it there's not going to be the selfless medic who rushes into the firefight with the paddles?

 

[theSovietConnection]

Jordan Deam appreciates that there's finally an online shooter that realizes cooperation is for spineless commie parasites.

*Cries to self in corner*
MEANIE

OT: Yea, I agree. The online destroyed my expectations for it. I absolutely love destroying people with Inferno and finishing them off with the Machine Gun

Well, we'll see how he thinks when twelve of us "spinless commie parasites" come knocking at his front door with AKs! [sub]I'm joking. [sub]Please don't modwrath me.[/sub][/sub]

Anyway, I have to say the multiplayer aspect of Bioshock 2 never really interested me as I prefer solo campaigns. However, having read this, I may actually try it out.

 

[nYuknYuknYuk]

Agreed. Bioshock 2's multiplayer was a pleasant surprise.

 

[Stylish_Robot]

"Online FPS players, like the caricatures of Objectivist philosophy that populate this world, are a bunch of selfish dicks."

QFT though you should also add whiny, racist, homophobic and for some reason, under the age of 14

 

[The Austin]

I like how you make the comparison between FPS players and Splicers.
That's actually a brilliant analysis.

You Sir, win the Nobel Prize in Video Game Philosophy.