Penny Arcade

> The question here is: "Is this a really innovative graphical design that
> will get praised by future generations but is misunderstood now" or "Is this
> just a bad decision that the creator is unwilling to own". I tend to think
> it's the latter. Ultimately the sales will tell.

The question here is not "should people like a thing," it's "why are people such assholes?" To quote Ron Gilbert's linked post:

> Play it or don't play it but don't ruin it for everyone else.

It sure seems like this is a fantastic example of the Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory [0]: nobody would speak so awfully to Ron Gilbert if they were leaning over his shoulder watching the trailer.

[0]: https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/green-blackboards-and-other-anomalies

> a switch gets flipped and people start being weird, overtly sexual, or just flat out insanely critical of every little thing the female players do

I have no doubt that this occurs and I've even intervened in that type of behavior before; I think I hold more toward the "Greater Internet F---wad Theory" [1]. People will act like jerks and attack you for whatever traits you have. Adults trash talk 12 year olds; 12 year olds trash talk adults.

I'm not saying people should grow thicker skin, but rather that we haven't really figured out a way to NOT have trash talking. Maybe collaborative style games over competitive, but even then, those require interactions and communication, which leads us back to Penny-Arcade.

[1] https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19

> I also have a suspicion that some of these people are literally mentally ill, and online is basically where they live.

It's certainly reasonable to expect that there are at least some mentally ill people in any decent-sized community, but the Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory[0] suggests -- and I agree -- that there are many people who just turn into complete assholes when they are anonymous or semi-anonymous, and can hide behind their computer, tens or hundreds or thousands of miles away from the people they interact with.

I don't know the demographics of your game, but this is especially true of teenagers. (But not exclusively true.)

[0] https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/green-blackboards-and-other-anomalies

See also Penny Arcade's take from 2004:

* https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/green-blackboards-and-other-anomalies

Previous observations on the CB radio band:

> Similar behavioral patterns have been observed in the anonymous usage of Citizens’ Band radio, a short-distance radio communications device widely used by truck drivers to find well-stocked fuel stations and share traffic information. On February 20th, 1978, a New Yorker[5] magazine profile piece on talk show host Johnny Carson mentioned that CB radio conversations can include disturbing amounts of racism and masturbation fantasies resulting from the lack of accountability.

* https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/greater-internet-fuckwad-theory

It's like the problem isn't the platform or the technology, but people aren't meant to voice their ideas for the whole world to see, anonymously. It's such a naive view that it's a good idea to attach a megaphone to anyone's mouth.

The focus on decentralisation and not on solving the Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory [1] means they focused on the wrong problem. They've just created an island for jerkwads that think they are better from the other jerkwads at the bird site.

Now, I wouldn't be against a Twitter-like for direct friends. Like Google+ for a moment tried to do before it imploded.

1: https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/green-blackboards-and-other-anomalies

Apple's settings and preferences are a blue-ribbon clusterf**k.

The other day, someone was complaining that they couldn't read their screen, and I (foolishly) indicated that I could fix it easily, because "I'm an expert."

I ended up searching through multiple pages of settings, in order to find the one they needed.

At least they got a good laugh out of it.

Zoom's settings are right up there, with Apple's.

Information architecture often tends to follow political and organizational structure, as opposed to good common sense usability structure.

https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2016/03/16/magnets