K0NY.COM

Over the last few weeks or so, I’ve participated in more traditional games than I normally play. Some of them have been classics, like “Boggle” and “Scrabble.” Others, a bit newer like “Killer Bunnies” and “Ticket to Ride.” I call these games “traditional” because usually (over the last twenty years or so) most of my gaming involves some form of electronics. Board and card games though, do not involve anything more complicated than dice.

Juxtaposing video games with traditional gaming has brought me to an interesting realization. It seems that the chief difference between people playing games via computer electronics or in person around a piece of cardboard is the set of rules. That is, computer games have the rules very clearly defined. Digital electronics are very specific about what you can and cannot do. If you are playing a timed game, for instance, there is never a debate about whether the last point was scored before or after time expired. Not so, with humans.

For people, rules are not hard and fast. They are flexible. Sometimes even the most stringent of rules are open to interpretation. Other times, the most minor infraction of a rule can cause tremendous arguments. The card game “Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot” is an example of flexible rules in gaming. Players are allowed during the game, to make arrangements with each other for their mutual benefit. Cards in play may be sold or traded or simply given to other players as a favor. Just imagine the uproar if someone playing Poker decided to swap cards with someone else to complete their royal flush.

Scrabble is another example. Some people are very strict when they play. While others will allow words that might not necessarily be in the dictionary. So (assuming the game is being held in the U.S.A.) a word like “colour” may be okay with one player, but another may challenge it based on the rule which forbids the use of foreign words (since it is the U.K. version of “color”).

I believe that the establishment and later interpretation of rules are ways for human beings to socially interact with each other. Why else would we spend so much time and energy on it? We have churches telling us what we should or should not do. Laws are written to dictate behavior. Secular moral codes are handed down throughout various cultures. Then, after rules have been established, we go about trying to find loopholes in them. We philosophize about the merits of established protocols. We alter the rules sometimes to fit our situations. Some people ignore rules intentionally hoping nobody notices. The legal system debates whether rules have been broken or not, once someone has been charged with a transgression.

Even within personal relationships, rules play a large part. Over time, sometimes without even a discussion about it, people learn what their significant other will and won’t allow. As an example, masturbation is taboo for many married couples. In some cultures one spouse is considered inferior to the other and must demonstrate submissiveness through various gestures and traditions. Some cultures dictate that couples remain strictly monogamous while others allow for polyamory. A couple may even disagree about the rules but continue to live by them for the sake of the relationship.

By now it should be clear that rules are everywhere, integral to our lives and interactions with others. So why are they so important? Other than appeasement, is there any reason for us to continue playing by the rules? Religion will tell you there are unimaginable spiritual punishments for rule breakers. Governments will take away your freedom and physically punish people convicted of breaking laws. In fact, any large institution will respond with threats to any possible infraction of the rules they have established. With individuals, things work differently.

People live on trust and predictability. Each step one takes down a flight of stairs has already been calculated by the human brain. The calculations factor in a number of givens, one of them is that the step will not move when you put your weight on it. Should we come across a staircase which seems unstable or unpredictable, we will first test each step before transferring our weight onto it. Interpersonal relations function the same way. We assume that people will behave according to a set of standard rules; they will all face the door on an elevator. They will continue walking along the sidewalk at a steady pace. When people fail to live up to our expectations, we become less comfortable around them.

When you consider what rules really are; they are nothing more than expected behavior. If the rules say you roll dice then move your piece the number of steps shown on their top-most face, that is what you are expected to do. If you decide to move your piece based on the numbers shown on the side of the dice that is closest to you, other players may consider that an infraction because you aren’t doing what is expected. When people know the rules and break them anyway, it’s called cheating. Cheating at a game is generally considered a violation of rules, a transgression of ethical guidelines and socially unacceptable. So what happens if you’re playing a game of “Rock, Paper, Scissors” for the last bit of food while stranded on a deserted island? Does morality still play a factor if you are cheating to ensure your own survival? Do ethics come into play if you cheat to benefit another player? If your choice to break the rules is overlooked (either intentionally or not), was it still wrong? Should a person still follow rules even though they may not be around to face the consequences of their infractions?

All these questions are part of our belief systems. Each person will answer them differently, based on how they have been conditioned. It is this difference in points of view which makes playing games with human opponents so much more interesting. The process of establishing rules, following or breaking them, punishing those who break them, and arguing about whether rules have been broken, are part of the experience.

In video games, even ones which feature open-ended gameplay, there aren’t shades of grey. If your character can walk down the street in a game, the creators of that game decide ahead of time whether he will be able to enter a building or vehicle. Once they make that decision, the player cannot ignore the rule. For this reason, video games don’t contain the same level of interaction that board and card games feature.

As a human, I look forward to my interactions with other humans. I like anticipating their expected behavior and it’s fun to be surprised by the unexpected sometimes. I like establishing rules, following, breaking , and debating them. I also like video games, but sometimes they don’t seem nearly as rewarding.

Today, I noticed a friend request in my PS3’s mailbox from someone at Quartertothree.com. Mind you, I was banned from that board over ten months ago: unceremoniously discarded like the victim of a frat house gang-rape. So after lashing out at those responsible, I was happy to put the whole thing behind me. Sadly, these angry and bitter people are still talking about me ten months later. After a keyword search, I found that it isn’t just a passing mention either. Apparently, I’m referenced regularly despite the board moderator’s assertion I am some sort of intolerable disruption.

While on the subject, I feel perhaps a clarification of my position needs to be posted. Not all of QT3 attacked me. Some were supportive, and of the ones who did do their best to chase me away, not all were game industry insiders. So maybe it was overly harsh to call them representatives of the video game creation and reporting industry. It’s wrong to lash out at those who make games I love to play because of the actions of some internet denizens with a superiority complex.

In actual fact, the responsibility for QT3 being so terrible to new users falls squarely on Tom Chick’s shoulders. He allows boorish losers like quatoria and sociopaths like Bill Dungsroman to verbally assault and insult people with impunity. To this day, there are new people signing up at his site and getting treated like human garbage for the amusement of the regular members. When a moderator does nothing about the hazing on his forum and actually encourages the offenders, he is solely to blame for any drama that results.

So if anyone from the actual video game industry happens to read this nonsense, I’m sorry. I’m grateful for the games. The people involved with making and reporting on video games that I’ve met in real life have all been very pleasant. I didn’t mean to lump in the good with the bad. Please continue to work for our collective entertainment and I will continue to do my part in supporting you.

I also urge people who are not in the industry to continue signing up for QT3. Eventually, perhaps you all can outnumber the jerks there and force them to accept the opinions of people who disagree with their narrow view.

There’s a message board which few seem to know about called http://www.quartertothree.com where game designers, game players, game journalists and other media people have a little community. On the forums at this site, “industry insiders” discuss everything from games, movies and politics, to personal problems and social issues. Often, the posters will even use their real names. The ugliness that exists on these message boards runs deep and I intend to expose it here. Read on for specifics.
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Count me among the victims of the Microsoft plague which has swept the gaming world. My Xbox 360 has stopped functioning and offers only the flashing red lights below when I power it on.

My first call to Microsoft’s 800-4MY-XBOX number had me interact with a voice menu calling itself “Max” and trying to be hip and cool. Max determined that the reason for my call was “THREE FLASHING RED LIGHTS” in a voice that sounded far too excited. We walked through a couple of troubleshooting steps then I got an Indian script reader on the line to assist me further. He was professional and straight-forward enough to assess my problem, register my console over the phone and inform me that I would have to send it in for repair/replacement. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to process the transaction because, he says, the systems were down for the day. I was instructed to call the following day.

Today, I made my second call and got a female screen reader on the line. She read all the proper questions off her screen to determine my problem and look up my reference number. She then informed me I would have to send the Xbox 360 in for repair/replacement. What’s more, the packing and shipping of it was up to me. Microsoft would only pay for repairs and return shipping.

After purchasing countless games, accessories, rechargers, battery packs and an HD-DVD add-on, as well as a harddrive for my Core system, I felt the least Microsoft could do was provide me with a proper shipping container and printed label. This was apparently against corporate policy and the rep refused to provide it. I asked for a supervisor and waited patiently for the 20 minutes it took my rep to find one and over-explain her transfer of my call.

Unfortunately, the supervisor was sticking to the same story. He said there’s no way for them to send me a box and that I would have to pay for the console to be shipped to the repair center. In our discussion on this matter, he made a smug remark about how, “all consoles break down.” Considering that I’ve purchased, and had no problems with, almost every major console in the last two decades, this struck a nerve with me. I explain my past history and lack of problems. This too, did not sway him.

Finally, I was resigned to accept the shipping charges and boxing duties. My parting shot to the supervisor was that I had his name and would file a complaint against him and his company. At this point, he offered me a copy of Project Gotham Racing for free to make up for my trouble. He said, “It’s a $50 game.” I informed him that I’d rather have the $5 box for shipping the 360. He said it couldn’t be done and I should just take the game.

I’ve heard dozens of similar stories from people I interact with online and in real life. The Xbox is truly a hardware disaster. The frequency with which console are dying seems unacceptably high. Microsoft’s claims of shipping ten million consoles can’t help but be buffered by the very real possibility that a large fraction of that number were replacements for broken units purchased at retail. This spells disaster for developers looking for multi-million selling titles from this platform.

This souring experience almost makes me want to sell my repaired console once I get it back. My experience with PS3 has been very largely positive so far and I can only look forward to the great games coming out for it in the near future.