Brendan_Scully

Ah okay, thanks for the clarification.

And thanks everyone for the help, I'm much more optimistic knowing that the community is this this helpful and supportive. Now just to cram it all into 3 days...

Done and done, thanks for the heads up. Sometimes I have dreams about HITLab. Glasses and QR codes everywhere. I'll send an email... now that I realize YC profiles exist :)

OP here. The major was originally "Digital Humanities" and focused on new media theory and game design. As it became apparent that AR was the central focus, they had me change it from "Reality Design" to "Designing Reality" and now Finally, "Augmented Reality (AR)"

So I guess I'll have parenthesis on my diploma.

And these games are just getting started. As they grow, these tricks will get worse. This is a MUCH bigger problem than people realize. If you could have prevented the introduction of Opium to China, would you have?

http://www.vizworld.com/2010/02/jesse-schells-dice-2010-pres...

Yes, but this method could also be applied to building better slot machines. The game itself requires very little skill or creative engagement on the part of the player. Farmville is evil game design; it takes advantage of human cognitive hooks and limitations for the purpose of profit.

Video games should expand upon what we are capable of. Reward structures and timed events are fine to a degree, but Zynga goes too far. This kind of manipulation needs to be addressed, especially as games become more and more thoroughly integrated with our society.