This is a repost and edit from a couple of years ago, you may now replace WOW with farmville if you so wish. You can also replace Braid with any indie faggotry. The argument is exactly the same.
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Braid’s marketing rubs me the wrong way, I understand why it is necessary, I understand exactly what it is. Still it makes me feel icky and regret that it’s success will push us further in this direction.
Mr blow is known for the opinion that World of Warcraft is an evil drug-like substance (Braid is presumably not an evil drug-like substance.)
However, things are not that simple. When dealing with a complex system strange results are the norm.
Warcraft has a social game, the game is “What is the fastest way of grinding?”, “What is the best way to get this super drop?”. Questions that give complex answers.
Braid also includes a social game, it is a “What the fuck is this pseudo intellectual emo fag story?”. This is intended to increase the reach of the game by encouraging discussion. Emo fags like to talk, preferably about issues that reinforce how emotelligent they are.
Braids design encourages people to look at the list of control keys and believe that they are an important secret that will unlock the meaning of the braid universe. Construct elaborate theories that fit all the “facts” perfectly and must be true. Then to launch on a religious crusade, demanding that people understand that their interpretation of an intentionally vague text is the right one and that all heretics must die.
A little extreme but braids meta game is DESIGNED to produce the start of that behavior. Once that ball is rolling it is very hard to get it to stop.
WOW on the other hand is a godless grind, a neutered game, but still focused on being a game. The meta game of WOW is comprised of building up scientific data about the underlying world and then attempting to use this data to gain a better understanding of the hidden mechanics, experimenting and learning.
This is called the scientific method.
Which puts us in an interesting place, WOW may be an evil grind but is superstition better than science?
I think not.
I believe that games which distance themselves from being games and instead smother themselves in bullshit and linear story are the evil.
Would you like to know more?

