Not sure how to respond, Zarn...
I'm in agreement that intriguing, well-thought out games stimulate our curiosity and our mental awareness. There have been some great ones here at
ATS - and some not so great...
One thing I do is now look over the games v-e-r-y carefully before jumping in. There are games I've spent way, way too much time and energy on only
to have the mods simply abandon the game and not reward any promised prizes (
for example the
banner game. Check it out...). What a disappointment that was!
Some outstanding creative contributions fizzled to nothing despite many
assurances from the Amigos that the gamesters have not been forgotten. Well - after a year or so, we certainly begin to feel forgotten.
Another problem has been that many ATS enthusiasts love to participate in the games but simply have "other lives" to maintain - work, family, etc.,
and just can't stay logged on and paying exclusive attention to the game 24/7. What that means is that while you're logged off another crucial
piece of the puzzle is solved, some prize awarded, and the game moves on without you - I've seen this happen in a few short hours or even minutes in
some cases - very frustrating. You go to sleep, have dinner, come back - and someone has used your hints and progress along with others and solved it
under your nose!
Happens, I guess...
The games are fun - they're worthwhile - they're entertaining and often educational. BTW, one of my all-time favorites was the
ATS What Is The Conspiracy Game!. That was pure Genius...
Yet - some inconsistencies, administration snafus, abandonment, etc., have some of us having reduced expectations from the games. It sure would be
nice to have a mod pick up the ball. be dedicated, and create a well-managed, intuitive game for us to wrap our heads around. But this takes work,
commitment, follow-through, and a strong sense of fair play. that's a tall order to ask of part-time volunteers. Not impossible (ATS has already
done it in the past), but difficult and time consuming...
We're waiting...
[edit on 11/12/2009 by Outrageo]
