[Icehouse] Choosing Games wiki page--The First Elitism for Looney Games?

[Melissa Parish]

Ouch...

I would agree that "Choosing Games" should be general, more of a guide than
some sort of elite inclusion list.  Perhaps you should re-write it that way?

Also, I did read all of the vamping-up of categories discussion, and from I
saw, it went nowhere.  People said "oh we should do this" or "we should do
that" or "wow, that's a great idea", but no one DID ANYTHING.  The whole
point of a wiki is that anyone can edit it.  So, once you think of a good
idea, GO DO IT.  No whining that nothing got done.  Go fix it yourself.

~ Melissa

On 4/13/07, David Artman <david at davidartman.com> wrote:
>
> OK, I have pondered this some, and I have some strong words regarding
> the "Choosing Games" wiki page's current conceptual make-up.
>
> * Given: Publishing a pyramid game has so far been controlled through
> Looney Labs' ability and willingness to print.
> * Given: The vast majority of Icehouse games have been created after
> Hypothermia went out of print.
> * Given: I haven't heard of or seen an Icehouse Game Design contest
> since I've been an owner of pyramids.
> * Given: Many Icehouse games can't translate to a computer format--and
> I'd argue many more SHOULDN'T (whatever happened to getting together
> with friends?).
>
> Given the above, I posit that a game will NEVER qualify for Choosing
> Games again, unless some kind of democratic upsurge of proponents Admin
> Requests it enough (and an admin pays any attention to those tags). In
> effect, the Choosing Games is a "Past Masters" list and nothing more;
> it's fossilization flies in the face of wiki principles; and it's the
> FIRST scent of elitism I've EVER smelled around a Looney product. Yes,
> elitism.
>
> I've nothing against a "Suggested Games" page on the wiki--perhaps even
> something with digg-like elements or kudoes or any one of the bajillion
> web devices for ranking page content. But a title like "Choosing Games"
> should be about CHOICE, not "gatekeeping" or "qualifying" or "popular".
>
> I have to be published to qualify? Fine; I'll start PODing all my games;
> and only put cross-links on the wiki, to my Buy It Now site; and then
> they ALL will get on that page, right? So long as I am charging for the
> game, it can "qualify" as a Choosing Games game? *blech*
>
> I started this who thing by suggesting we vamp up the Categories... then
> that we go all-in with an actual custom database that tells a user EVERY
> game he or she could play with a given collection. But I wish I'd kept
> my mouth shut, if the whole discussion is going to come full circle
> with "resolutions" like:
> * We can't make more meaningful Categories; just let users flail about
> with vague ones. (FYI, I have discovered that, yes, I can make new
> Categories trivially--I did so for Roleplaying Games--so it's only a
> matter of combing through obsolete Categories, to relocate games to new
> Categories.)
> * Database integration into a wiki is "impossible" or "too hard" (even
> though a wiki IS a database).
> * A game must somehow "qualify" for inclusion on the ONE page that
> half-assedly accomplishes database-like sorting.
>
> Do I sound pissed? I am. The whole direction of this greater wiki
> discussion just stinks.
>
> I want the wiki to be a powerful, usable tool for new players; I want it
> to put all these cool games in folks' faces, so that they go out and
> complete their collections; I think the democracy of a wiki makes folks
> feel like Looney Labs is an open and liberal company in which they can
> directly participate (even though, yes, the wiki is technically
> unaffiliated).
>
> But I am only one voice. Who else feels as I do, and how many of us
> "qualify" as a majority vote? See, I think, when you're trying to push
> exclusion with regards to ANYTHING regarding Looney Labs... well, I
> think *one* NAY vote IS a majority veto.
>
> Hoping for a return to Looney attitudes;
> David
>
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