Likewise, Ev put in some innate drives related to novelty and aesthetics, with the idea that people would wind up exploring their local environment. Very sensible! But Ev would probably be surprised that her design is now leading to people “exploring” open-world video game environments while cooped up inside.
I think it’s not obvious that Ev’s design is failing to work as intended here.
Video games are a form of training. Some games can get pretty wireheady (Cookie Clicker), but many of the most popular, most discussed, most played games are games that exercise some parts of your brain in useful ways. The best-selling game of all times is Minecraft.
Moreover, I wouldn’t be surprised if people who played Breath of the Wild were statistically more likely to go hiking afterward.
I think it’s not obvious that Ev’s design is failing to work as intended here.
Video games are a form of training. Some games can get pretty wireheady (Cookie Clicker), but many of the most popular, most discussed, most played games are games that exercise some parts of your brain in useful ways. The best-selling game of all times is Minecraft.
Moreover, I wouldn’t be surprised if people who played Breath of the Wild were statistically more likely to go hiking afterward.