Author Disguises Experiment As Ridiculously Addictive Game

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J. DOe
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Author Disguises Experiment As Ridiculously Addictive Game

The article, at http://gizmodo.com/...">http://gizmodo.com/5526780/author-disguises-experiment-as-ridiculously-a..., says:

Quote:Albert-LA!szlA3 BarabA!si believes that "despite the seeming randomness of human behavior, humans actually act in very predictable patterns." He's so convinced of this theory that he posted an incredibly addictive game-like version of his book Bursts online as an experiment.

The idea behind Bursts: The Hidden Pattern Behind Everything We Do is that people are quite predictable and work in patterns. And what better way to show that than by getting a bunch of folks on the Internet addicted to a puzzle-like game and observing how they solve it?

Basically the interactive version of Bursts allows readers or players to gradually reveal the words of the book. This can be done by adopting words, guessing, or simply revealing them by using up points earned from correct guesses. Simple, but very, very addictive - at least to me.

I believe that the quoted author has a point in that people, including their behaviour, have more in common with each other than they have differences. In regards to this new game, I have not played it, nor will I try it, but it seems like something roughly similar to a crossword puzzle. Although that is a type of puzzle that I know some people really enjoy solving, it is not something that I ever had much inclination to do. However, just as I like certain games that tend to use my physics, math and/or logic skills and interest, Rosa Golijan, the author of the Gizmodo article quite likely has an interest in literature and words, which could help explain why she finds this game so addictive to her. This helps to emphasize, to me at least, how the wide variety of video games now available means that there can be at least some that prove addictive to anybody who has addictive type tendencies, no matter what they may be.

- John O.

[em]Carpe Diem![/em] (Seize the Day!)