Sunday, May 23, 2010

Online Gaming

I'm an online gamer, though probably not in the way you'd expect.

My game is the game of persuasion. My arena is YouTube. It's not a game of skill as much as it's a game of luck. In order to win, you have to convince people that your view on a particular subject is the right view. Obviously, it's an easier game to play if you're a talented speaker and your videos go viral, but that's where the luck comes in.

Once you've got a large number of people watching your persuasive speeches, you get all kinds of interesting feedback:
  • "You're a ****ing idiot."

  • "Dude, you've got a nice voice. If you got a real haircut you could sing in the London underground."

  • "Get out of school and read a ****ing book."
As constructive as these comments are, I've realized that most viewers are rather entrenched in their ways and reluctant to change. Still, it's a pleasant way to spend the evening, and probably more productive than playing tic-tac-toe or chess with myself.

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