We don't punish our successful businesses. We punish (or are supposed to, anyway) those companies which use illegal practices to gain an unfair advantage. Free market systems with no regulations or laws are rife with corruption and eventually implode.
Microsoft is not as successful as they are because their crew is just so darned innovative that they've made their products indispensable. They're as wealthy as they are because they've tried to limit competition and innovation using a suite of legal and illegal methods. Predatory pricing to gain control of a technology, our old friend "embrace and extend", threatening third parties with inflated prices, etc..
The way you describe it, Microsoft can do no wrong because after all, people can just refuse to do business with them. Sure, third parties might go out of business because their clients require Microsoft compatability - compatability that others don't have because Microsoft has specifically engineered it that way - but they can still say "No." This is ridiculous. By your reasoning, none of us should complain or seek relief for anything, because after all, we can just refuse to do business with anyone and go live in the hills.
Oh, and kudos on taking his "Exploder" bait. You really showed him with your blithe sarcasm.
This is an excellent take on the problem. The fact is that the game *is* addicting. It was designed that way. The tricky part is that the only solution is for the user to take full responsibility for his/her problem. It's the same with drug/alcohol abuse. Alcoholism has been recognized by the AMA as a disease - something that some people are genetically predisposed to. For them to overcome their addiction, though, they still have to take responsibility for it.
The article is both a warning and a plea for help. If you have addictive tendencies, you may want to stay away from the game. It's designed by a big corporation to suck in your time and your money. If you have fun with it, great. If it dominates your life, consider staying away from it or getting help if you're already sucked in.
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We don't punish our successful businesses. We punish (or are supposed to, anyway) those companies which use illegal practices to gain an unfair advantage. Free market systems with no regulations or laws are rife with corruption and eventually implode.
Microsoft is not as successful as they are because their crew is just so darned innovative that they've made their products indispensable. They're as wealthy as they are because they've tried to limit competition and innovation using a suite of legal and illegal methods. Predatory pricing to gain control of a technology, our old friend "embrace and extend", threatening third parties with inflated prices, etc..
The way you describe it, Microsoft can do no wrong because after all, people can just refuse to do business with them. Sure, third parties might go out of business because their clients require Microsoft compatability - compatability that others don't have because Microsoft has specifically engineered it that way - but they can still say "No." This is ridiculous. By your reasoning, none of us should complain or seek relief for anything, because after all, we can just refuse to do business with anyone and go live in the hills.
Oh, and kudos on taking his "Exploder" bait. You really showed him with your blithe sarcasm.
This is an excellent take on the problem. The fact is that the game *is* addicting. It was designed that way. The tricky part is that the only solution is for the user to take full responsibility for his/her problem. It's the same with drug/alcohol abuse. Alcoholism has been recognized by the AMA as a disease - something that some people are genetically predisposed to. For them to overcome their addiction, though, they still have to take responsibility for it.
The article is both a warning and a plea for help. If you have addictive tendencies, you may want to stay away from the game. It's designed by a big corporation to suck in your time and your money. If you have fun with it, great. If it dominates your life, consider staying away from it or getting help if you're already sucked in.