A crash course in changing the world.
Stick in there
Hello EVOKE.
Over the past two weeks I have been monitoring the increasing dissatisfaction that people are having with EVOKE. What I thought I would do is be one of those def-mutes--just ignore the grumblings and play the game. This week we saw the first instances of EVOKE members leaving, and in an effort to prevent that from happening again I want to share some thoughts with you all.
First: EVOKE is not about getting the most power points. The power points are there to help give feedback and give little encouragements, they are not the intention of the game. Don't get locked into thinking that you need to make a hundred posts or spam everyone with messages so that you can get to the top of the leader board. The people at the top are there because they post meaningful content that other people like to see.
Second: EVOKE is an endurance race not a sprint. Any athlete will tell you that pacing is vital in a long distance race--the same advice is valid here. Don't stay up to 4 am on EVOKE, it will still be here when you wake up. You might get the wrong impression reading the graphic novel, in that world the EVOKE agents solve the energy crisis in two pages. Real change unfortunately takes years, and its the people who can commit themselves to that time line who make the difference. But don't let this discourage you, Rome was not built in a day.
Third: Keep your eyes on the prize. Don't let what other people are doing distract you. Remember, you are here to help change the world, not complain that someone is farming for power points, in the end the points won't matter.
Last but not least: Work together! You as single person only have so much time and talent. Single celled organisms grouped together to form larger organisms for a reason. If you want some more encouragement what if at the end of the 10 weeks they measure a groups power by adding up all the individual member's power points.
So in conclusion; Keep your head up, go to bed, work hard, work together and stay focused!
-Wintermute
Over the past two weeks I have been monitoring the increasing dissatisfaction that people are having with EVOKE. What I thought I would do is be one of those def-mutes--just ignore the grumblings and play the game. This week we saw the first instances of EVOKE members leaving, and in an effort to prevent that from happening again I want to share some thoughts with you all.
First: EVOKE is not about getting the most power points. The power points are there to help give feedback and give little encouragements, they are not the intention of the game. Don't get locked into thinking that you need to make a hundred posts or spam everyone with messages so that you can get to the top of the leader board. The people at the top are there because they post meaningful content that other people like to see.
Second: EVOKE is an endurance race not a sprint. Any athlete will tell you that pacing is vital in a long distance race--the same advice is valid here. Don't stay up to 4 am on EVOKE, it will still be here when you wake up. You might get the wrong impression reading the graphic novel, in that world the EVOKE agents solve the energy crisis in two pages. Real change unfortunately takes years, and its the people who can commit themselves to that time line who make the difference. But don't let this discourage you, Rome was not built in a day.
Third: Keep your eyes on the prize. Don't let what other people are doing distract you. Remember, you are here to help change the world, not complain that someone is farming for power points, in the end the points won't matter.
Last but not least: Work together! You as single person only have so much time and talent. Single celled organisms grouped together to form larger organisms for a reason. If you want some more encouragement what if at the end of the 10 weeks they measure a groups power by adding up all the individual member's power points.
So in conclusion; Keep your head up, go to bed, work hard, work together and stay focused!
-Wintermute
Views: 6
Tags: Inspirational, Wintermute
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Comment by Raymond M. Kristiansen on March 25, 2010 at 10:58pm -
collaboration, collaboration, collaboration!
collaboration is the key.
the fusion of ideas, sparks, product specs, experiences. a synthesis that goes beyond single posts in an endless stream, and discussions about what individual is doing this or that great thing.
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Comment by Calida DeBello on March 25, 2010 at 11:02pm -
Thank you, Wintermute, this is wise, true, heartfelt and beautifully said. I'm not powervoting you for this because you asked us not to, but I am powervoting you up in my heart!
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Comment by Keith Adam Britt on March 25, 2010 at 11:03pm -
Couldn't help it... gave you a point 'cause you said something worth saying. Another thing worth mentioning... this is the first time EVOKE has ever been "played." Hopefully it has some growing pains, because that means that it is growing and continuing to exist. Perhaps, and I strongly suspect, the next iteration of EVOKE will correct some problems and improve the "game" in other ways.
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Comment by Crystal Bellar on March 25, 2010 at 11:18pm -
;) You gotta stick around too ! Very true post.
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Comment by Patricio Buenrostro-Gilhuys on March 25, 2010 at 11:23pm -
I totally agree with everyone here!!!
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Comment by Rob Black on March 25, 2010 at 11:35pm -
Valid points all around ;)
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Comment by John D. Boyden on March 25, 2010 at 11:42pm -
+1 collaboration. Keep your focus there will be LOTS of distraction possibilities! Play where you want, share what you will. Figure out HOW to collaborate.
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Comment by Wintermute on March 26, 2010 at 12:21am -
Don't worry Crystal, I'm not going anywhere. :)
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Comment by cameron michael keys on March 26, 2010 at 2:10am -
points are just fun, that's all. FUN. the game is also about fun through social innovation, and social innovation itself. I can assure you that the people with all the points are having lots of FUN researching their worth-while posts that earn them more points and drive them further than the next agent. We shouldn't minimize the importance of the point system. It's actually vital. Winning grants for the Evokations at the conclusion of the game seems more like a real possibility for agents with lots of points, I would say.
just food for thought. I'm stoked on Urgent Evoke, in any case. I've done a lot of really mature thinking because of this design space. it is very, very cool.
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Comment by Daniel LaLiberte on March 26, 2010 at 2:12am -
There is a wh*** class of games where there is competition but not against other players or other teams. Rather the point is for the players to cooperate to defeat some problem or external force, or to just do the best we can. In the case of cooperative games, the competition is with our own selves, or our earlier versions of ourselves, to do better and better over time. We all win, and the only losers are those who quit.
Note that I am not opposed to leveraging competition between people, to motivate people to do their best, but there are additional risks involved that make it more complex to maintain, and they become a distraction when the goal is really to figure out how to work together to solve problems.
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