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| wikipedia.com |
Two words:
Temple Run. Two words, that describes a free game downloadable from iTunes to
which I am entirely addicted. Two words that incites competition among my
friends and my roommate. Two words, that are the cause for my lack of attention
in my larger lecture classes. We see this phenomenon of addiction to computer
and smart phones games constantly in society. Anyone remember Farmville? Or
Petville? And now we have Temple Run, where the sole purpose of the game is to
keep running. You have to jump and turn and slide under things, all the while
trying to collect coins, beat objectives, and not dying at the hands of
obstacles in your path or the odd monkey-like creatures chasing you.
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itunes.apple.com
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A lot of people play these games because they
are free, and we are bored. Or maybe we play because we like to procrastinate.
But then they keep us hooked. I’m not going to lie; I went through a Farmville
phase. And now I can’t seem to give up Temple Run. It sucked me in because it
was free; because I was bored; and because it had quickly gained popularity. I
was curious; I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Temple Run, or at
least the hype about it, was persuasive. By it’s very ability to gain public
attention, it continued attracting more downloaders. And it’s kept us playing,
even though it is quite possibly one of the most frustrating games I’ve ever
encountered. It’s addicting. It’s simple enough that anyone can play and,
seemingly, anyone can win, therefore holding onto its popularity. On top of
that, it plays upon human nature: it incites friendly competition, something we
all love, which fuels further play time. I was almost bored with the game when
my friend passed my high score. He sent me a screen shot of it with a message saying,
“Better step your game up.” Well, that was a challenge. And I like a challenge,
especially if I can win. As easily and as quickly as that, I was playing Temple
Run again all due to my innate, human love of competition.
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Guy playing iPod games
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This games or apps have amazing
rhetorical power to influence people to download (for free!) and play and play
and play. They can easily gain downloaders, easily keep players, and even gain
money through the advertisements. So good job, Temple Run, I’ve been hooked,
and I know it. But I beat my friend's score, so I don’t
mind.
J
Like you, I am guilty of being an addict of the beloved temple run. I can even go as far as saying I might have purchased an iPod for the game. I once screamed at my friend when she didn't have the game so that I could play before I downloaded it. I never thought games could be rhetoric but it's obvious now that you mentioned it. How they persuade you by word of mouth to download them due to their style and our addictive human nature.
ReplyDeleteSince I have an iPhone, iPad, and an iPod, I have a lot of apps around me. Though I am not that easily addicted, I do know some friends who are addicted to games. I know there are a lot of games that are fun and addicting. I just glad that I am not a fan of playing games.
ReplyDeleteP.S. - about the group poject that we have to do, I was hoping I can get your email so we can communicate more easily and further we can schedule when we can meet. Hope you had a GREAT spring break!
oh I forgot my email : yxp5053@psu.edu
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