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4 votes
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Don't even think about socially isolating from coronavirus in a vacation home – this was the message from Norway's government this weekend
8 votes -
Birgit Maixner: ‘Place names are like fossils in the landscape. They tell us stories about the past – if we know how to interpret them’
6 votes -
Book Review: Irrational Exuberance by Robert Shiller
4 votes -
Gov. Gavin Newsom deploys California National Guard to assist food banks during coronavirus outbreak
6 votes -
What commitments could progressives get from Joe Biden?
4 votes -
How ossified funding models in medicine are throttling our response to COVID-19
8 votes -
The US's foreign entanglements
3 votes -
Copper destroys viruses and bacteria. Why isn’t it everywhere?
12 votes -
Daily coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - March 20
This thread is posted daily, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the...
This thread is posted daily, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the situation is like where you live!
14 votes -
What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga)
What have you been watching and reading this week? You don't need to give us a whole essay if you don't want to, but please write something! Feel free to talk about something you saw that was...
What have you been watching and reading this week? You don't need to give us a whole essay if you don't want to, but please write something! Feel free to talk about something you saw that was cool, something that was bad, ask for recommendations, or anything else you can think of.
If you want to, feel free to find the thing you're talking about and link to its pages on Anilist, MAL, or any other database you use!
4 votes -
The Everyday Astronaut goes into great detail on the topic of: Are rockets terrible for our air? How much do they pollute?
5 votes -
World Cap Of Hockey – What would Team Sweden look like if it had to be cap compliant?
5 votes -
Doom Eternal review
8 votes -
Five people who were amazingly productive in quarantine
9 votes -
Starbucks goes drive-thru only
7 votes -
Microbial life has been found deep in Earth's crust beneath the ocean floor
8 votes -
NASA remembers Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden
5 votes -
These are the free, no-equipment online fitness classes you need right now
5 votes -
How Melbourne scientists' coronavirus preparation puts Australia ahead of the world
6 votes -
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern introduces COVID-19 alert level; urges cancellation to all non-essential travel
7 votes -
The software that’s being made available free to help with home working during the COVID-19 crisis
4 votes -
How to boost your home’s Wi-Fi
6 votes -
California’s stay-at-home order is a legal mess
8 votes -
NYC: Safety net hospitals a 'disaster' as coronavirus patients begin to flood in
5 votes -
Americans' opinions on the coronavirus are changing fast
19 votes -
Childcare workers at SpaceX are afraid of the coronavirus spreading as Elon Musk forces them to stay open
9 votes -
Plenty of American workers aren't being told to work remotely—even though they could
8 votes -
Does the frequent addition of content to esport games delegitimize them?
This questions ultimately rests on the supposition of what a game intends to be or what esport should be. This is partially why it probably won't spark too much discussion, but I'm interested in...
This questions ultimately rests on the supposition of what a game intends to be or what esport should be. This is partially why it probably won't spark too much discussion, but I'm interested in your opinions nonetheless, especially when it comes to the current state of esports. It seems to me that when we are talking about rules in any kind of sport we want to change as little as we can over time. If the rules changes enough, you could argue that people have over time played what essentially is a different game. It becomes harder to compare achievements between players within the a timeline. Meta's and achievements will only really be comparable after games has stopped adding content such as new heroes or mechanics. With a lot of games there seems to be a major content patch, then long period of balancing and this cycle basically repeats itself. Another point is that by adding content and changing the meta you are preventing the current players from reaching their full potential, the older players from retaining their hard earned experience and discouraging new players by promising them a game they can never "beat". That is until the content stops coming in and in today's world that might mean that you are not able to play at all due to a lack of dedicated servers. Further the players that might once have stuck to it might already have left, leaving no opponents left to play against.
This superficial take ultimately comes from someone who hasn't really played esports except a little bit of 1.6 counter strike and counter strike global offensive. It always struck me as odd that with MOBA's and especially with shooters such as overwatch and siege, that there seem to be no pushback on this. When I ask people that prefer this sort of drip-feed-service, what I usually hear is that it's something that is necessary to keep them engaged. Isn't there ultimately a trade-off here, between a sort of accessible fun and lack of constancy which prevents players from reaching their full potential?
I immediately see the talking point of financial aspect of games. It seems to me however that Quake and counter strike largely went without major changes when compared to modern esports games. Are there any good broad rules we can use when designing esport games in order to avoid the issues mentioned here?
In an ideal world, do you agree that we generally don't want kind of content and/or rule change that we see today?
If there is a need to add content (such as heroes) to keep a game feeling "fresh". Is there an acknowledgement here that the core-gameplay isn't engaging enough? I think there is a case to be made here when it comes to MOBA's since knowledge (about enemy heroes abilities) plays a more central part when compared to more archaic shooters. Is this indicative of a an audience that is more interested in an entertaining service, rather than a (e)sport that seldom changes?
When we look at games such as world of warcraft, which isn't an esport, yet there are achievements and historic events so to speak which became cheapened or not attainable until what was basically a restart of the timeline (story of the game). Is this not what we are risking with current service models in modern esports?
15 votes -
Millions of older Americans live in counties with no ICU beds as pandemic intensifies
4 votes -
Bay Area health care workers dealing with coronavirus short of crucial face masks
3 votes -
Disinfecting wipes being flushed down toilets causing major pipe problems
13 votes -
Sharp increase in Moscow pneumonia cases fuels fears over coronavirus statistics
10 votes -
Chloroquine, past and present
3 votes -
Some free games are being released on Steam today
17 votes -
John Gruber reviews the new 2020 MacBook Air
5 votes -
What we know so far about SARS-CoV-2
5 votes -
France limits sale of paracetamol (acetaminophen)
4 votes -
Jogging, park walks banned as alarmed Italian regions impose more coronavirus restrictions
8 votes -
United We Stream: Livestreams from Berlin clubs this week
4 votes -
Fitness Weekly Discussion
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started...
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?
6 votes -
Finland has been named the world's happiest country for the third year in a row, maintaining the Nordic grip on the World Happiness Report's top spots
7 votes -
EU state aid regulators clear Danish financial support for a rail-road link between Denmark and Germany
4 votes -
What creative projects have you been working on?
This topic is part of a series. It is meant to be a place for users to discuss creative projects they have been working on. Projects can be personal, professional, physical, digital, or even just...
This topic is part of a series. It is meant to be a place for users to discuss creative projects they have been working on.
Projects can be personal, professional, physical, digital, or even just ideas.
If you have any creative projects that you have been working on or want to eventually work on, this is a place for discussing those.
A list of all previous topics in this series can be found here.
8 votes -
When your barber assumes you’re a racist too
4 votes -
How to make parmesan cheese at home
4 votes -
How to keep the family happy: Put up your Christmas lights, and drive around town looking at others' displays
5 votes -
How Mrs. Meyer’s took over the hand soap aisle
7 votes -
Operation cancel Spring Break: Floridians fret over coronavirus as young revelers try to keep the party going
8 votes -
Senator Richard Burr dumped up to $1.6 million of stock after reassuring public about coronavirus preparedness
27 votes