T w e n t y S i d e d
Once in a while I run into “interactive ads” on ad-heavy websites. Places like MySpace will often have a game where you try to play some simple mini-game. Orbitz has done this sort of thing so much over the years that they’ve created a website dedicated to their various golf-putting, skeet-shooting, baseball-hitting, basketball-shooting games.
The trick is that these games are fun to look at, and amusing for about ten seconds. However, playing them usually triggers a popup ad or opens a new page.
Lots of games now are things like “cick this button repeatedly as fast as you can” to play tug-of-war, punch an annoying celebrity, or whatever. You click as fast as you can, and the instant you win you get an ad.
So I play these games until the moment just before I win, then I stop clicking and let it go. I do this all the time. It’s silly. I thought I was the only person that did this, until by brother (Skeeve the Impossible) told me he did it. Now I wonder if this is common behavior? Are millions of people clicking away, and then stopping short of the moment of victory and letting the “bad guy” win? I have no idea, but it makes me laugh.
Juvenile and Proud
Yes, this game is loud, crude, childish, and stupid. But it it knows what it wants to be and nails it. And that's admirable.
The Gameplay is the Story
Some advice to game developers on how to stop ruining good stories with bad cutscenes.
Philosophy of Moderation
The comments on most sites are a sewer of hate, because we're moderating with the wrong goals in mind.
Patreon!
Why Google sucks, and what made me switch to crowdfunding for this site.
PC Gaming Golden Age
It's not a legend. It was real. There was a time before DLC. Before DRM. Before crappy ports. It was glorious.
Yeah, I’ve always done that, but I always thought it was kind of strange and never told anyone. Cool to know that other people do it and that I’m not crazy (well, at least not for that).
P.S. First comment! Yay!
I do this all the time and thought that I was the only one who did it :D
I do this whenever I am bored, five or six times, then I win and find something better to do.
Like LemmingLord and BobbyBob said, it’s cool to know I’m not the only one. =D
I do it. Sometimes I win just to see the animation, because usually the FireFox popup blocker catches the new window and stops it from attacking.
Obviously, I need to put some more non-ad-based free web games up on my site or something…
c) Don’t run Flash.
The revolution will truly have come when losing nets you an ad, and winning doesn’t.
Nintendo says gaming will be saved by making games more fun to play for everybody, but maybe the true path forward is to punish everyone who doesn’t play them…
I have to right click and turn them off because I find the constant motion and flashing makes me sick. Sometimes I play the game just to see if the damn thing will stop moving.
I’ve never done that, perhaps being younger than some of you have learned me to completely ignore adds. Only if it has elements from a commercial games (you know, real games) or anime in it will I even notice it.
Hah! I do this all the time! How odd.
I’m running firefox with adblock plus and the filterset.G updater extensions, so I very rarely see an ad.
However on the occasion I do see one and it’s one of those I do that too.
I have never intentionally clicked on a web ad. Never. I have practically trained myself to not even see them any more. I am continually amazed whenever I talk to someone who says they have clicked on, or even payed attention to the ads.
I use adblock to remove ads from most of the pages I frequent. I usually whitelist pages I like (eg. your site) but only if they don’t run those annoying flash things.
But yes – if one slips through I’m sometimes tempted to click on it few times to see what it does. Then I usually block it anyway.
I usualy click that last time and get the popup, then try to close it quickly so I get to see the little ‘you win’ animation on the game before it restarts.
No I can’t say I have ever done that
No, I don’t think I ever have… maybe once or twice. I don’t find it worth the trouble. I REALLY hate those ads, though (as they are usually the most obnoxious, annoying, and attention-getting (motion) all at once.
Not only don’t I do that, I won’t even mouse over ads. I have trained myself well. :)
Nope.. never done it.. you guys are absolutely nuts.. bonkers.. certifiable.. and I have a degree in Psychology… ok.. ok.. sure.. of course.. why not.
LOL I play these games all the time and the best thing is that I don’t have to stop before I win. My pop up blocker keeps the add from comming up hehehe.