“[T]he most popular games today do not contain, at their heart, ‘fun’.” Few video games today seem to promote imaginative play, where you are free to play make-believe. Instead, they seem to be “utopian work simulators”; our efforts to follow the rules of the game are rewarded regularly, much like how work (ideally) rewards us with wages for being obedient employees. Why? Perhaps it’s because art imitates life: the process of video game development overworks and puts employees through the wringer.
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Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
