Maybe a just for fun section would help stop all these one dot games, I don't know. I think that it would be easier if people stop making these games. I also think that there should be a games created in the last week section as well.

OK, this is probably why my latest games doesn't show. I think it would be better if the three most recent games from one author was shown. Now none of my four games are shown and probably won't be played that much, if even at all...

Like the private game idea

> There are truly some Naziesque types that zoom in like the Nerd Gestapo to criticize games.

Coachd, can you please give us names before you decree censorship?

Famisamis

Well, he didn't call YOU a Naziesque Nerd Gestapo type, did he.

And one dot games of course aren't stupid games, hey, let's create some more! It's so much fun to waste your time by loading them. If games are not stupid, I try to help people to improve their games, for example:

http://www.purposegames.com/game/1708/info

If it's forbidden or not unwanted to comment games (or call them stupid), I call that censorship.

Example: Do you really think, this game isn't a stupid game (One dot for a city, and in the wrong position.):

http://www.purposegames.com/game/1677

There are lots more of the kind.

This thread isn't about different interests, it's about stupid spam games.

The following is OFF TOPIC:

I personally don't like games that give you wrong information, too, if they stay uncorrected for month (= most likely forever). There are loads of these. (Note, that I don't call THESE stupid.) But I suppose many people here come to learn something and they don't have the time or potential or lust to check every single dot in every single game themselves. So if a game isn't obviously a just for fun game, the creator should ideally feel some responsibility for his game. But that is, as I already stated, off topic.

Chill, baby, baby, chill.

Nothing is forbidden.

The comment space on a game is there so that if you see something wrong you can say, "hey, something's wrong." And if they never respond or fix it other people who play the game will see your comment. I would hope that if anyone was going to use the knowledge gained here in some sort of industrious fashion they would be wise enough to back it up with some additional research, anyway.

As for the one dot games, don't play them. Yes, you have to click into the game to see that it's a one dot game. That is a bit of wasted time if it's not your thing. But it's not like you're getting paid by the hour to play games on the Internet. I'm guessing your time's not so critical that you can't spend 10-15 seconds going in and out of a game to see if you want to play it. In fact, I'll put money on the fact that you spend more time tracking down the game number, posting a comment on the game page and then on the forums to report it as spam.

Think about the game creators. They are people of all different ages and cultures. People come to this site for a million different reasons. It's not up to you or any one of us to decide how people get to use the site. It continues to get more and more popular and with that there are more and more games. With that, we all need to be more patient and less concerned about the one-dot games or the silly games.

We can learn some interesting things here but not everything will be 100% perfect or right. It's great to have a forum and space to make comments. And it's TOTALLY COOL to be a Naziesque member of the Nerd Gestapo (which, by the way, I would like to think was thrown in as an attempt to bring humor to the situation...and it sounds kinda cool). Your comments, equestenebrarum, with respect to games needing corrections are helpful and make the games better. Just keep being supportive in that way.

But let the 'stupid' go. Stop spending so much energy on it. It could be a 5-year-old making the game. Do you really want to call a 5-year-old stupid? And if it's a 35-year-old, who cares? That's the way they want to use the site, who are we to judge?

You can say whatever you want. There isn't any censorship (well, as long as you don't drop the f-bomb :) Say stupid as much as you want. However, as a part of this little Internet community, though, I would like to ask that there be less negative criticism and complaining.

If you decide to play a game and notice there's something inaccurate about it, make a comment. Then let it alone.

If you simply don't like the game, go play a different game. There's 1400 to choose from.

I'm completely serious when I say that 'Naziesque types from the Nerd Gestapo' is hilarious. If we make comments on a game to improve its accuracy we should sign it with the initials NTNG.

p.s. equestenebrarum, I hope you aren't offended by my response...I'm just trying to make the peace. I really like your games and appreciate your input.

People...
I had an argument with coachd a couple of months ago, about a critic i made to one of his "stupid american" games. I originally thought that he was a person that was just trying to mess this site up by creating a bunch of senseless games(in my humble opinion), but later i realized i was wrong. He just has a different sense of humor than mine. And he realized that later too, when he ran into one of the games i used to create(he used the same kind of funny insulting adjectives with me at the very beginning).

The point is that every one of you has a different and valid opinion, but you are missing the other person point of view.

I mean eques, francis and all of the people who are trying to maintain the quality of the site are in their right to do it. But also coachd and famisamis are right about the right of everyone to create games as they will.

This is something that is easy to fix by creating a special section of serious games and another of personal or funny or stupid or name-it-as-you-will games. Nonetheless, we can deny that there are a bunch of games that don't fit in any of these categories and that are not created by 5-year old kids but by people who are really trying to annoy. And it is not hard to identify them.

I think those are the kind of games that bother eques and many other members. And as francis says, i think there are a lot of valuable members who have stopped visiting this site because of the excesive production of these pseudo-games. Have you seen Angela0726 lately, or Lisa or Pelle or RonaldderGrosse?

And yes... i know that wasting 15 seconds in finding out if a game is one of this kind won't kill me... but it is not fun either.

And calling people names might be funny for some of us, but we need to realize that it may hurt some feelings too...

Wrapping up... let's defend freedom, but let's organize it.

Fabianruiz:

You hit the crux of the matter. There really ARE bad games, but it is hard to screen them out without causing other problems. Nobody wants to take candy (game making) away from babies (well, then 5-year olds).

In some ways,this site is a victim of its own success. It is easy and fun to make games, and there are a lot of them.

Awhile back I synthesized many peoples' suggestions and thoughts on this matter in the thread "problem games". I think most of what I (and many others) wrote then still holds.

David is working on a revision, and it might fix some of these problems in the future. We can hope. If searching, navigation and categorization are improved, these problems will be at least partially alleviated. If games can be moved out of inappropriate areas, and duplicates/low-quality games moved to a separate area, things will improve.

Maybe we shouldn't call games "stupid", but some are certainly silly. Others are objectively of low quality, or are duplicates. A few are as you say: deliberate attempts to annoy.

And most people who comment about games re: spelling, dot placement and duplication are really just trying to help authors improve their games. And sometimes it works. Look at Tassos' games -- the "Tundra Animals" for example. When advised of incorrect spellings, he fixed them. And he has proven in general to be a careful game-maker and shows good game stewardship. I have similarly fixed some of my games, as have many others. People who make such comments are not "nazis" or "nerds".

Hard to say why some people drop out or participate at lower levels. But the proliferation of low-quality games may be one cause (one of many, no doubt). In addition to those you mention, we don't see francis1 much anymore. I have to think such games are one reason for that.

And by the way, haven't seen much of niklas, lately; and he's perhaps the most valuable member. (Should be accorded the rank of Supermaster, IMO.)

In my view the range of games has become so broad that the site is starting to loose it's appeal. For those who want short (less than ten dot games) or fun games it is necessary to sort though loads of serious games; and for those who come to the site to learn ot test their knowledge it often takes ages to find a new game of interest for them to play.

My suggestions are to:

(a) Split the site into two to cater better for the breadth of members that are now using it; OR

(b) Refine the classifications so that users have a better chance of finding the type of game they enjoy playing reasonably quickly.

Another suggestion would be to have a category for seldom played games. For those who were keen on games that were in this category, because they were very difficult, too basic, poorly designed etc, could spend time exploring this group from time to time if they so wished. I'm sure others would be delighted to be able to bypass these games completely.