
Posted: 2008-02-12 19:51:31
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As far as I can tell, there are several reasons for this.
One is that they don't catch the eye like some of the more colorful map/picture games.
Another is that they haven't been on site that long. There's a high (though far from perfect) correlation between the age of a game and the number of plays. Part of that is simply due to the fact that more time = more chance for play. But it also goes back to the history of the site: the original games by David originally had no competition, and the whole site was (informally) one massive tournament, with people going back and forth between games, and trying to get the lead in as many as possible. For the first few months after user-made games came in, that sort of thing remained in effect. But eventually, as there were more and more games, the new games got less time in the limelight (pushed off the main page quickly), and were also on the last page of the "Games" section.
Finally, few MC games have ever been in the tournament or "featured game of the day." Getting either of those positions greatly elevates play of any game.
Still, I find them worthwhile. I wouldn't want David to get rid of them. I don't think there's much you can do to make them more attention-grabbing.