To unlock drink verification can (2013) (opens in new tab)

I literally just saw a BMW advertisement yesterday that says it comes with 8 years of adaptive cruise control/driver assist, which then disables itself after the timer runs out (presumably unless you pay to license it again).

The "User attempting to steal online gameplay" bit came from Cliff Blezinski et al saying that splitscreen multiplayer and co-op was a mistake, because half the people who played didn't pay for the game. In the past ten years we have seen local multiplayer evaporate.

EDIT: The Kinnect had a microphone in it too

The Kinect Azure is pretty badass. I see why they would say that and it is very funny. I work in computer vision and NUI R&D and it's really hard to understate the accomplishment that is Kniect. I get why most people don't want to play dance games and don't like the machine looking at them but it is REALLY hard to package up solid solutions for the problem the Kinect solves and the Azure and surprisingly it's cross platform SDK are IMO one of the most beautiful tools every produced by humans.

Pretty sure it was "say McDonald's to end commercial" from https://patents.google.com/patent/US8246454B2/en

Weird all I see is

username: solarwinds

password: *****

Man I first encountered that one in the Runescape days. Blast from the past.

If we're sharing bash.org links... http://bash.org/?795779

I still say "I put on my robe and wizard hat"[0] to people, although I don't think people get it.

0. http://bash.org/?104383

You have to first define what makes a game “fun”.

The theory outlined in Glued to Games (Ryan & Rigby, 2011) suggests that games we perceive as “fun” are actually satisfying our basic needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

If you satisfy your need for competency by playing video games and don’t get that need met anywhere else, then you’ll keep coming back, despite the developers trying to squeeze money out of you every time you log on.

When it comes to anti-consumer actions taken by companies, many times one can take a blind eye to it as long as they can still play the game. The problem is that’s it’s like a frog in boiling water. At some point you realize that you need to give your email, phone number, credit card info, money, advertising attention, and more just so you have the privilege of downloading their special launcher that is the only one that can run their game, which of course also requires you to install a root kit in your system for “anti-cheat”. Only for you to open the game, which requires you to have internet, just to be able to play a single-player game mode.

The game’s fun though. And it only takes 5 seconds to actually load it up once you’ve downloaded everything and installed it. So it’s fine, right?

Consider it just like other software like Microsoft Windows. “It’s supposed to make your life easier, so if it doesn’t, why not just stop using it?” Because it still does make it easier, even with all of the crap that Microsoft does that we can rightfully complain about.

Perhaps also consider it like Twitter. Why stay if it’s so toxic? Because everyone is on there, and if you aren’t, then you’ll never talk to your friends, since it’s not like they’d move platforms just for your sake.

It doesn't have to be fun if it's addicting enough

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning_chamber

This is besides your point on anti-consumer practices, but games aren't solely for "fun".

Art is about experiencing something, a sad documentary, a tragic movie, a horror movie aren't "fun" in the candy and rollercoaster sense, games are the same.

One that speaks to me, I really enjoy factorio, but I wouldn't call it "fun".

For the core of your point though, getting locked into something because it's how you socialise, (whether directly with friends, or indirectly with a community), or via abusing addictive characteristics in consumers, games can still retain a base even without providing value like my other examples.

One big difference between now and back in the day is the prominence of professional gaming leagues. It's not just about stomping noobs for bragging rights; it can be a genuine dream for people like becoming an NBA star.

I know a guy who destroyed several friendships because he believed he could go pro in League of Legends.

Going to festivals is fun but requires long journeys carrying lots of heavy things and those generally are not very fun, especially on the way home.

The point of the meme is to mock the gates and hurdles you encounter in trying to get to the fun, not the fun itself.

For example, Microsoft potentially requiring people to have an always-on camera pointed isn't something that anyone wants, but they might tolerate it to play FortNite/whatever.

I'm almost certain it's a 4chan "greentext" originally, yes.

It's from the time around the introduction of the Xbox One, which, as one of many policies for the console that were unpopular and ultimately rolled back before release, was going to require the Kinect camera to be plugged in for the console to function.

By this time there was already a well-known Black Mirror episode out involving computer vision tracking to ensure people really watched ads, so these ideas were floating around in the culture. As well as Sony's "say McDonald's to end the ad" patent surfacing around that time.

The xkcd comics you link to would have been quite a few years earlier... the reference to Sony then probably more for the controversy with the rootkit on their CDs, as well as their efforts to lock down Blu-ray discs.

The XBox's Kinect camera, which was introduced around the time this was written.

Unique unlock code at the bottom of each can? Some kind of scannable QR code or NFC system? They do not care if you dump the ooze into the toilet, so long as it has been purchased.

You could even region lock the cans! Make sure nobody is trying to cheat you by purchasing wholesale or across the border.

Edit: You could even make them like some kind of Nintendo Amibo action figure. Dedicated holder device with API interface to the game.

Real-time blood sugar monitoring, if your customers aren't diabetic yet they could be drinking more. Coming soon to a dystopia near you.

QR code on the bottom of a heat-sensitive can? Or maybe it's transparent, with the QR code printed the same color as the liquid?

Mandatory Urinalysis

Nice try, evil mountain dew marketing executive.

Xbox Kinect

It's pretty close to the premise of 15 Million Merits