I wonder how much we could optimize real world agricultural and industrial processes if we reallocated just a tiny fraction of the energy that goes into this game.
Highly doubt it as games themselves are designed to produce this energy and motivation. It's not like we have super geniuses who are wasting their potential on games, but rather games provide a sandbox that encourage exploration, experimentation, and create intrinsic motivation loops. I feel confident saying that playing games like Factorio is a much better use of time than using social media or passively consuming media.
The real world is filled with industry know-how, real-life constraints, and monetary risk. I'm almost positive these people don't have millions of dollars lying around to invest in agriculture R&D.
If they don't, someone does, and a different reality would have them give them the money to go do that R&D. There are definitely super geniuses out there not being utilized to anywhere near their full potential because they're off on some distraction or other, but they get to choose to do that because we're all about self determination.
I'm sure they would choose real factory building instead if it was just as easy (at least, I would)
- no bureaucracy/planning conflicts, you are the sole dictator
- full vertical integration, no supply costs or land costs
- building is near-instant and perfectly reversible
- machines don't have 6 month lead times or go out of stock
- maintenance is done by magic, machines never break down
- infinite research and information to build every machine from scratch
When I play Factorio with my friends, I don't have to sit through 1 hour planning meetings where half the people don't know what game we're playing and the other half want to make all decisions by committee in a future, unscheduled meeting.
bob1029 · · focus · HN ↗
uludag · · focus · HN ↗
The real world is filled with industry know-how, real-life constraints, and monetary risk. I'm almost positive these people don't have millions of dollars lying around to invest in agriculture R&D.
fragmede · · focus · HN ↗
Liftyee · · focus · HN ↗
tartuffe78 · · focus · HN ↗