Instead of talking about myself, for my third anniversary blog I want to talk about what I've observed about some of the changes in tengaged.
I'm leaving again, don't worry. I've mostly come to play a game or two, do a few more TSCs and then go back so you can miss me more. But the newest thing I've seen on tengaged is the advent of the "quick game". Quick games were fine for the duel, and I can see the purpose of the fast casting in its current incarnation (with reduced payouts). But I'm not a fan of fast games at all. Never have done it, don't really care to.
Ever since I've been on tengaged, I've felt this is more a community rather than a sum of thousands of games. This is not a website where you just anonymously or quickly join a game - then bam, wham, thank you ma'am. Instead everyone here carries their metagame. It's how they play the game throughout, jazz hands or devil horns. Your game, your personality, your character is carried through your username and people will know you for it, especially if your name is corey1. It's what makes you you - whether it's not truly representative of your real character - male or fake female. It's very visible in the long-form games. You get a chance to see people and it's impossible to hide who you are during these games. I just feel that in quick games on tengaged, you're not forced or encouraged to share much about your character or your identity in the community except when you're extremely loud. It feels more technical and it's a game that's stripped down to the strategic base with just a little bit extra on the social side. You join for a goal and only that goal. Every part of your social personality is gleaned from your past and your history. Your gameplay is as well as it's tough for some players to know who to trust and not trust in a game where decisions are made within 10 minutes.
If I were a new user to the website, and I'm far from it, I would've come here because I enjoy a television reality show. In these shows, there is a filming period of 40 days or so where I get to know a person and I have the opportunity in the first few days to get to know someone and judge their character. For example in a fast castings, I don't know if I'd get the opportunity. I would have to learn quickly to get far I'd have to learn how to get numbers, be with the right numbers and that's it. I just don't feel it's the same experience that someone might expect in coming to this website. I would expect something closer to big brother or survivor, but what I get essentially in a fast castings or fast rookies is a good lesson on what contributes good sound strategy in how to get far in a game based loosely on big brother or survivor and also how to do well in challenges. Much like how one wouldn't want to watch an entire season of big brother in 2 compacted hours all the time, can't always rely on quick games on this website either. I understand the payout and immediate gratification of quick games is good for a quick fix - but I feel the true heart of this website falls on its week-long games (stars included!) and the blogs.
It's hard for anyone to raise their hand and say that they were first entranced by the reality tv shows because they wanted to learn how to lie to someone, how to manipulate people to do what I want and how to create alliances. No, I watched survivor and big brother because of charismatic personalities, amazing breakdowns and people that throw fits because of rules/restrictions that are being imposed on people to win money. As such, if the expectation on this website is to gather people together to emulate reality tv shows for the same reasons we watch these shows - I feel that we have to be careful as a community in how we choose to advance this website. We have more of a responsibility than randomize to make the website into what it is.
I guess I really just want to speak on behalf of the newbies around here. These fast castings, it's tough to get to know any of the new kids, but try if you can. PM them and get to know someone. But most of all - help them find their identity here on tengaged and encourage them as well to play some long-form games. Get to know others and don't keep communication lines only out to your alliances and old friends. Do try to get to know others when you can. If fast games are the future of tengaged, then please try to help newbies out as well because some of the games on tengaged, I feel, are not well-designed to get newbies into the fold. Personally, I often try to PM everyone in my competitive games at least once and I will talk more with my non-aligned competitors than my own alliance in the game through PMs. I do join games to get to know others and I'm glad I've met some new people and learned some new music since I came back for this short stint.
I'm very glad for what BioDork is doing with this new tengaged welcome committee and I'm glad for the new "enrollment" page which I feel finally has a reasonable setup. I enjoy tengaged to a limit (due to my work hours) and I haven't disliked my return too much at least in comparison to other returns. But I'm still going and no one's going to stop me. I just hope that when I return and make my 4th anniversary blog that the website won't be dreadful that I don't even want to try.
I really liked this blog seeing as its almost my 3rd year anniversary too. This was such a community game before. And now its just based on premades. Thanks so much for this read. Pabs, im sad we didnt get to know each other more back then!
beautiful, but yeah i did join tengaged looking for the game experience not the social aspect so the application of quick games appealed to me... but i do remember my first game (20 person long castings) was the hardest game ive ever played, i gave it my all, and i was exposed to the full effects like you said newbies now cant experience... kinda lame :/
I know exactly what you mean, and I've said it before, but no one listens to me. :P
But I remember my second game where it truly was your personality and reputation that got you through it. :(
I do like fast games, but I agree, they're not for noobs. Everyone is so horrible in them sometimes, you go offline for 5 minutes, and everyone is F***ing and blinding because you're slowing down the game! It's not fair on someone new to come back to the game and see comments like that being made about them. :(
TODAY is my 3rd tengaged anniversary despite all my absences.