For Love of the Game? by starhamster42 |  |
DEEP CATACOMBS - Hello there, reader; my name is Starhamster42. I was answering
my Neomail last weekend (a huge thank-you to all who wrote to me about
my article!),
and among the many comments there, found this little gem: "I loved your idea,
but I think there should be prizes for the different levels of Neopian Times
writers: 1-10 times gets 750 NP, 11-30 times gets 2,000, 31-50 times gets 5,000,
50+ times gets 50,000."
I automatically reached for the keyboard to reply, but then paused. I'm not
unfamiliar to comments like this--being an avid NeoQuester myself, I can still
remember my reaction when I read the news that NeoQuest was now giving out Neopoints
for playing: "No! This can't be happening; it'll ruin everything!"
You see, even from the beginning, when NeoQuest was first released, there had
been relatively few fans of it--yes, it was cool to fight the evil monsters,
upgrade your weapons and skills, and save the day, but the inconvenient server
times, coupled with the fact that the game itself took so long to play and finish,
did a pretty good job of keeping the average Neopian away. Many were the whines
of "This is boring" and "Is there some cheat code to go straight to the end?"
We NeoQuesters were the few who stayed up late into the night and woke up extra-early
to play during the game's odd hours, determined to play through the entire game
and defeat Jahbal; we played knowing the only reward was the satisfaction of
a job well done, and delighting in that simple knowledge: there were no huge
Neopoint prizes to get in our way. Sure, there was the plain bronze trophy--but we regarded it more as a badge of our dedication, not just a mere adornment
for the cabinet. We simply played together for the love of the game.
So when I saw the news that that Neopoints were being given... well, there went
my ideals, straight out the window!
While I personally still dislike the idea of receiving Neopoints for the game,
I have to admit that it has managed to get a lot more Neopians interested in
NeoQuest. The number of game-relevant posts filled the NeoQuest Chatboard to
overflowing within the first week of the announcement; this had previously been
an unheard-of rarity.
Okay, I know what you're probably thinking: “What does this have to do with
The Neopian Times?” To put it bluntly, a lot.
Contrary to what some Neopians may think, those who write for The Neopian Times
do not receive any sort of money prize at all. True, we do get that lovely golden
quill on our userlookups, but, like the NeoQuesters, it's more a symbol of our
dedication than anything else--because it takes effort and creativity to write,
perhaps even more so than winning a trophy in any Flash game. The trophy, the
fan mail, and the love of writing are more than enough to keep us going.
Now comes the issue of Neopoint rewards. Are they a good thing? Let's look
at both sides of the issue in a few different scenarios, along with possible
causes and effects.
Pros:
- Neopoint rewards might attract more people to The Neopian Times; because
of this, the NT will enjoy a wonderful golden age filled with all those fantastic
tales and theories that people had but never wanted to write about before.
- Those who write well and are published in The Neopian Times will be encouraged
to write more; feedback from readers + money to feed pets/build a NeoHome/play
games = instant gratification! The Neopian Times is set for life, with a huge
taskforce of talented, creative writers!
- Neopia itself will benefit, as Neopians become more educated about the world
around them through the influx of fantastic work. People will worship the
Neopian Times and all who write for it, singing praises about their valiant
efforts and... no, not really. Just kidding about that last part (though it
would be nice!)
Cons:
- On the other hand, Neopoint rewards might do just the opposite--people would
start writing for the NT not because they love to write, but because they
want a way to get rich "quick." This greedy way of thinking would soon taint
the minds of Neopians everywhere: "The more I can write and submit to get
published, the more Neopoints I get! Hey, who cares if it's not good
work--as long as I'm getting money for it, right?" As a result, the editors
would be overwhelmed with thousands of e-mail submissions (not to mention
complaints when everyone's work is not published instantly), and the quality
of the writing in The Neopian Times would quickly plummet, spelling certain
doom for The Neopian Times.
- Because not everyone can be published but everyone wants that Neopoint reward,
players will probably become very jealous of the authors whose work actually
does appear in The Neopian Times. Anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering...
bitterness and flaring tempers will abound. Scared and angered by the amount
of flame mails they have received, many authors will probably stop writing
for The Neopian Times, or even leave Neopets altogether. In short, not good.
- The work in The Neopian Times will soon become totally bland; while superhero
comics and Pound stories are not necessarily bad, too many Neopians will start
writing them for lack of better, more creative ideas and for want of that
Neopoint prize. As a result, the NT will degrade into a bland, cliché
newspaper where nothing stands out to catch the reader's eye.
- Bored out of their wits by the repetitive stories and the horrible masses
of chatspeak that have started showing up in the published work (due to the
editors being overworked), Neopians stop reading The Neopian Times. Everyone's
work goes to total waste. Doom and gloom prevails.
There, you have the entire list now. Neopoint rewards are not a guarantee that
the horrible "con" scenario will happen--after all, look at what it did for
NeoQuest!--but they will guarantee that The Neopian Times and its writers will
be forever changed.
Whether this change is for better or worse really depends upon you. Yes, that's
right, you--a citizen of Neopia, with your own unique dreams and ambitions.
Neopians can and will make a difference in this issue; at the moment, there
is merely the choice of "Will you write because you love it?" If this issue
ever arises in the future, however, you will be faced with two more choices:
will your greedy hearts take over your minds, or will you continue writing for
the love of it, Neopoints or not?
Fellow Neopians, the choice is in your hands. I trust that you will each make
the right choice for yourself--nothing more, nothing less.
Until next time, this is Starhamster42, signing off. Have a nice diurnal anomaly!
Questions? Comments? What's your opinion about all of this? I'd love to
hear from you, as this issue is something I feel very strongly about. Feel free
to drop me a line
here. |
