New Post
Search
Help[Games] ATTN photo congrats hosts and players
Can we please not start any new photo congrats, or at least ones with contests?
for these reasons:
a. the board space it takes up is amazing and frustrating to people who have slow connections, use the internet on their phones, and people who are not interested
b. they don't have anything to do with names; they are a contest of "who can find the neatest stock picture?" and I don't think they qualify as "name games"
c. I am not sure if using these stock photographs is legal - actually, I think it is legal, but it's kind of unethical. We are using the products of real people's real livelihoods for our fake families
d. It is a bit creepy, but that is subjective. But don't you think it's a bit creepy? Those are real people in those pictures.
I know a lot of people have a lot of fun with these, but really - they don't have anything to do with names. Can we...? I am trying to be as polite as possible but I am at a table of loud adults with sewing machines and cannot concentrate well. I know Bernadette and Darkest agree with me, I do not know if there is a whole group of people who secretly are really annoyed by them or not, I suspect there is but I might be totally off base.
for these reasons:
a. the board space it takes up is amazing and frustrating to people who have slow connections, use the internet on their phones, and people who are not interested
b. they don't have anything to do with names; they are a contest of "who can find the neatest stock picture?" and I don't think they qualify as "name games"
c. I am not sure if using these stock photographs is legal - actually, I think it is legal, but it's kind of unethical. We are using the products of real people's real livelihoods for our fake families
d. It is a bit creepy, but that is subjective. But don't you think it's a bit creepy? Those are real people in those pictures.
I know a lot of people have a lot of fun with these, but really - they don't have anything to do with names. Can we...? I am trying to be as polite as possible but I am at a table of loud adults with sewing machines and cannot concentrate well. I know Bernadette and Darkest agree with me, I do not know if there is a whole group of people who secretly are really annoyed by them or not, I suspect there is but I might be totally off base.
Archived Thread - replies disabled
1
Replies
Agreed, and if I may vent my own spleen...
...They're always so damned white. It's boring, and there's something a bit disconcerting to me about the fact that they're nearly always full of WASPy looking Caucasian families. And when someone has made an effort to add some variety to the pictures (as I did on more than one occasion), they never quite manage to win, do they?
I feel like there's this weird, subconscious "we only think white babies are pretty" undercurrent to them a lot of the time.
On the other hand, there's an ethnocentricity that pervades the whole game board, and I don't think it can be helped. I think it becomes significantly more obvious when there are pictures, though.
Array
...They're always so damned white. It's boring, and there's something a bit disconcerting to me about the fact that they're nearly always full of WASPy looking Caucasian families. And when someone has made an effort to add some variety to the pictures (as I did on more than one occasion), they never quite manage to win, do they?
I feel like there's this weird, subconscious "we only think white babies are pretty" undercurrent to them a lot of the time.
On the other hand, there's an ethnocentricity that pervades the whole game board, and I don't think it can be helped. I think it becomes significantly more obvious when there are pictures, though.
Array
1
Yeah, I agree that they all were pretty white. I once had a family with an Indian mother, but it was so damn hard to find pictures of Indian families, particularly ones that could "win". I eventually had to abandon that family because I was spending too much time looking for pictures. :::Shrug::: At least I tried.
I also thought the funniest part was how at the beginning on the game the family was supposed to consist of a young couples just getting married, yet everybody puts them in these huge, beautiful (well, sometimes) homes. What kind of 23 year-olds live in places like that?! Yet, of course, if you post a picture of something more realistic, there was no hope of winning.
I thought picture contests were fun at first, and I tried my hand at them, but honestly I think they got old fast. The same pictures are used over and over again. I don't particularly mind them being here, but I'm through with them myself.
I also thought the funniest part was how at the beginning on the game the family was supposed to consist of a young couples just getting married, yet everybody puts them in these huge, beautiful (well, sometimes) homes. What kind of 23 year-olds live in places like that?! Yet, of course, if you post a picture of something more realistic, there was no hope of winning.
I thought picture contests were fun at first, and I tried my hand at them, but honestly I think they got old fast. The same pictures are used over and over again. I don't particularly mind them being here, but I'm through with them myself.
1
I agree with the whole WASPy look of things. I started trying to find very Greek-looking people, but found that I never got votes for anything. I also found the homes amusing. The game I'm in now is the only one I've ever been in, and when the first photo I had to get was a house I purposely chose a small one with an overgrowing garden (though still nice, I thought.) Then I went through what photos everyone else had posted and knew I wasn't going to win with my realistic little house :(
1
I have recently come to agree with most of what you've said. I myself have determined that once my photo congrats is over and all other photo congrats I'm in are completed that I'll not participate in any other photo contests or congrats. For me it was fun while it lasted but I think their popularity is growing too much.
1
Me too.
They seemed like a fun idea at first, but they got old fast. The same pictures show up over and over, so it gets boring. After a while they just didn't quite sit well with me. Also, I don't think it's legal to use stock images, and I definitely felt uncomfortable posting pictures I have no right to use (I tended to use flickr for pictures when I was in photo games).
They seemed like a fun idea at first, but they got old fast. The same pictures show up over and over, so it gets boring. After a while they just didn't quite sit well with me. Also, I don't think it's legal to use stock images, and I definitely felt uncomfortable posting pictures I have no right to use (I tended to use flickr for pictures when I was in photo games).
1
Ditto
I don't want to just throw away my participation in the current games, since they are sort of fun, but you have indeed convinced me, Emma, that they're somewhat creepy.
I don't want to just throw away my participation in the current games, since they are sort of fun, but you have indeed convinced me, Emma, that they're somewhat creepy.
1
As a congrats host, it does get a bit annoying when one of the "photo contest" knocks my game down and my players can't see, or won't see the next round and I have to keep bumping up, but at the same time I respect that you can turn that arguement around and say the "regular" games knock other games down.
1
Just thought to make my own comment on this as no one has spoke in favor of these yet.
For reason A, I definitely understand the reasoning behind this- although I am not one of them needing so- the taking up space for people with slow connections part of it. However, the interest part I am not, there are plenty of games that people take different interests in and the ones they don't do take up space too (for example, for the longest time I disliked eliminations- now when some people have had long lists of names in these, they too have taken up long lengths of the page- but hey, getting more finger exercises to roll the page down to skip it! :P )
Also with space, saying that we don't start any more is fair, I believe there are three or four currently running- the games all run in trends and I know that when the last four or five topics are the same game it does get annoying. However, when they end is it fair to start new games or are we attempting to let this game die out?
For a point of it being a game, well, it is, imo. Its congrats to a new level- the contest part is a little iffy, but the winners get wishes which is just as fair as the person who has the best name for a child (vote on by the host of the game). And then with Keepskuh's Congrats, she includes events, etc. So definitely worthy of the title game (as much as any other game on here is a game- not sure what qualifies as a game... but hey CAFs and Congrats are so why not these ones?)
As for ethical-ness and creepiness: well, if someone models for stock images or hey, if someone posts photos on the internet without having a flash website or other means of protecting the photos or watermarks over them, they should know better. Straight-linking from the websites has come to annoy me as that is what most websites dislike as it takes up memory/space for them too. Does that say anything about creepiness too? I mean, people post names from birth announcements too- that shares kids real names and the names of their siblings, etc and asks us to judge those real kids' names too. Idk... maybe I've been playing on role-playing and Dream Family boards too long.
Also, are your opinions the same for adoption games with photos? Or is this focused on the congrats games?
I hope I don't upset you, or anyone, just wanted to share from the other side because I am sure that I'm not the only one who feels in favour of them.
For reason A, I definitely understand the reasoning behind this- although I am not one of them needing so- the taking up space for people with slow connections part of it. However, the interest part I am not, there are plenty of games that people take different interests in and the ones they don't do take up space too (for example, for the longest time I disliked eliminations- now when some people have had long lists of names in these, they too have taken up long lengths of the page- but hey, getting more finger exercises to roll the page down to skip it! :P )
Also with space, saying that we don't start any more is fair, I believe there are three or four currently running- the games all run in trends and I know that when the last four or five topics are the same game it does get annoying. However, when they end is it fair to start new games or are we attempting to let this game die out?
For a point of it being a game, well, it is, imo. Its congrats to a new level- the contest part is a little iffy, but the winners get wishes which is just as fair as the person who has the best name for a child (vote on by the host of the game). And then with Keepskuh's Congrats, she includes events, etc. So definitely worthy of the title game (as much as any other game on here is a game- not sure what qualifies as a game... but hey CAFs and Congrats are so why not these ones?)
As for ethical-ness and creepiness: well, if someone models for stock images or hey, if someone posts photos on the internet without having a flash website or other means of protecting the photos or watermarks over them, they should know better. Straight-linking from the websites has come to annoy me as that is what most websites dislike as it takes up memory/space for them too. Does that say anything about creepiness too? I mean, people post names from birth announcements too- that shares kids real names and the names of their siblings, etc and asks us to judge those real kids' names too. Idk... maybe I've been playing on role-playing and Dream Family boards too long.
Also, are your opinions the same for adoption games with photos? Or is this focused on the congrats games?
I hope I don't upset you, or anyone, just wanted to share from the other side because I am sure that I'm not the only one who feels in favour of them.
1
LOL the interest part was a bit presumptuous. I just get very bored scrolling through all of these photo contests. To be fair, they take up far more room than those ittybitty eliminations - the eliminations look longer but really they pretty consistently mirror the size of CAF's, the larger ones mirroring more popular CAFs.
I was proposing to let these ones die out and then not start any new ones.
It is mostly the contest part that is annoying and not really name game related. I must disagree with you when you say it is no different from the person with the best name getting a wish. It is different, because of this reason: ...name games. When you take the name variable out entirely, which we do with these picture contests, it no longer belongs on this board. It is also different because coming up with contest-winning names requires a degree of creativity that is not necessary at all for browsing veer.com, except maybe you have to use keywords you hadn't thought to use before. I guess it is the priority of the contest-maker to decide which values he or she is going to reward in the contest, but you have to admit - the ability to successfully browse stock photographs is a really random value, and a value not related closely enough to naming that it should justify taking up so much board space.
I think what qualifies something as a name game - which is an important distinction to make! - is if there is a heavy focus on names for RP games, and in contests if the qualifying factor is names. So I disagree that it is worthy of the title "game," at least the type of games that should be on this board.
regarding ethicalness: well, yeah, they should know better. But do you really want to be one of the reasons they should know better? [That is one of the problems with constitutional society! People feel as though protective laws take the place of protective sense!] It is like eating a lot of samples without ever intending to buy.
I was proposing to let these ones die out and then not start any new ones.
It is mostly the contest part that is annoying and not really name game related. I must disagree with you when you say it is no different from the person with the best name getting a wish. It is different, because of this reason: ...name games. When you take the name variable out entirely, which we do with these picture contests, it no longer belongs on this board. It is also different because coming up with contest-winning names requires a degree of creativity that is not necessary at all for browsing veer.com, except maybe you have to use keywords you hadn't thought to use before. I guess it is the priority of the contest-maker to decide which values he or she is going to reward in the contest, but you have to admit - the ability to successfully browse stock photographs is a really random value, and a value not related closely enough to naming that it should justify taking up so much board space.
I think what qualifies something as a name game - which is an important distinction to make! - is if there is a heavy focus on names for RP games, and in contests if the qualifying factor is names. So I disagree that it is worthy of the title "game," at least the type of games that should be on this board.
regarding ethicalness: well, yeah, they should know better. But do you really want to be one of the reasons they should know better? [That is one of the problems with constitutional society! People feel as though protective laws take the place of protective sense!] It is like eating a lot of samples without ever intending to buy.
1
I suppose, this entire thing is a matter of opinion and apparently our level of moral grounds- I don't see problems with it, I don't- and maybe its because its fazed out of me or because I'm a photographer and take photos of people all the time and post them on the internet (with or without consent) and maybe there are just so many more creepy things out there.
Edited to make the point just as above: opinion, the lot of it.
Edited to make the point just as above: opinion, the lot of it.
This message was edited 5/12/2008, 6:26 AM
1
tritto
1
ditto
1
Yes I agree that it is a bit creepy!
Maybe people can settle for describing family members?
Maybe people can settle for describing family members?
1
Thanks!
I completely agree with your reasons. All the photo congrats were starting to get annoying and rather bothersome to sort through.
I completely agree with your reasons. All the photo congrats were starting to get annoying and rather bothersome to sort through.
1
Thank you for this!
I completely agree with you. It's one thing if you want to post cool pictures, but it's not a name game in any way, shape, or form! (Also, I totally agree with you on the creepiness issue!)
I completely agree with you. It's one thing if you want to post cool pictures, but it's not a name game in any way, shape, or form! (Also, I totally agree with you on the creepiness issue!)
1
Thanks Emma.
I'm glad you said something. :)
I hope we can begin to make some changes soon.
I'm glad you said something. :)
I hope we can begin to make some changes soon.
1
Thank you!
I was just about to post this tomorrow after school. Thanks, Emma.
I was just about to post this tomorrow after school. Thanks, Emma.
1
I agree
I don't have a problem personally with skipping over the Photo congrats, but I found the excessiveness of them to be a bit annoying, and the idea of searching the Internet to find pictures for imaginary families did seem a bit creepy to me. I also hate beauty pageants and things like that, so judging the cuteness or prettiness of something is really unappealing and nauseating to me, so I've stayed away from them.
However, since the topic has been brought up, I really don't care if people do them or not, but perhaps it would be a good idea to limit the photo contests to a certain number of entries, or don't have so many different entries at once? For example "Prettiest Baby" instead of a contest with "Prettiest Baby" "Prettiest Teen", "Cutest House", "Cutest Molecule of Dust", etc.
I don't have a problem personally with skipping over the Photo congrats, but I found the excessiveness of them to be a bit annoying, and the idea of searching the Internet to find pictures for imaginary families did seem a bit creepy to me. I also hate beauty pageants and things like that, so judging the cuteness or prettiness of something is really unappealing and nauseating to me, so I've stayed away from them.
However, since the topic has been brought up, I really don't care if people do them or not, but perhaps it would be a good idea to limit the photo contests to a certain number of entries, or don't have so many different entries at once? For example "Prettiest Baby" instead of a contest with "Prettiest Baby" "Prettiest Teen", "Cutest House", "Cutest Molecule of Dust", etc.
1