Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Untitled topic

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 221 posts

Re: undefined

#121

Post by tunap »

lujim wrote: post #76
tunap wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn'y say pharmaceuticals are of little or no value, I said recidivist rates for alcohol & opium addiction are upwards of 90%. If a chemical imbalance causes harmful behaviors, then yes, pharmacology can be a lifesaver. My experience is admittedly anecdotal and should not be taken any other way. People who deal with addicts regularly(doctors, LEOs, therapists and family members) will have their own anecdotes, and…

Ahh gotcha. Yes alcohol and opium are tough to keep people away from. Chantix worked the first time and within just a day or two made smoking a cigarette completely devoid of any pleasure. Zero problems with dreams. The biggest epiphany you get from quitting smoking is realizing that cigarettes aren't inherently pleasurable, smoking one just removes the symptoms from nicotine withdrawal in a way that other nicotine r…

Awesome. I would very much like to quit and will give that a go. It's not the quitting I dread, it's the deep, perilous dread I feel when withdrawl begins, only an hour or two after the last. I know rationally I can do it, I go 6-8 hours a night nic-free while sleeping and am not jonesing when I wake up.

Re: undefined

#122

Post by sgarman »

taurath wrote: post #110

Does anyone else think certain video games are the equivalent of slot machine? I'm not just talking about simple phone games, but more complex, team based pick up games as well - if you rely on a matchmaker that knows to an approximation the skill of each player, is it not randomizing ones chance to win? I live with gaming addicts and used to be one - they spend every waking hour on their pcs while not at work. It's…

Assuming it's a skill based game but you never make an attempt to get better - I see the similarities. My question is: how is that different then a sport with leagues putting players at similar skill levels - is that just gambling too since they are so close in skill the game could go either way?

Many modern games have a ladder or elo system that you can only improve though increasing your ability to win (i.e. NOT just playing). I'd argue there is at least some value in taking enjoyment from improving yourself at any task. With that said if you are stuck at the 50% winloss playing over and over again you are probably trending to gambling addiction.

Re: undefined

#123

Post by phs318u »

yarou wrote: post #21
lujim wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've read that the way gambling engages the dopaminergic system in gambling addicts is more akin to physical addictions like alcohol, tobacco, or opiates. So maybe a better analogy would be "in the same way freely available opiates would enable drug addicts". There often seems to be a sentiment of "Why congratulate a recovering alcoholic? I've never had a drinking problem so why isn't someone congratulating me." from…

The vast majority of opiates, substituted amphetamines, and cocaine were available OTC for a myriad of ailments. Many Vietnam veterans were treated in hospitals with heroin, yet they didn't become addicted. What it boils down to is that the addict is unable to achieve homeostasis with their environment. Unfulfilling relationships (both romantic and platonic), financial burdens, lack of a job, lack of intimacy all con…

There are genetic factors at play that make some more vulnerable than others.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12635538

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24878765

I can confirm this anecdotally. In my family tree, just considering my parents, biological uncles/aunts and first-cousins - out of a total population of 19, our family has had 8 distinct individuals who were either alcoholic, drug addicted or compulsive gamblers, for a total of 8 out of 19. I am one of those (in recovery since 1998).

I can now recognise the telltale behavioural signs that may indicate tendency to compulsive/addictive behaviour. I'd love to see a cheap genetic test for addictiveness made available.

Re: undefined

#124

Post by jmount »

ianferrel wrote: post #87
digler999 wrote: post #23

I've worked at 3 gaming manufacturers including implementing the payout table. Near misses were never coded into the design. If they did occur, they were consequences of the way the reels were physically laid out. That choice was made from an excel sheet that outlines how many types of each award were expected. The primary statistics the mathematicians cared about were volatility (std deviation) and hold percentage.…

> Third, I think that if you embezzle or otherwise use stolen funds to gamble that should absolutely be recoverable by the victim. If I buy stolen property, the court has no problem seizing that from me and returning it to its rightful owner. This is a nice idea, but it's not a workable system for money. For one, because money is fungible, you can't actually track who has it. If someone steals $1 million from an empl…

A bit on when money became fungible http://www.win-vector.com/blog/2015/11/bitcoins-status-isnt-...

Re: undefined

#125

Post by nitrogen »

cmdrfred wrote: post #103
icantdrive55 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

RICO statutes sound like a great legal tool. They have been abused. They need to be amended. We picture they are being used to go after Mob types. They use them whenever they can. How do I know? I almost got into trouble giving my parents a bit over $10,000 cash years ago. A bank teller turned me into the IRS. Bank employees can be awarded money for turning in any amount of money "they feel" might be suspect. It does…

I feel like there is more to this. Can't you just show them the bill of sale?

This is a common reply to any complaint about an authority. "I feel like there is more to this" is not a very charitable interpretation of a claim, and is basically invoking the just world fallacy. I don't know anything about the OP's case, but in general ignoring the negative experiences of others is kind of what resulted in both the BLM movement and Trump's election. As a society, we really need to work on taking people seriously when they say something is wrong.

Re: undefined

#126

Post by taurath »

viraptor wrote: post #120
taurath wrote: post #110

Does anyone else think certain video games are the equivalent of slot machine? I'm not just talking about simple phone games, but more complex, team based pick up games as well - if you rely on a matchmaker that knows to an approximation the skill of each player, is it not randomizing ones chance to win? I live with gaming addicts and used to be one - they spend every waking hour on their pcs while not at work. It's…

> is it not randomizing ones chance to win? In a way, yes. But that's not the purpose. If you play ranked games, or any games of skill really, playing a completely mismatched game is just no fun. Imagine you want to play basketball for example, but you can't choose who you're playing with - you turn up and you're with a 2yo baby against NBA pros. Or the other way around. If there's no realistic challenge people will…

> Do you think the same of kids going to play soccer with their friends? Why / why not?

Has to do with the social skills that you learn and practice. Gaming is an escape from the real world in a bit of a different way - all social contact is reduced and "giving up" is as easy as a keystroke. The rewards you're getting are intangible and created by a programmer to entice you to make numbers go up or get a new hat, only applicable while you're still playing the game. It can be a wonderful place for people on the low end of the social spectrum to practice working together in a safe environment but rarely have I seen people get better at overcoming social problems that require tenacity through gaming.

Re: undefined

#127

Post by nommm-nommm »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #46
imroot wrote: post #43

There's a really good book about the design of the slot machines, called Addiction by Design. It talks about the different UI and design elements that go into keeping the gambler engaged and why they keep spending more money. It's a really amazing and enlightening book to read if you're interested in learning more about the mechanics of the slot machines and the designs of the casino. https://www.amazon.com/Addiction…

I absolutely don't understand the draw of slot machines. I watched a woman playing a smartphone version on the subway; for three stops, she just kept hitting the "spin" button and watching the results. I admit to not knowing how they work, but do they typically have any more interaction than "pull lever, sporadically receive reward"?

I didn't either but the article actually gave me a better understanding of it.

Re: undefined

#128

Post by OscarCunningham »

taurath wrote: post #110

Does anyone else think certain video games are the equivalent of slot machine? I'm not just talking about simple phone games, but more complex, team based pick up games as well - if you rely on a matchmaker that knows to an approximation the skill of each player, is it not randomizing ones chance to win? I live with gaming addicts and used to be one - they spend every waking hour on their pcs while not at work. It's…

Video games have a sane money/fun ratio. If you're addicted then you might screw up your life but you won't steal from anybody to keep up your habit.

Re: undefined

#129

Post by eric_h »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #46
imroot wrote: post #43

There's a really good book about the design of the slot machines, called Addiction by Design. It talks about the different UI and design elements that go into keeping the gambler engaged and why they keep spending more money. It's a really amazing and enlightening book to read if you're interested in learning more about the mechanics of the slot machines and the designs of the casino. https://www.amazon.com/Addiction…

I absolutely don't understand the draw of slot machines. I watched a woman playing a smartphone version on the subway; for three stops, she just kept hitting the "spin" button and watching the results. I admit to not knowing how they work, but do they typically have any more interaction than "pull lever, sporadically receive reward"?

I agree, I am not drawn to slot machines, even though I do enjoy gambling (primarily table games like craps and blackjack). The people I know who do enjoy slot machines have all had a pretty decent (>$1k) hit on one, and that has, it seems, sunk the hook into them.

I have played slots in the past when killing time in vegas (e.g. waiting for a flight), and I've always found that it's a really boring way to slowly spend $100.

I also have literally no idea wtf is going on on the screens of those things. At least with blackjack and craps, I know the odds and how the mechanics of the game actually work.

Re: undefined

#130

Post by john_reel »

digler999 wrote: post #68
yarou wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The vast majority of opiates, substituted amphetamines, and cocaine were available OTC for a myriad of ailments. Many Vietnam veterans were treated in hospitals with heroin, yet they didn't become addicted. What it boils down to is that the addict is unable to achieve homeostasis with their environment. Unfulfilling relationships (both romantic and platonic), financial burdens, lack of a job, lack of intimacy all con…

> It's easy to blame a particular molecule for ruining someone's life. It's less easy to blame a system that turns men into machines. maybe it's not the "system" but the success of the system that is to blame ? All the homeless, impoverished, 3rd-world people dont have time to get addicted to things because they're trying to eat! I almost want to agree with you that its the unnatural constraints that capitalism puts…

Many third world countries have similar substance problems.
Post reply on HN