It’s taken me 954 tries and over 7 years, but I finally got a “5” (maximum) moderation for a slashdot comment! The trick might have been that my comment was so confusing that people found it interesting. But it really specifically pointed out why the person was wrong… Yet even I have to read it at least 2 times in a row to really ‘get’ it. That’s the beauty. So, the article was about the 10 most important games ever.

My comment was in response to:

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=226241&cid=18322713

“There’s obviously something going on with the criteria that’s not being mentioned in the article. The one that sticks out most to me is Super Mario Bros. 3, when that game is obviously based on Super Mario Bros. (1, of course)
Similarly, Zork is based on the earlier Colossal Cave Adventure. A
pparently part of the criteria is not just genre-defining but rather some sort of popularization of a genre. So, like any supposedly defining canon, this comes down to a matter of opinion on what is “important””

This guy seemed to think “10 most important games” had something to do with which game came first. He said, “one that sticks out most to me is Super Mario Bros. 3, when that game is obviously based on Super Mario Bros.” I felt compelled to point out to him that “first” isn’t equal to “important”.

Anyway, my comment is so confusing that even I have to read it multiple times to understand it.

Is that the secret to getting a “5”?

I’m happy when I get a “2”! Maybe one out of 10 comments will get a 2. That is triumph. But a 5?!?!?!

Tipping point, dude. Importance is not defined as first, or they would just use the word first. Importance is a different word. Certain games achieved certain statuses by reaching a tipping point where they became “big”.

A game that 80% of people played, that was the second game in a genre of which >50% of people ultimately played — is going to be considered more important than a game that only 2% of people played, that was the first game in a genre that 100% of people play today. Popularity means a lot in importance.

The most important horror movie isn’t the first horror movie.

Oh, and it’s all based on DONKEY KONG, actually! :)

Starting Score: 1 point
Moderation: +4
70% Insightful
30% Interesting
Total Score: 5

My Slashdot user page:

http://slashdot.org/~ClintJCL

SlashDot is one of the best news sites out there, with extremely insightful comments. You have to wade through some bullshit, but it is the highest grade bullshit you will ever see.