Gambling and the desire machine | Pay to Win

ko-fi.com/jimmcgee
A video about gambling, addiction, and game design, the first in a series of videos about making money from games.
Video sources and """vibes:"""
• Pay To Win E1
Text sources and video script:
www.coolgames.zip
Chapters:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:46 Part 1: I love horses
00:09:36 Part 2: A hundred horses a minute
00:22:03 Part 3: The perfect desire machine
00:57:40 Part 4: Ultra holo gem mint+
01:06:32 Conclusion

[@JimmyMcG33]

The bots are back! Probably because of the word 'gambling.' Please ignore the suspicious links or report them.

[@ascendedchairmanofthelemur9711]

FREE DOWNLOAD NO VIRUS 3 BILLION SHITCOIN ONLINE- nah i'm just kidding, great videos man. you've got a real knack for the whole narration/editing thing and all your videos are actually *about* something (which not all video essayists manage to pull off lol)

[@Dowlphin]

Investing in addiction counseling now is in every smart investor's portfolio. In a couple months time you will be ecstatic with the decision you made today.

[@bathhatingcat8626]

Tim pool says he can control slot machines and win more than other people and that he indeed does win more. He’s a moron

[@fitness3447]

​@@Dowlphinkk😊

[@DJ_POOP_IT_OUT_FEAT_LIL_WiiWii]

@@Dowlphin My brother invested with "Mr. Mustapha R. Pistachio" last year. The bulls are bullish while the crypto bear hit the rug, he made 100000000 on a 1000 investment.

[@cf-yg4bd]

"We're usually better at rationalizing our decisions than making rational decisions." Good quote, I'm gonna steal it.

[@sunbleachedangel]

very often it's hard to see the difference between the two

[@timop6340]

Brains fill gaps and alter past memories routinely. That is extremely fascinating and worth keeping in mind

[@timop6340]

Oh and predict constantly the future

[@christophermiller3031]

​@timop6340 brains do much more my friend. IMO the energy coursing through the specific structure of your brain is legitimately the primary source of every person's individuality. IMO #1 Brain activity -> Replicating Ideas (For this very reason I do not believe an apology is necessary if one is tempted to use a phrase another used first... do any of us have claim over the words used to construct such ideas?😅)

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

The classic feedback loop in robotics or military studies: Sense. Think. Act. That's for robots. Animals have instinct: Sense, Act. And humans have language: Sense, Act, Rationalize.

[@totally_not_a_bot]

Feels like zombie scrolling on social media. You just kinda flick a finger and hope you stumble across something interesting. Every flick is a roll of the dice, then every so often you find something that stimulates you and makes you feel. That hit of feeling productive without doing much is monstrous.

[@Dowlphin]

Seeing a bit clearer about Tiktok / KZbin Shorts now? (Especially how the UI functionality is designed.)

[@tonnentonie2767]

Damm thats right, this kind of social media usage is just another way of being in the gambling zone.

[@Pasta221]

Just KZbin's main page is like a slot machine, even your phone main page is colorful icons there to grab your attention, we can't get away from it at all. Hell even notifications and thier very very similar plings and plongs to a slotmachine i would imagine, filling your phone unless you manually turn them off.. we live in a dystopian nightmare, next time you watch bladerunner or something you will see more similarities then difference from now on 😂

[@saturationstation1446]

@@Pasta221 i never noticed this until gen z made surgically attaching cell phones to their hands normalized. still mostly a gen z and a problem. its mostly just that cell phones acted as these peoples parents and its basically their security blanket, if they arent constantly poking or staring at their phones they have literal panic attacks lmao. also ruined their coordination for pretty much their entire lives because they didnt spend that time doing human things like running and jumping etc.

[@NoTengoIdeaGuey]

​@@saturationstation1446 lol, literally every single addicted gambler I know is gen X or older. And gambling addicts are the most likely to commit suicide from their addiction than other addicts. Oh but "iTs jUsT a GamE, toUcH grAsS bOOmEr" right? Turns out the dopaminergic systems that control our actions are something that stays pretty constant between generations. Only thing that's changed is what each generation is addicted to.

[@The15231]

It's truly wonderful how pragmatically a human being can be turned to a borderline functional slug.

[@Sneeek]

live slug reaction

[@brandoncrooks1681]

scug

[@flipwonderland4181]

rain world does that too

[@CarbideShrapnel]

What makes us more than slugs in the grand scheme of things anyway? We live, feel some different things, then die.

[@Fru1tpunch]

breen slug

[@quinbatcheller5805]

I'm a recovering opioid addict and I feel like gambling and gambling machines specifically do a great job of illustrating the the mental aspect of addiction but also the physical compulsive side as well. A lot of people see addiction as something that a drug does to a person, but there's no drugs in pachinko machines. I think it shows how powerful the mental side to addiction is and I think treatments really need to focus in on this area. And I think people need to understand that addicts are slaves to their own minds and its not just a choice that a person makes, it's not just a character flaw. It's so much more nuanced and complex than that, and it's powerful.

[@XxSForrestxX]

I recently removed an invasive vine from somebodies yard that stretched about 500 feet. Unrooting it was difficult work and a lot of areas were hidden just beneath the ground and easy to pull up where others had formed complex intermingled knots that took enormous amounts of effort to remove. Tracing the path of this thing felt analogous to undoing a festering, pernicious nervous system, a kind of actively morphing being finding the most optimal path through forest, grass and eventually tapping into a stream where it was too deeply entrenched to remove without poison. All these things as they are, I kept wondering where the “site of initial trauma” was, where this thing had begun and consequently marveled at the degree to which it had overtaken well-established trees and seeing its trajectory if given just a bit more time. I guess what I’m trying to say is these things happen to people with little rhyme or reason, they fester while we’re sleeping, busy living our lives, not giving proper attention, or maybe even more commonly, just not knowing how bad things have become. To look at the growth of this thing given only a few years time, it felt completely unfair to judge the person’s actions surrounding it as negligence, ignorance, laziness or any other typical measuring stick just by the sheer degree to which this thing possessed an unfair advantage over the land it was cultivating - how it likely was placed there before she had a choice in the matter, how it was likely sold to the planter as a harmless and tame species when it was really anything but. You shouldn’t feel the need to explain yourself to anybody but yourself, but take care to remember how awful these things really can be.

[@mysterioso2006]

thanks for sharing your prespective

[@a_blind_sniper]

I got really into pinball recently and I think it's probably the "healthiest" machine zone to be in. Funnily enough, another descendant of Bagatelle. You get sucked in by the lights and sounds and physical speed, the anxiety of losing a ball, and the dopamine rush of hitting a shot perfectly. I literally enter a flow state when I'm on a roll. Getting a multiball is a real sensory overload. Virtual machines don't have the same effect - the strobing effects are literally blinding in real life, but are mild lights on computer screens. I'm actually really glad that you can't directly win money from pinball machines - this creates a healthy relationship between designers and players. Players understand that it's about the experience and bragging rights. Designers want to make it just random enough that a skilled player loses but a new player can still have fun. Also, because it is physical, the machine seems fair. Game designers cannot fake the randomness of a physical pinball like they can with virtual slots. It takes a legitimate amount of skill to be good at it, but at the end of the day your control is just influencing chaos.

[@JimmyMcG33]

Indeed! Pinball definitely rides the line, it was pretty controversial when it started to get popular because it was perceived as gambling for kids. People got over it eventually, for all the reasons you said, but the machines could have ended up illegal. I've been playing a little bit for the next video and you can tell that the design is usually geared toward fun rather than gambling.

[@sircalvin]

@@JimmyMcG33 the main difference that i see is what winning means. ive never played a pinball machine with a monetary payout (occasionally they have inconsequential ticket "payouts") so an arcades goal is for you to have fun so you spend more money to play again, rather than trying to form a gambling addiction

[@shanethebard3339]

the scene of the horses falling over while the stupid names were being read was gold.

[@floppavevo5920]

Makes me feel bad for the horses ngl. Imagine your life being nothing more than a means for rich people to gamble.

[@mushymcmushington7176]

You're just describing hourly wage jobs and shareholders

[@calebharris292]

My favorite is Potoooooooo, named because an assistant was sent to name the horse, with the instructions from the owner being to spell it pot-8-os, supposed to be potatos

[@calebharris292]

​@@floppavevo5920that's you if the company you work for is publicly traded

[@rhythmandblues_alibi]

It's sad when racehorses fall but those names were not even scraping the surface of some of the ridiculous names owners come up with. I used to work in the racing industry, where humans and horses alike are equally abused! Outlaw it today, I say.

[@goblinoidguy]

Great video, my only criticism is the lack of focus of scratch tickets, they are fucking everywhere and make life hell for addicts, cause its just 5-10 dollars for a fun 'game' that takes minutes to do. my mom has spent god knows how much money on gambling and shes almost never stepped foot in a casino. its the disgusting pervasiveness that gets to me most of all, theres no where she can go that doesnt tempt her. but its just cause of that connection that i even wanted it covered, you did a great job anyways.

[@JimmyMcG33]

Good point, my family loves that stuff too. I was walking around shortly after I posted the video and I kept seeing crumpled up scratch tickets on the road, kinda kicked myself for forgetting to mention them. The pervasiveness is scary. A lot of the people in _Addiction By Design_ live in Vegas, and apparently they even have slot machines in grocery stores over there. In the same way, scratch tickets are just part of the counter in most convenience stores. Literally an architecture of gambling.

[@Southpaw1312]

Worked for a year and a half in a convenience store with a lottery machine and it was striking to me how little etiquette some of those people have, caused by the addiction. Some would start scratching off tickets *at* the register, with a line of people behind them trying to buy things, and no other registers open and they've never clean up after themselves. Thoroughly cleaning scratch dust out of dining area tables was an impossible task even with the harder chemicals unless you used abrasive brushes, only for the same people to come back and make the same mess or worse all over again. The lottery machine lets you check if a ticket is a winner or not, but people would still carry whole stacks of tickets up to me and watch me find out that like 8/10 of them aren't winners because they're minmaxing their own efforts with zero regard for me or other customers. It was so, so frustrating

[@masterplusmargarita]

My anime origin story is that, when I was a kid, my grandad often told me a story. At the age of 15 he was shipped off to the USSR to escape the Spanish Civil War, which his family was on the losing side of, and, before he left, his dad made him promise him three things. He'd forgotten the last two (which I always thought was quite funny, since he liked to frame it as this grandiose moment), but the first was to never gamble if real money was involved, which my grandad called the best advice anyone had ever given him. He asked me to make the same promise, and when I did he told me I wouldn't regret it. It's been over 25 years since, my grandad passed away over a decade ago, I still haven't broken that promise, and I also still have not regretted making it. I'm sure it's possible to gamble in a healthy way, but I've yet to witness it, and with the amount of fantastic entertainment out there I don't feel like I've missed out on much.

[@ocean6857]

"Healthy gambling" is a myth and a psyop propagated by the industry. Gambling is like that old movie quote, "the only winning move is not to play"

[@tsudonge]

Playing yugioh as a child and getting three-headed cyber dragon was a transformative experience. Felt like I was wielding some rare, forbidden dark magic at the age of ten. Even the rules themselves were arcane and mysterious, as like you said, nobody knew how to even play their cool cards.

[@AdmiralMadox]

The communal experience of you and your friends deciphering rule text was mystifying. The ancient Egypt theme of the show and supplementary materials made you feel like you were peering into esoterica.

[@ThatOneEnder]

This video was fantastic. Perfectly explains why gacha games feel so damn evil. I have seen way too many of my friends fall prey to these terrible terrible games and it has been nothing short of depressing at best. You deserve more attention for the level of research and fantastic writing you put into these beautiful videos.

[@JimmyMcG33]

Thank you so much. The push for gambling in the last few years has been huge, certainly in games but I also heard that the Superbowl this year was just crypto and sports betting apps. The high rates of addiction are an open secret, it's disgusting.

[@natwon633]

@@JimmyMcG33 Gambling targeted at children (gacha games) need regulation, asap

[@kgblagden]

Watching this gave me the same dread I feel when I come across those jewelry shows meant to scam old folk out of their retirement money.

[@GameDevYal]

I never thought I'd see the moment where the Cruelty Squad soundtrack not only _went well_ with something, but even _fit perfectly with the subject matter being discussed_ . Hit me hard in the dread center when I made the connection. Side note, there's an interesting GDC talk called "10,000 slot machines walk into a bar: adventures in randomness". It's mostly about the devs collecting data on how profitable it is to make shovelware (using some really advanced shovel technology), but they actually got a surprising amount of players out of the ordeal. The machine zone taketh, and the machine zone taketh.

[@JimmyMcG33]

Thanks for the lead!

[@emperorraccoon2805]

I litterly came down here to comment this exact same thing lol

[@EggBastion]

something about my longstanding disgust of shovelware and my recent exposure to the extremely vexing sleeping beauty problem _and now_ this reminder to think about them both in concert . . . it's doing nothing* for my wellbeing *_; p_* _*nothing that feels good at a surface level,_ maybe a certain understaning built off these foundations will bring peace further down the line eh

[@arcmage7000]

Great video! As a Magic player, I completely agree with what you said about the financial aspects and random booster packs acting as more of an obstacle than anything else. The game itself is most fun when everyone is on a level playing field; it's awesome to fire up the printer and have everyone play with decks that would cost as much as a small house if you had to buy them for "real." The financialization starts to feel pretty parasitic the moment you step outside the skinner box.

[@JimmyMcG33]

Very good points, I will note some of this down for later videos. I don't know anyone who is into free to play stuff so your experience is quite helpful. Thanks for the MetaZoo tip too, the marketplace is listed before the rules on their website lol.

[@arcmage7000]

MetaZoo is an interesting case, they've taken the weird emergent stock market aspect of other CCGs and dialed it up to 11. There's always a few fringe whales in these games that treat the cards or sealed product as some kind of insane investment, and I'd guess there's a lot of money to be made by marketing to them more directly. The game's creators have also leaned into selling collectible NFTs, which is telling

[@thewhitefalcon8539]

if they catch you with those printed cards, they'll sue you!

[@arcmage7000]

@@thewhitefalcon8539 fr the Pinkertons are after my ass

[@colinhobbs7265]

The distinction between MTG and pokemon is also a very interesting one. The demand for Pokemon cards comes almost completely from their rarity rather than their game functionality, while the demand for MTG cards comes mostly from their in game functionality. This leads to a championship winning Pokémon deck costing 15 bucks while competitive level MTG decks for most formats go for hundreds of dollars at a minimum.

[@NotAlbino]

Found your channel from the cruelty squad video a while ago and I'm glad i stuck around since, you're really good at this, definitely keep it up man

[@stridsvagn1]

i cant believe albino is here

[@johnmatrix3664]

@@stridsvagn1 that's not albino

[@herbertpocket8855]

I attended a horse race and was immediately taken in by the excitement, even without placing a bet. Social gambling is something else

[@Kyfow]

The dedication and absolute blasphemy required to make a slug cat slot machine is truly unique. Also, isn't it such a funny statement that in cruelty squad, the best reward for the gun slots is arguably one of the worst guns ever made? I also really agree with the statement about watching gambling. I think the way twitch has normalized viewing gambling is insidious and harmful. There's no escaping this nightmare reality. Fantastic stuff as always.

[@JimmyMcG33]

It's funny that Twitch's moves toward "safety" with its terms of service doesn't include restrictions on real-money gambling. You can ruin your own finances and induce your viewers to do the same, but God forbid you play fifteen seconds of a copyrighted song on a livestream or take your shirt off.

[@sunbleachedangel]

@@JimmyMcG33 haha capitalism

[@Schemilix]

It's weird, watchibg gambling is boring to me. I don't understand how it is so popular given the dopamine hit if winning doesn't apply since you're not even the one winning. Is it a parasocial thing?

[@sunbleachedangel]

@@Schemilix it's many things, all of them bad

[@timestampingarmy]

​@@Schemilixit's our natural ability to communicate with nature. To naturally be in a harmonic state with nature or flow..to naturally repeat a pattern you're focused on in order to match your high and lows to the flow state. A game provides this natural action to access your flow states..drugs do too hahaha

[@bebebebababa604]

The frequent mention of wanting to vomit during slots from avid gamblers brought me to some introspective. I myself spend a lot of time on video games, mostly repetitive ones like roguelikes or puzzle games. Due to how replayable and patterned there are it is easy to zone out in them, hours pass as you are starting over in Dead Cells again and again. However, these games lead me to some poor time management, I would rather start a new run or do another puzzle than do work or chores. Then I would reach a point where I don't even like the game I am playing, but feel nauseous and scatterbrained, yet not stopping. Seeing people that are susceptible to addiction being explotated by systems that encourage addiction brings nothing, but horror. I commend you for bringing insight and perspective on the issue, can't wait to see more. Thank you!

[@Hiraeth-zq8ze]

I finally understood why I continue to replay the same video game campaign over and over again when he said that the gambler doesn’t even enjoy winning because it takes him out of the “machine space”. This video has genuinely helped me. Thanks!

[@soupwitch8453]

And now I’m thinking about how so many social media sites integrate slot machine design- scrolling through content sounds a lot like the machine zone. Your presentation and scripts are unparalleled, can’t wait for more.

[@NotSpoondere]

This is a really timely video for me. My state has recently seen video slot machines start popping up in bars and convenience stores. It makes me sick seeing so many people fall for them wherever I look. As always, well done, and I can't wait to see the rest of the series.

[@JimmyMcG33]

There's been a huge push on all fronts for gambling in the last few years, I don't know if it's a lack of revenue for governments or what. These slot machines are going to be like leaded gas--by the time anyone tries to fix the problem the damage will already be done. It's awful.

[@Coinull]

The video hooked me all the way to the end as i was curious on how gambling can be so addicting after some of my relatives fell to it, i guess it makes sense now but realizing the maliciousness of gambling slot and pachinko machines and how they're intentionally designed to turn you into an addict is terrifying. Thanks for this, can't wait for part 2

[@JimmyMcG33]

I'm sorry to hear about your relatives. Gambling is one of the worst addictions from what I've read. If you want to learn more there are some great talks in my sources playlist, and obviously I recommend Addiction by Design. I have no idea if it will help people (I hope it will), but one of the reasons for this project is that there's a really alarming push to integrate gambling further into sports, and everyday life.

[@efronlicht1043]

The "lucky slugcat" slot is delightfully perverse. This is your best work yet. Keep it up!

[@BeakFoundry]

Slot machines are everywhere in Australia, we call them pokies (for video poker). I had the misfortune of working in a gaming room for a few weeks, about 15 years ago. It was insane watching people throw hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars into the machine. One customer said to me once "You know what the worst thing is about the pokies?" I suggested "You lose all your money?". He said "Nah - you have to leave to go to the bathroom!"

[@rhythmandblues_alibi]

Thankfully pokies aren't legal outside of casinos in Western Australia. I was shocked when I went to Sydney and they were in every pub.

[@Malrodin]

Great video as always, just a few random points that popped into my mind while watching. - I find it fascinating how stuff that tried to obfuscate its gambling nature has progressively become more comfortable with not doing so. I don't think it's a coincidence that the highest grossing gacha game is based on horse racing, or that the card game metazoo quickly devolved into being only about the secondary market and by extension NFTs ( the history of metazoo is very interesting, an entire card game designed to be virtually unplayable). - I really like how you mentioned that the 'zone' that these machines put you into can be enjoyed second hand. I recently saw that Twitch opened a gambling category where people just play online slots (as you mentioned a lot of them partnered with the site they are betting on) and I couldn't believe the viewer numbers be organic but they absolutely are. It's baffling to watch, especially seeing how people react in the chat. - I think it's very important to mention that you also enter the 'zone' by playing gacha games as free2play, a lot of my friends cope about 'it isn't evil or gambling since I play free2play' which I've seen has led multiple people to eventually dropping money into the system anyway, it just slowly grooms you towards it. I think we like to rationalize this free2play gambling as enjoying the thrill without the stakes as being second hand but it really isn't.

[@JimmyMcG33]

youtube ate my previous reply. These are great points and I'm going to add them to my notes, I don't know anybody who is into free-to-play games (until I have to dive into that world lol) so your experience/opinion is helpful. Also thanks for the MetaZoo tip, this stuff is crazy.

[@SrSeed]

Another facet that should be considered with the "I don't spend any money on the free2play games I play" argument is even if they never actually end up spending any money on the game, their mere presence *IS* the content for whales to get hooked into, since whales wouldn't spend money on a game with empty servers. "You either are the Whale, or the content fed to them..."

[@HyronXVI]

I want to add about the f2p ecosystem that 1) f2p players are as you said part of it, make whales feel more powerful 2) time IS a resource, important I'd argue even more than money. And autoplay and similar features does not make it "free" because you are still spending time (and attention/energy) into it. I played my fair share of f2p, although luckily after a while I always quit because it starts to feel like work (because it is to some extent), but it's years now since I played my last one, and now whenever I see any gatcha mechanics I can feel the repulsion against playing. But I found the video very very interesting about why people play slots. The zone is a game design concept, and I believe the difference between being in the zone with a game (let's say Celeste, which works for me), is not necessarily different from a slot on a "basic" level. It's not the gameplay that makes the "zone" of Celeste better imo, but the intention behind it. If the same gameplay of celeste were monetized, it would suck exactly as it does the slot machines appeal for me. Because the ultimate intention would be just money, and not creating genuinely something good for other people. The line is grey and don't know if it makes sense, but this is my take on it

[@lucasmatiasdelaguilamacdon7798]

NFTs are just the inevitable result of third graders hearing during recess that a rare og Charizard cardboard rectangle can be sold for a million dollars or whatever.

[@gillesdeloser3042]

I think another thing about collectible cards (specifically mtg) is that yes the objects are functional, but there are also artificial distinctions between them. I was upset recently that I opened a card that I wanted, because it was in an art style that I don't like. As a game piece it's the exact same, but my odds of getting the version I want are artificially cut to make me want to invest more in packs/the secondary market

[@JimmyMcG33]

Oh yeah, good point! I noticed that there are many versions of most Pokemon cards but it didn't occur to me that it was an investment thing.

[@gillesdeloser3042]

@@JimmyMcG33 also allows them to sell premium packs with higher odds of getting these alt arts!

[@badarts]

I watch this video every few months and can say this is EASILY one of the most underrated videos on one of this platform’s most underrated channels.

[@powerdove]

Agreed, I come back to it often.

[@spookyfrogs1874]

oh my god your lucky slugcat slot machine is beautiful, if i saw THAT machine specifically at a casino i'd have to gamble. wait shit that's how they get u. with the slonkcat

[@josephtnied]

Awesome video, and awesome series. I really think educating people about this is super important. Two things that have been on my mind I really hope you eventually mention: 1. Mobile game design, with their multiple currencies and wait timers to ingrain themselves in your daily schedule to maximize the sunk cost fallacy and so on (see: "Let's Go Whaling," game design conference talk in 2016 by Tribeflame CEO Torulf Jernström) 2. The modern trend of Japanese Gacha games, which have combined slot machines with a desperate desire for physical and emotional intimacy (going so far as to allow players to "marry" hyper-sexualized girls they get out of loot boxes)

[@JimmyMcG33]

I am going to talk about both. That talk is crazy, thanks for the lead and your other insightful comment about Pokemon.

[@josephtnied]

@@JimmyMcG33 Thanks! The "Lets Go Whaling" video is too dense with relevant information for me to highlight anything specific, so I'll just point out that he literally depicts an image of a devil reaching for a wad of money behind him after stating "we'll discuss the morality of it later, if we have time." Of course, he never does get to morality despite the fact there was extra time at the end and no questions during the Q&A.

[@Queqs_]

This channel strikes the perfect balance between real-world comparisons and their counterparts in the digital world, a perspective often lacking in many other video essays. Thank you for making such great content! Ban slots.

[@DukeSalami]

Hyped for the new series Also, as a footnote, I had to remind myself to breathe several times while watching this. The suffocating atmosphere was so thick I thought I was gonna pass out while watching this on my phone

[@nickbooze9766]

Same, it was liked I needed a xanax during this.

[@stinkystink9830]

Man what the fuck is wrong with you people

[@cromtuiseagain]

I guess it's a blessing that I'm never in a position where I'm comfortable enough to just casually lose money in a gambling scenario so these things never attracted me beyond "ooh shiny lights and cool cash register sounds".

[@MrSaywutnow]

I remember the one time I tried a video slot machine at a casino in 2001. I fed it a dollar and was somewhat mortified at how few button presses it took for that dollar to disappear. There was no feel-good dopamine hit - quite the opposite, I felt a little ashamed of myself for pissing money away so easily (even if it was only a dollar). I've come to the conclusion that Skinner box type games are a good litmus test of time preference. Also, I listened to most of this video through earbuds at work - hearing the near-earrape cacophony of pachinko noises without visual context was a surreal experience.

[@SammyDotFM]

God this rules in a horrifying kind of way, I am so excited for the rest of the series

[@KennyFoord]

This has very quickly become my favourite YT channel, when you get a new video it feels like a gift.

[@splattie_]

This was very educational and thought provoking, thank you. Stellar presentation as always. Someone very close in my family has a gambling addiction that also affects me, so this stuff sickens me and elicits quite personal reactions- I live in Illinois and there are slot machines in gas stations, restaurants, and even some popping up in shops. It's gross how accessible and inescapable they are, even internet gambling aside. Thanks for teaching the history and how they function. Looking forward to future videos in this series.

[@JimmyMcG33]

That is really awful to hear. A lot of people have been saying similar things. I came to gambling as just somebody interested in games and it was shocking to learn how pervasive it is in the U.S.

[@ramuk1933]

42:00 Lucky $lugcat... I don't gamble, ever... but I'd spin that. Edit: I was too quick to put this comment - I didn't expect him to actually make symbols for it. Even better! Slugcat, Double Slugcat, Green Lizard, Blue Lizard, Pink Lizard, Batfly, Gluttony/Karma 4 mural, Survivor/Karma 5 symbol, Karma 10 symbol, and Pearl. And the background is the room right before the Karma Gate from Industrial Complex to Garbage Wastes.

[@mtorrestwitterfaceyo]

5 minutes in and this is great! This kind of detailed documentaries normally have millions of views. The algorithm is letting you down on this one

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

This was fantastic. I have been battling youtube to not see casino ads for weeks & they finally stopped coming lol I hope this doesn't re-trigger the algorithm to serve them to me. + I will be reading that Addiction By Design book, that looked intriguing. Thank you looking forward to more videos.

[@sniddlegrass4101]

I'm a native of Kentucky, and the way that horse betting has stayed within our culture is fascinating as casino type of gambling is either illegal or working towards being legal again. Either way, most people in the area around Churchill Downs that want to gamble in a casino go to Indiana. Love to see these videos!

[@CptSinnamon]

i just want to say how much i appreciate these videos. I've felt so jaded about youtube "content" for nearly a decade now, and consistently when i think about the kind of videos that make me stick around, you nearly always come to mind. as much as i haven't been confident enough to produce my own videos yet, yours are a big reason i still want to try. if nothing else, thank you for making videos that happen to be long, not long form content.

[@MentalCrusader]

i have a different kind of addiction, but this video has lots of points that I can see in myself

[@mthwr]

man this video is depression, even the tone of your voice and bgm were perfect on this subject... great work my guy here have a like thats what i can do to help out

[@greedfox7842]

I learned my lesson when at a young age I spent all my money on an arcade machine that was basically a slot-machine... it was only $40, but at my age I wouldn't see that again for a year. I liked arcades, but that 40 was gone in only a minute... I should have been able to play for hours on regular arcade games. >:/

[@FinallyHaveaNick]

51:27 "overwhelming the brain is actually a pretty common technique to put people in a hypnotic trance" thats what informational youtube videos like this are doing to me. damn

[@Luukki123]

I very rarely like, comment or subscribe, but the sheer quality made me do it. One of the best produced videos I've seen on this whole platform. You deserve lots of recognition. Great work!

[@adamlanza4998]

I worked at a label factory and was pleasantly suprised to see the same methods for making bleach labels as cards. Its truly funny alot people into it are just into it for pulling cards that on paper (lol) that didnt cost more than a element card to make. Great vid as always jimmy keep up the work dawg.

[@daaan7496]

Absolute banger of a video mate, super high quality and hooked from start to end - cant wait to see your future work!

[@zogingu]

the prevalence of gambling and other randomised, skinnerian design has really soured me off games-both new releases and a lot of the stuff i used to play. I'll admit, a lot of your coverage of slots just made me say "no shit", but the machine zone stuff was interesting, and put to words the general antipathy i had about gambling features and contemporary game design really well. the general purpose of both slots and games being to hypnotise their audience

[@stinkystink9830]

Big fan of that Jimmy Mcgee guy

[@Wapcvm]

I love how you made gambling seem so visceral

[@anseph4595]

The quality of your vids are absolutely insane. I fully expect you to blow up in the next few months and become another FULL TIME CONTENT CREATOR shilling NEBULA to me.

[@JimmyMcG33]

I'm trying to stay out of the shilling business lol, people have been very generous with the donations.

[@melan5696]

Criminally underviewed channel. Thank you so much for the effort. All your videos are intelligent, in-depth and thoughtful. Keep up the good work!

[@FrightNFight]

I watched this essay around when it came out and still think about your conclusions and outlook often

[@StrikeWyvern]

99% of Gamblers quit before they hit it big, remember that...

[@CubedTV]

Incredibly underrated channel. It's almost criminal

[@JohnnyVenison]

Jimmy my boy these videos are simply incredible, you always manage to explain it all in such a way that makes me disgusted in a primal sort of way by the way these industries are optimized to manipulate, capture and wring dry anyone who comes into contact with them. I could say you've managed the same with me, I wouldn't be surprised if I've watched nearly all your videos like 4 times already but that's an addiction I'm willing to overlook, keep makin' em and I'll keep watchin' em.

[@JimmyMcG33]

That's very kind, thank you.

[@Spudcore]

Deceptive skeuomorphism is an excellent phrase. That Leonard fellow is unnervingly shiny.

[@Prometheus_Games]

Amazing video. I live in Australia and here gambling is absolutely ginormous. We even have our own slang word for it, pokies (comes from poker machine which is what we call a slot machine here). It’s to the point that sports betting sites are able to get advertisements on TV and KZbin with people like shaq in them. We also have the highest gambling losses per capita with more than half of all slot machines in the world being in Australia. It has to be one of the biggest cancers in our nation, the only thing I can think rivalling it is meth.

[@MeatSnax]

Trading cards are especially malicious. In a game like blackjack, the dopamine comes from the anticipation of getting the card you want, which results in something tangible, a return on your bet. Pokemon or Magic make it so your "win" is just that, you got the card the company told you to want. The best result is you resell it for profit, but even then, you're not selling it back to Wizards of The Coast, you're passing the fix along to some other consumer.

[@wwklnd]

I haven't finished watching the video, but I was glad to hear you mention Addiction by Design. I first heard of it when I listened to the episode of the Game Studies Study Buddies podcast where they talk about it. Fascinating and terrible.

[@neverhave]

I love the rhythm of your videos, cutting your voiceover with stretches of video without dialogue gives me time to mull over what you've been saying. It's a contemplative kind of vibe. Great editing all around!

[@theawesome288]

Love the music from OFF for chapter 3. A 'Desire Machine' sounds exactly like what you would see in zone 1 or 2. The other comments have said this many times over but your documentaries are thoroughly entertaining and always a joy to watch! So glad I subscribed.

[@sammypercy388]

It took every bone in my body not to punch through the screen during the pasty-faced verified-youtuber-face pokemon card opening segment.

[@frostyaod]

Please for the love of god keep making more videos. Your productions are incredible and I really want more of them

[@SorasShadow1]

the muted clips of Leonhart's videos did NOT prepare me for how loud he actually is lmao

[@404Floatnotfound]

I find the use of cruelty squad music very appropriate, 10/10 docu

[@jaceybella1267]

What's happened with the culture around Pokémon cards makes me really sad as someone that's been in TCG communities. As you said, the disconnect from the actual game being played is so destructive, and I hate that kids are getting into pokemon via online content focused on that dopamine stream. I've played card games at local tourneys and such, and I've been around a lot of kids playing these games. Local card gaming spaces tend to be very steeped in their meta, and players know who's in their community, so they prep for that. I've seen so many kids that just have a really good understanding of the game's mechanics absolutely SWEEP by virtue of bringing an old deck no one expected, or they found a gimmick that's rarely seen. And once you get into the community, esp once you get to where you can place in top 4 on occasion, the dynamic around card packs just changes. Because most shops didn't do cash payouts for the weekly tourneys! You could get store credit or a certain amount of card packs, and loads of people took advantage of that to essentially avoid spending anything on the hobby. Course, there were always people that would buy card packs, or even a whole box's worth on occasion. But even then, it was oddly... Communal? Like the buyer would usually invite others to take part in the fun of opening the packs together, and most of the extras would end up given away to the people that helped go through them all. Course, my primary game was cardfight Vanguard, which at the time had 12 different main archetypes and each card was specific to only one, and illegal to use for the rest, so that may be a case where the design encouraged generosity because the vast majority of cards were useless to a given player while being useful to others. Ahem. Anyway. I came back to watch this series after watching your video about the future of AI, and I adore your documentary style. I really hope to see more deep dives like this in the future!

[@dermotheaney]

Great research and presentation. I’ve seen many friends get ruined by gambling. Studies have shown that gambling and cocaine activate the same part of the brain, this is a powerful drug. Keep up the great work, I hope one day we can ban it like in Germany. Thank you for making this and I hope a host of more KZbinrs make more of these.

[@Golbleen]

Calling this work a 'video essay' really undersells it. This is documentary quality stuff.

[@SurrogateActivities]

Since you explained that skinner box is essentially randomized gratification I kept thinking of how Valve developed Team Fortress 2 right from the first release with randomized crits, damage spread and bullet spread. And of course later it was at the forefront of having virtual unboxing. There's also a video out there 'TF2: The Kritzkrieg Casino'. That weapon was added in 2008, only a bit later after the release. The first crate was added in 2010. I think there's also alot of randomness in playing Spy. Generally it's the weakest class but there's always the hanging carrot of having that chainstab, that one moment when server's hit registration worked in your favor and your trickstab works, or it even borderlines a facestab. Even if overall you haven't actually helped your team in winning the match. Even if your k/d sucked. You get 2 points for a stab frag instead of 1 point for a normal frag. And you're addicted to tricking the enemy, to seem like you outsmarted them

[@mikaelsanchez6426]

Hey, these are bookmarks for a club. I’m marking particularly interesting segments for discussion: 9:36 - 14:21 Pachinko + Machine Zone 19:00 - 22:00 Pachinko jackpot + “pachinko adventure mode” 24:34 - 27:52 “Deceptive Skeuomorphism” 32:26 - 33:10 Slot machines and the machine zone 34:06 - 35:41 Evil bald man 45:05 - 47:45 Skinner Box and “nihilistic euphoria” 49:30 - 54:06 Slot machine phenomenology

[@danjadave]

Australian here. The music @50:02 is what you'll hear as soon as you walk into most pubs in NSW. The gamble feature that lets you double/quadruple your win is actually really popular, even if it does alter the pace and flow of the game. I've lost count of the times I've watched someone hit a feature (free spins/bonuses), get a huge payout of around 50:1, and get super excited at the gamble screen. The thought of further doubling your "big win" is powerful, and before you know it they've lost it all. The squeals and howls of excitement are unmistakeable though, regardless of the outcome. Perhaps worth pointing out, if you win on the black/red/suit gamble you can repeat that double-or-nothing several times (up to 4-5 times, if memory serves) and of course the idea is if you win the first one, you'll be overconfident and more likely to try again (and probably end up losing).

[@resonate72]

Incredible video! The production value is off the charts. I can't wait to see the next parts in the series! (Also, your use of Google Maps kinda reminds me of Jon Bois' 17776, haha)

[@kysa99]

you consistently make some of the best videos on the platform, keep it up!

[@Pbairsoftman]

Man, this is some of the best content on KZbin. Can’t wait til you get noticed by the mainstream, it’s just a matter of time with this level of quality. Keep it up!

[@kynlem]

i’m late to this video, but it really is brilliant. it’s only the first in the series, but already you introduce a lot of concepts that are totally going to come back into play when we get back around to video games.

[@DraconicLich]

one of the best videos i've ever seen. great job

[@jacopovilla1590]

Exceptional document. I've struggled with many addictions in my life, but the one I'm most ashamed of is my addiction to idle games. There's no difference with slots or pachinko; all the sensations you describe, like being overwhelmed by the rules and visual symbols, wanting to escape, forgetting time and desires, and continuing to pay to keep that feeling going, are all present in idle games. Too bad you didn't mention them. It's a topic I rarely see discussed, and the communities are massive but often they’re unacknowledged, even by psychiatry (which treats these “habits” as compulsions, often dismissively). Anyway, it's an excellent video, thank you.

[@sofaking404]

Jimmy ur content is so good I stg ur gonna blow up soon and I am glad to be here for it

[@jakelindquist]

53:50 Your cursor dancing when you got the feature is so hilarious

[@vdrazdik]

man thank you for all the effort you put in to this video. this is really eye-opening. especially the part about how they change the slot machine odds so they are much less than you perceive visually. watched this last night & i've been chewing on it ever since.

[@fivr.]

awesome vid, unfortunate that youtube doesn't like longer, less retention-optimized videos anymore because this video really deserves more attention.

[@tiggerstail4303]

That I love horses bit kinda reminds me of the whole NFT market. It's the spectacle and possibility of it being valuable and being paid out that gives it its, "value", and nothing much else. The value becomes money itself, which is why it can feel so empty to spend yourself on such activities.

[@sracmon2035]

I look forward to future episodes, it'll be fun when eventually you'll have to talk about FOMO, microtransactions, dlc, powercreep and such, kinda like a big sequel to your Cr*pto games video It'll also be really funny when you (maybe) get to Gatchapons and Gacha games

[@JimmyMcG33]

That's the plan!

[@MRpuddingish]

Jimmy, you are really going to go far with your content! Keep up the good work sir, I'm here for it.

[@dileepvr]

I've noticed the contrast between the speed with which the slots gobble up a loss and start the next round, and the slow, bells-and-whistles every-cent count up they do for even minor winnings. I figured that it had to do with de-emphasizing a loss and inflating a victorious moment by dragging it out. I never put the machine-zone aspect together, where a win becomes undesirable because it breaks the "flow."

[@Kifeno]

Oh wow, this is really good. I can't wait for the next part. I never actually considered the social/community aspect of gambling before, though it makes sense. When you get to it, I hope you consider talking about things that make a player feel more inclined to purchase P2W things, like the fear of missing out on limited time items, pity mechanics, and the pressure of being unable to compete with those who have brought P2W items. Still though, really great video!

[@JimmyMcG33]

It seems like with MMOs they kind of weaponized the social elements against the players, which is harder to do with in-person games. Even something like CS:GO which I used to play with friends got me to buy a few crates just because other people had cool skins. I'm so excited to put this stuff into coherent videos, I hope I do it justice.

[@bl0ndi550]

As someone who works in a bookmakers shop which contains slot machines this video was enlightening but also strangely familiar. It's filled with extrapolations on observations I've made myself (a big part of that is the company encourages us to play the games without staking any money so we know the games and thus can 'advise players on what to try out'). Such a great video and an instant sub btw.

[@Retro_oo]

A lot of insight here. I really like the way you structured the video. Being annoyed by winning and my flow being disrupted is something I have always felt but was never able to pinpoint exactly myself. Granted I never gambled for real money but I imagine the feeling is similar.

[@SomeRandomDevOpsGuy]

This deserved to go viral.. Excellent video man

[@acetrigger1337]

The psychological conditioning of gambling is probably the most solid piece of "science going wrong" in our history.

[@kabershshkabersh4272]

Wake up babe new jimmy mcgee video just dropped

[@Haarsgard]

Just found your channel and I've binged a third of your videos now. Good stuff

[@connormackinnon7772]

thank you so much for this video, one of the best I've seen at connecting all these threads and great to listen to and watch, thanks for all your work!!

[@vorpae]

Ablsolutely astonishing video quality and presentation. You rock!

[@aalvarez711]

Amazing work, I loved everything about this: the aesthetics, content matter, your personal videos. severely underrated channel. Keep up the good work

[@AK-fh1mt]

This is one of the best videos I’ve seen in a while, great work Jim! 👍

[@thatmanjames1647]

Your videos keep improving along with my feeling of hopelessness. Stoked to see you’re making a multi-part project. Can’t wait for more!