Jonathan Blow: Social Games Are “Evil,” Not Actually Social

Posted 02/16/2011 at 2:32am | by Nathan Grayson

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Getting bombarded with notifications from Farmville, Cityville, or any of their mutated clone offspring can be annoying, sure, but Braid creator Jonathan Blow thinks that's not even the half of it. Yep, someone's calling games evil again, but this time, we actually agree with them.

Blow's not just blowing things out his... well, you know, either. In fact, he pretty much shakes the very foundation of “social” gaming to its core. Speaking with PC Gamer, he said:

“Yes. Absolutely. There’s no other word for it except evil. Of course you can debate anything, but the general definition of evil in the real world, where there isn’t like the villain in the mountain fortress, is selfishness to the detriment of others or to the detriment of the world. And that’s exactly what [most of these games are].”

“It’s about the game exploiting your friends list that you already made, so it’s not really about meeting people. And it’s not really about doing things with them because you’re never playing at the same time. It’s about using your friends as resources to progress in the game, which is the opposite of actual sociality or friendship,” he added.

Ultimately, then, Blow explained that games should seek to give something to their players – not take away free time, social opportunities, and things of that nature.

Honestly, if you've got a few minutes (or Braid-style time-altering powers), we highly recommend reading through the whole interview. Unlike some other designers – who pipe up about hot button topics because, hey, free marketing – Jonathan Blow's well worth listening to.