I’ve noticed that in recent weeks the mid-week links have been getting less Game Maker related and more general with regards to indie games/game promotion.
- Cracked have posted a list of 5 Creepy Ways Video Games Are Trying to Get You Addicted. I don’t particularly think these are creepy or rocket-science but the article makes a few good points about virtual game items and rewarding your players to keep their interest in your game.
- Kotaku have presented a ridiculously not-to-scale graph of the different ways gamers use to decide whether to purchase a particular title. This sentence sums it up nicely: “You don’t have to influence everyone – just the ones who influence everyone else”.
- 11 months after their last post GMNews have inexplicably returned with a post about the GMPhysics DLL which, like the site, has not been maintained for a long time.
I was incorrect; the duration of the service offered was 2 years. My apologies. Just figure I’d clarify.
NPT there seems to be a mis-understanding. Of course I don’t expect Dr. Wats0n to take legal action.
By enforce, I mean I am fully willing to accept my mistake and discuss payment options with Dr. Watson if he so chooses to ‘enforce’ the agreement (meaning uphold/complete the agreement), I never intended to use the word in a legal sense. I am accepting full responsibility here and doing what I can to rectify the situation and yet you keep making it sound like I’m being a jerk.
He *CAN’T* enforce a legal action. As I said in my previous post, bets such as this are not legally enforceable.
Even if he could legally enforce it, you damn-well that it isn’t cost effective to litigate $200, possibly internationally. Your statement that he has full right to try to enforce an action was nothing but mealy-mouthed nonsense attempting to elevate what you did as less despicable.
If you are going to act unethically, then don’t complain when people point out you’ve acted unethically.
Also, Please do not call my ethics into question, I try to remain ethical and fair whenever possible and that is why I initially offered two years of free phone service, which to most people is much more than a $200 value.
My original belief was that such contracts with minors were automatically void, which admittedly was incorrect, and very wrong of me to assume. I thought that continuing to uphold the contract knowing the circumstances would be in fact illegal, hence I offered a gift instead (to try and keep it as separate to the contract issue as possible in order to protect myself on a legal basis).
I am not a lawyer and I very much admit to making an error in judgment here which I sincerely apologize for.
At the end of the day, nobody signed a legal contract anyway.
I agree with NPT.
I agree with you NakedPaulToast. I will admit that my initial assessment of the law was incorrect.
I have re-evaluated the law(s) that may be applicable to this situation and I have determined that Dr. Wats0n has the full right to enforce the agreement if he wishes to do so.
It’s hard to say whether or not this is just a friendly wager because the entire agreement was documented in written form, much like a contract would be.
A “kind gesture”, hardly. You’re welcher.
And you’re wrong about contracts being, void because one of the parties is under the age of majority.
Minors can enter into contracts, the problem is that contracts are unenforceable against minors. This is why businesses will not enter into contracts with minors. They are put into the position of possibly having to fulfill their obligation, but can’t enforce the minor fulfil their obligation.
Attempting to use a legal loophole to dissolve a bet, passing it off as a “contractual agreement”, has got to be the lamest excuse. A bet is typically not considered a contractual agreement.
Wagering is also not legally enforceable, with some exceptions. The exceptions being that the wager occurs where gaming is allowed, and that wager performed by a licenced gaming establishment.
If I go to Las Vegas, take out a marker with a licenced casino, and blow it on the tables, they have a legal claim against me. So long as they sue me in Nevada.
However if I make a wager with my buddy, and I don’t pay him, he has absolutely no legal recourse. It is not a contract.
You did not have a contract with Dr Wats0n, and no matter who won, there was not a legal obligation for either of you to pay. But, that’s not the point. Gambling is about personal honour. You fulfil your obligation, because you said you would.
There is nothing stopping you from paying him the $200, exception your own lack of ethics.
You’re dishonest. Dishonest people shouldn’t start businesses.
I offered two YEARS of long distance phone service as a kind gesture, not two days.
Also, I didn’t realize at the time that Dr. Wats0n was under the age of majority (18) when entering into the contractual agreement, and consequently the contact became void once this discovery was made.
Glad you clarified that. I only wrote what I had been told by Connor.
Only two days? O___O
GMNews slowed down to focus on some broadband service company.
Poole even made a $200 bet with Dr. Wats0n, that within a year they would be up and running and profitable.
That bet was over a year ago? I wonder who paid who?
http://gmnews.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/analysing-market-demand/#comments
I remembered about that about a month ago. I spoke to Dr Wats0n and he said never got his money but he was offered two days of unlimited local and long distance calling.
YoYo Games hiring another major staff member:
http://twitter.com/ZanderDuDuh/status/10560517159