by Zoe Pollock
Scott Esposito disagrees with gaming guru Jane McGonigal, and games like Chore Wars in which "players earn points for their online avatars by completing real-life adventures such as cleaning the bathtub":
I seriously wonder about the philosophy of life that underlies fantasies such as these. Because if you can’t get motivated to clean the tub because otherwise you’ll be cleaning your own body in fetid waterthat is, if you need some kind of immediate gratification to get you psyched to do something any sane person should see the need to dothen I submit you have a problem.
And I think a nation that collectively can’t find the energy to clean its tub needs to have a serious conversation about motivation. Things like the arts, creativity, and fulfilling lifestyles thrive in societies where people see the inherent good in doing things that don’t provide immediate gratification.