BING! or How I got gamed by Microsoft

Computers, tablets, and smartphones are all thoroughly integrated into my life.  Like most people, I’ve developed some pretty strong opinions and preferences about them along the way.  However, I have never actually cared a great deal about search engines.   I’ve seen and used Google, GoodSearch, Ask, Yahoo, AVG, Bing, etc. '

Whatever was there I used.  By and large, they all seem to serve the exact same purpose: They found me a selection of useful links to get me where I need to go next.

“But Google can do so much more, right in the box!”  Yes, I can imagine a number of you are shaking your virtual fists, telling me why I should care.  Go right ahead.  No, seriously: please, let me know why, and I will gladly read your responses.  I may well be persuaded.   I really hadn’t bothered to give it much notice . . . till now.

Just recently, I received a promotional email from BING, suggesting that I join up and take advantage of their rewards.  I travel a lot; the number of emails that I get from airlines, hotels, restaurants, retail stores, and credit cards that contain the word REWARD in the heading is staggering.  My brain is starting to categorize that word as one with no more importance than the word “the.”   However, when I saw this email's subject line, something sparked in my brain.  I search.  I do a lot of searching.  Do they mean I could get rewarded for searching?  It’s a scam, right? Nope.

The next question that naturally occurred was “How arduous would enabling this process be?”  Easier than setting up Facebook.

I have a Microsoft account, glennoliver@outlook.com, so the process of signing into the search engine was simple.  (If you have a Google account, it’s a very kindred experience.)  I was now automatically associated with the search engine.  With just normal usage I was accumulating points pretty steadily.  “What can I actually do with these points?” I wondered.  Just like all those reward programs I alluded to earlier, I was conditioned to the idea of racking up points that could only be spent in a sponsor’s environment and exclusively on their products.  

Sure enough, BING has a rewards section, but what is surprising is that it’s actually compelling.  There is a wide variety of virtual and real-world products.  I immediately found items and gift cards that I really want without leaving the first page.  All for doing . . . what I already do.

Am I selling myself out? I don’t think so.  This is not like switching a phone carrier.  I don’t have anything vested in the other search engines.  I haven’t given anything up, as I still use and have complete access to the programs and features of Yahoo and Google.  But there's now something more, more than rewards: it’s also a game.

I had long ago fallen hard for the Trophy and Achievement rewards system that you are given in the Playstation and XBOX worlds.  I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve logged into a game just to get a specific moniker, for no other reason than it was there and I needed to get it. Well, just like Achievements in XBOX, Bing presents you with challenges.  As you complete them, you get rewards, you advance to the next level, levels affect your reward structure, and new goals become attainable. 

I’ve caught myself thinking about Bing like I would a game.  Have I achieved my daily goal? what are Bing’s new quests for the day? how can I best achieve my long-term goal toward leveling or obtaining a product? Hmm. Is it insidious or brilliant?  Either way, it’s successful.  I’ve already been using Bing, on purpose.

I’d love to know your thoughts.  

And, if you are inclined to try Bing, write to me.  We can both gain more reward points if you get invited! 

#shamefulplugs

Firefly Season Two: in your hands!

In geekdom, there are certain shows and iconic movies that are constantly, reverently referenced. They are used to communicate when our own words aren’t powerful enough. (“As you wish...") They can quickly express a deep-felt or long-historied emotion. (“Khaaaannn!”) Other times they are used as a shorthand to test if someone is a member of the tribe of nerd. (“If someone asks if you're a god, you say . . . ?”)

Maybe you've found yourself meeting someone for the first time or amongst a group of strangers. If you were daring and wanted to break the ice, you could pose a question sure to elicit a response. Chances are high that you'd get a passionate response or some good conversation by asking a question like “Where were you during the OJ Simpson 'white Bronco' chase?" or even "What were you doing when 911 happened?" Although lighter in nature, we geeks tend to evoke passion with questions more like “What was your first Star Wars film?" "Kirk or Picard?" or "How did you discover Firefly?” Now, if a person reacts to that last example, no matter how excitedly, there will always also be a touch of sadness.

Firefly (as many of you know) was a Joss Whedon space/western series televised on Fox in 2002. It only lasted 14 episodes. But it refused to die. Much as with the original Star Trek series, Firefly's fanbase grew to an immovable fervor, pleading for more. This decade-long outcry was a prime motivator that resulted in the movie Serenity. Yet the Firefly audience is still far from sated.

I have good news. There is more to be had.

Several weeks ago, we had some friends over to our house to play a board game. This kind of thing is a semi-regular occurrence. We often play card, board, and pen & paper games. But this night I was nervous.

Our group consists of a number of people who bring new games to the fold, and we often enjoy being able to share their passions. However, the game that was recently making the rounds had resulted thus far in every single participant rushing to get their own copy . . . and now it was coming to my house.

SHINY!

"Firefly: The Game" is beautiful. Even before you’ve had your first turn, you will fall in love with every detail, picture, and object. Though I'm trying to avoid writing a full-on review here, I will have to touch on a couple of mechanics to explain why it’s also such a good game. You pick a ship; then you need a captain. Not every captain is as heroic as Mal, but they all have very attractive features. (I chose to captain my vessel with a companion: not surprisingly, I found it easy to find and maintain my male crew.) Each ship has a generous cargo hold and secretive areas to smuggle. The 'verse is patrolled by Alliance ships, so your ship is prone to sudden inspections in civilized space and to being ravaged by Reavers near the raggedy edge.

What truly makes the game is the quest system. There is an overall story goal, which you need to accomplish to win . . . but getting enough money and resources to have a chance at that takes work. And you are always looking for work.

You quickly find youself selecting jobs from nefarious characters in the series like Patience and Badger. Not all jobs are “above board”. So even while you are trucking about the 'verse skirting the Alliance, avoiding Reavers, praying you have enough fuel, you are also worried about the job at hand. Remember Niska? Being on a job for him can be like trying to perform a lifesaving operation on a member of your crew when you have the hiccups. But oh, the payoff!

It doesn’t take long at all before you truly feel like you are playing a medley of episodes from the series. Gale Force Nine (the publishers) did a fantastic job of capturing the essence of the show in a very compelling game.

Firefly was a series that was funny, serious, adventurous, tense, and evocative. As any fan will tell you, it compelled you to watch more. "Firefly: The Game" does the same.

I can’t wait to play again. I guess I’ll be buying my own copy, too.