DON'T CLICK THIS VIDEO! | Idea Channel | PBS Digital Studios

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THE BUTTON! Has there ever been such a weird thing on the internet? Well, we did have Twitch Plays Pokemon, and then there was rickrolling, and then… wait, maybe the internet is always weird. But how does the button on reddit fit into all of this? Is it a game? Or... with its cult like following and rabid commenters it seems almost like a… religion? Join Mike on this week’s episode as he talks about internet communities, the button on reddit, and other crazy internet things!

ASSET LINKS:

1:07 Grey Hopeful

1:57 Asmr - Button collection

2:11 John Patrick Pullen Time Magazine

2:24 Fruzsina Eordogh TouchVision

2:36 Scott Beggs Film School Rejects

2:39 Greg Stevens Daily Dot

4:16 Inception Button

4:18 Reddit Religion scroll

4:39 Lord Gaben

4:41 Inglip

4:46 Twitch Plays Pokemon

4:59 Kate Nibs Gizmodo

5:20 Idea Channel Is Doctor Who a Religion

Sushi You Can Hug:

[PabAng]

I like to use TotalBiscuit's definition of videogames, a game needs a failure state or some kind; Dear Esther is not a game it is more like a guided tour, basically watching a movie which has a value of its own but not that of a game. Beyond: Two Souls for example has no defined failure state but decisions block you from certain paths and certain content of the game to which you should re-play and chose differently to affect, that can be seen as a failure state. Defined failure states are easier like losing a life in Mario Bros. In conclusion, to me, the button is a game as you are classified by it, you may not know what the button really does but you have failed to experience the rest of the classifications the button gives you.

[menotyou]

Wrong. When I saw that I could not click, I opened the webpage in a format that I could see the direct link. I then copied it with Ctrl V using a arrow controlled mouse and pasted it into the address bar. 

I am watching without having clicked this video.

[superkerel]

Jokes on you, I didn't click on the video, I used tab to select the video and enter to open it :)

[GeekCritique]

Holy cow, a clip from something as obscure as Akibaranger in here. I'm happy to see it!

[Cemix]

I just pushed the button because I didn't know you could only press it once. RIP :(

[esvo]

I accidentally pressed it, didn't know I could only press it once. If I knew, I wouldn't have pressed it, cause I really don't care.

[willbrine]

I didn't click though. I said to my phone _Ok Google, Chromecast my YouTube Watch Later playlist_ - not a single click was involved.

[JaMaAuWright]

Well, I'm not sure about the rest of the button's patrons that are watching this, but I am one of the proud chosen of the button. I am a 60s, the most noble of numbers.

[Arian]

We should disucss how we are really excited for Fallout 4, but in reality just want a new Elder Scrolls game.

[LegoCookieDoggie]

Buttons are not always round #rockfact

[Character]

I was like "Ooo, a button! What does it do?". Pressed it without knowing anything about it at all... at 60s...

[doombybbr]

You just described Poe's law, any sufficiently advanced parody is indistinguishable from sincerity.

[wjoshcbrlnw]

I saw the button while browsing Reddit and thought "huh this is pointless" and kept scrolling.

[Lauphtup]

the guy who made the button made wordle

[YatiSanghvi]

Let's talk about the difference between racism and when someone makes a NON-offensive statement pertaining to a certain race, because people tend to mix those two up very often.

[lobachevscki]

Two observations:

Frasca defines games as "Play is to somebody an engaging activity in which the player believes to have active participation and interprets it as constraining her immediate future to a set of probable scenarios, all of which she is willing to tolerate". He puts a very special focus on the player side of things, contrary to complementary points of view of prior definitions. So, he focused on the experience rather than the rules or even the media the experience is delivered. By that definition, if the button is a game to somebody, then it is to that someone (it is easy to follow the rest of the definition). You can flex the definition to say that is a game to a lot of people too.

On the other hand, the big difference between an "ordinary" game and videgames is in which entity relies the responsability to mantain the state of the game. States are particular instances of the rules that compose the game, each possible configuratuon of positions of the chess pieces in chess for example, and in videogames that burden lies on the machine rather than the players, contrary to almost all other types of games, which from a game design point of view is a huge difference. So, in that regard, if the button is a game, it is a videogame one.


Following that, and bringing the definition of magic cirle of Huizing, religion could also be a game, if the experience of that particular someone is such.

[emerillagassi]

DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!
I DO WHAT I WANT!

[Vejitatheouji]

Actually, I clicked the link because I thought it said "CLICK THIS VIDEO!"  

Awkward.

[maestromantv]

I am a clicknostic. I have personally not clicked but I would not discard the possibility of clicking and respect those who do

[Beithyr]

Best episode of Idea channel in ages, I really refer this kind of episode that makes people think bout something so trivial.