Dangerous precedent set by Q&A 461: Loaning Parts/Assemblies to other teams

[Joe Johnson]

First off, I want to salute us all here because I love that this community is able to talk through difficult issues without things getting nasty. At least in this corner of the internet, we've managed to keep Godwin's Law at bay.

Second, like so many others in this thread, I blame the Game Design Committee for this rule. I won't name names, but I can tell you that the "problem" this Q&A is addressing was foreseen by a number of well known, experienced mentors I spoke within hours of the kickoff. With empathy and imagination, these kind of things can and should be foreseen and avoided. I really believe that.

This is the evil fruit of the evil seed planted in to the fertile soil of the game design itself.

There are so many things about this game that make me feel just awful. From incentivizing Alliance Captains to chain their 2nd Draft to a tote ramp to encouraging ~90% of the audience watching the Quarter Finals to cheer every screw up and groan at every successful, this game is a Petri dish for growing unhealthy behaviors.

I really don't like how this game makes me feel. I hope that FIRST learns from this experience.

Calling 'em how I see 'em.

Dr. Joe J.