Dear Google; I've been a Chrome user since its release. I've visited your app store many times. I recently received my Android phone and have been perusing your Android Market.
I've noticed one very disturbing theme in both the Chrome Store & Android Market: The use of the word "Addictive". I don't have to go into issues of how bad this word is and how it's tagged into so many game descriptions. Another argument that works too is: How does a game developer decide their game is "good enough" to become addictive? Utilizing this word/ term/phrase/social label as a sales gimmick, is gratuitous at best. I would like Google to ask themselves these questions: 1. Do we want to be recognized as a corporation that intentionally produces content that we hope users will become addicted too? 2. What kind of consumer are we trying to attract with the term "addictive"? 3. Why is the developer of this app resorting to the word "addictive" and why doesn't the developer resort to other responsible language to sell their product? 4. What responsible language can the developer use instead of the term 'addictive"? 5. When has the word "addictive" ever been a good word? 6. How is using the term "addictive" acceptable, but people who are labeled "addicts", pariahs? 7. Do we need to rely on the word "addictive" as an ongoing selling point? 8. Should Google have content that people simply want to use out of need, not to fulfill an "addiction"? 9. Does Google want to rely on the term "addictive" as a statement of quality and playability? 10. What is the difference between wanting to play a game & needing to play a game? 11. Is Google willing to accept that, when an addictive state of mind is realized, ALL choice is removed from our consumer? 12. Are individuals who are performing any act out of obsession or compulsion, having and enjoyable experience? 13. Is our product something we want our customers to get better from? I ask that Google make some changes. I also ask anyone reading this to abstain from purchasing or interacting with any application that contains the base word "addict" and all it's forms. Finally, a simple word search in the Android market proves my point. You get multiple hits in games. And you get even more multiple hits in self help apps....now that's strange. It's like a candy company selling insulin. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
