What are the benefits of "playing" notr0n?

ulf_h · Post by **ulf_h** » 26-05-2007 09:34

Hi there old and new notpr0ners!
Long time no see! I 'm the one who started the "What are notpr0ners like?" thread two years ago, and now I would like to ask you all two new questions:

1. Why do you play notpr0n (and other similar online riddles)? What makes it worthwhile? Try to describe the feelings you usually experience during the process of solving a level! Why don't you give up when you're stuck? (Cause you don't, do you?

)

2. What did you learn by playing notpr0n? What skills and knowledge (that you didn't have before) did you get by playing notpr0n? If possible, try also to explain how you got those skills and that knowledge (trial-and-error, googling, asking for help in the forum etc.)

I'm writing a research paper about notpr0n, so I might quote your answer if it's ok?

Thanks in advance!
ulf_h

Post by **DavidM** » 27-05-2007 00:58

doesn't look like anyone benefited from it <3

ulf_h · Post by **ulf_h** » 27-05-2007 10:21

If there were no benefits we wouldn't play notpron, would we?

Maybe my questions are too complicated to answer?

Post by **DavidM** » 27-05-2007 12:35

well you know, i got all these mails and comments about what people learned and relationships that have formed via notpron...just they are too lazy or too busy for this right now i believe

ulf_h · Post by **ulf_h** » 27-05-2007 13:36

Yeah, I've seen some of these spontaneous comments too in other threads here, but it would be good for my research paper if some people wrote it here too as an answer to my explicit questions...

Please ppl!

Taurah · Post by **Taurah** » 27-05-2007 17:52

1. It provides me with a psychological challenge, forces me to use those neurons which otherwise would be on idle, and to actually exhaust me enough when I'm unable to find sleep. I don't give up when I'm stuck because I'm too stubborn for my own good, and I won't admit that DavidM is more intelligent than I am (he isn't!). I often go through curiosity, then frustration, then more frustration, then enlightenment, and happiness as I move on to the next level, and the vicious circle starts again.

2. I'm learning patience, cunning, and to look closely rather than just figuring it out by what is there. It's often what is not there or harder to find that puts me on the right track. I learned morse code, ASCII, that DavidM IS evil. How? Oh.. much trial and error, much hair pulling, sharing my thoughts with colleagues and friends and trying their ideas, googling, lots of googling, swearing at my screen every once in a while.. Pming Frkyjen every once in a while also helps, and now I look at source code for every web page I go to, just in case

Hope this helps...

ulf_h · Post by **ulf_h** » 27-05-2007 20:42

That helps a lot, Taurah! Thank you SO much!

(May I ask what level you're on, by the way?)
uLF

Taurah · Post by **Taurah** » 27-05-2007 20:56

Stuck on 52, and going slowly insane, but I'll work it out, even though it might take me a couple of months as happened with a previous level

Post by **Kisa** » 30-05-2007 12:31

Welcome back, Ulf

I solved notpron, along with several other, usually similar online riddles as well. I stopped now due to heavy lack-of-time issues.

1. Why do you play notpr0n (and other similar online riddles)? What makes it worthwhile? Try to describe the feelings you usually experience during the process of solving a level! Why don't you give up when you're stuck?

Mainly, I played because it provided me with distraction. From real-life, basically. I didn't play it for any self-improving purpose, at least not intentionally.
What I felt?

Collecting clues: Where are they? How are they hidden? And is that what I found really a clue or just coincidence/a filler? That's the curiousity phase
Contemplating about the clues: What do they mean? What could I do with them? Why the hell can't I get anything meaningful out of it? That would be the frustration phase
Enlightenment and trial: Try stuff out, maybe getting fresh ideas. I'd call that the excitement phase Sometimes going back to phase 2, sometimes to phase 4.
Finding a word: Got something? Then gotta try it out! Enthusiasm phase Is it the solution? Then step 5. Just another clue? Back to step 2!
Yay! Depending on the difficulty of the level, either just a short joy, or a real riddle-orgasm AND (if next level exists): Back to step 1

2. What did you learn by playing notpr0n? What skills and knowledge (that you didn't have before) did you get by playing notpr0n? If possible, try also to explain how you got those skills and that knowledge

I learned

That the ALT key works in more programs than notepad
that I extremely dislike the GIMP. Photoshop is not much better - both much too complicated compared to my neat old Paint Shop Pro
I found that out by trial - without notpron, I wouldn't even have looked at any of both.
that images can contain plain text and basically every so-called multimedia file if you just try hard enough.
that I dislike music riddles
that almost every kind of software possible exists - just the amounts of money needed to pay for each would probably even be too much for Mr. Gates himself.
that people think totally differently about the very same clues.
that I seem to be a trustful person (see next point)
how to moderate this forum (without notpron, I wouldn't even have looked a any kind of forum ...)
about many new and some nice people through this forum.
that I don't need to know how someone looks to fall in love with that person (also through the notpron forum)
that some people seem to see you as an answering machine just because you have the moderator status. No, I'm no robot. Thanks.

I guess that's enough for now - more would lead way too far

frkyjenn · Post by **frkyjenn** » 30-05-2007 15:51

Um.. Kisa said everything I would have said only she said it better.

(The only thing I have to change is the falling in love thing.. I didn't fall in love with anyone on notpron forums).

AND.. I'm curious who Kisa is in love with

Post by **Kisa** » 30-05-2007 15:54

Well, unrequited, so it doesn't really matter. Call that a level I'm stuck in.

frkyjenn · Post by **frkyjenn** » 30-05-2007 17:45

Kisa wrote: Well, unrequited, so it doesn't really matter. Call that a level I'm stuck in.

The most frustrating level ever...

Been there done that

Taurah · Post by **Taurah** » 31-05-2007 09:06

Kisa wrote: Well, unrequited, so it doesn't really matter. Call that a level I'm stuck in.

Amen to that

ulf_h · Post by **ulf_h** » 31-05-2007 12:32

Kisa wrote: Welcome back, Ulf

Thanks a lot Kisa! Nice to be back! I'm doing notpron all over again to revive the feeling!

And thanks also for your long detailed answers!
You're an analyzing person I can see! You even help me with naming the phases in solving a puzzle, which is something I also been trying to do. Especially I like the "yay part" with your new coined word "riddle-orgasm"! I'm definitly gonna use that in my article!

Oh, and sorry to hear about the unrequited thing... been there too...

Hi also to you, jenn! Can't you please please try to list just a few things you've learnt by playing notpron? I don't believe they're exatly the same as Kisa's!

At least not if you're more specific and list some concrete knowledge and (computer) skills you learnt?

/uLF

Shenmue · Post by **Shenmue** » 31-05-2007 14:23

Ok, whatever, might as well give it a go. But I won't be as thorough as Kisa the cat. Great reply, Kisa!

1: I played it because ... well, I will use something Nietzsche said ... he was an idiot in many ways, but he said a few clever things. He said that you need to experience bad things to develop, and the tougher life is, the harder the climb up the mountain is, the more wonderful the view is once you reach the top. Uhhhh, I swim in deep waters now. Well, he used that to explain life itself, I use it to explain Notpron.

The levels were often a nightmare to solve, they could frustrate me to death. But once I got the answer by myself, the feeling I received was worth all the "pain", the view after the hard climb was almost always worth it all.

2: OK, that was me trying to be intellectual, talking about Nietzsche and everything, it goes against my nature to be intellectual so I'll avoid trying to be it here.

Well, first of all the obvious things: a lot of new knowledge about computers, computers which I sucked big time at before I started Notpron. I still suck at them, but not as much. Thank you, David, for that. A learned using sound editing and image editing programs like audacity and gimp, a skill I certainly didn't posess before.

And most of all: patience. Patience is probably the most important thing when solving notpron. You don't have to be smart or clever or whatever, as long as you are patient. I'm a proof of that, I'm neither especially smart nor clever ... well, I'm not that patient either, so it's a miracle I managed to solve it all I must say.

But, whatever, I'm an exception. Notpron certainly taught me to be more patient, and it taught me that as long as you try hard enough in something without giving it up, you'll get it eventually, and then the reward will be so big ... as long as you are patient and don't get bored immediately.

Notpron has some bad sides, and there are a few things I think would have made it better all in all, but we don't have to go into that now.

Well, that was all I could come up with for the moment. I'm sorry, it was pretty fuzzy and all ... but at least something.