Comments on: Encouraging Fuel Efficiency http://www.edery.org/2009/02/encouraging-fuel-efficiency/ For those interested in the business of making great video games. Entrepreneurial spirit a must. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:07:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: David J Edery http://www.edery.org/2009/02/encouraging-fuel-efficiency/comment-page-1/#comment-245304 David J Edery Sat, 28 Feb 2009 08:39:03 +0000 http://www.edery.org/?p=852#comment-245304 > The idea behind the car is to encourage a maximal period of use Unless you believe that Honda intends to begin manufacturing cars that last forever, I'm not sure how "maximum use" is incompatible with a metagame that encourages the future purchase of Honda vehicles (among other things, of course.) > You are aware that we’ve past peak credit and are barreling toward peak oil, I presume. How is this relevant? Right now, the metagame encourages efficient driving. That's great in and of itself. The question I raised was: can it *also* encourage greater loyalty to Honda? (Or, for that matter, can it increase the likelihood that you will recommend Honda to your friends?) > The idea behind the car is to encourage a maximal period of use

Unless you believe that Honda intends to begin manufacturing cars that last forever, I’m not sure how “maximum use” is incompatible with a metagame that encourages the future purchase of Honda vehicles (among other things, of course.)

> You are aware that we’ve past peak credit and are barreling toward peak oil, I presume.

How is this relevant? Right now, the metagame encourages efficient driving. That’s great in and of itself. The question I raised was: can it *also* encourage greater loyalty to Honda? (Or, for that matter, can it increase the likelihood that you will recommend Honda to your friends?)

]]> By: Patrick http://www.edery.org/2009/02/encouraging-fuel-efficiency/comment-page-1/#comment-245300 Patrick Sat, 28 Feb 2009 07:30:16 +0000 http://www.edery.org/?p=852#comment-245300 My dad is an extreme driving efficiency nut and he bought and Insight back in 2003. I picked up on the game-like aspects of their initial interface, which is much cruder than the one described. My dad actually focuses his driving entirely around the mpg variable, letting speed, battery charge, and rpm rotate around the goal of maxing the mileage. However I think you're reading the meta-game wrong. The idea behind the car is to encourage a maximal period of use, precisely the opposite of Detroit's prior history of marketing strategy. Honda is aiming for long-tail, value added drivers who may only buy the Honda vehicle for the next 10-15 years. It's a smart play toward a market that has a higher chance of existing in the future than the SUV market. You are aware that we've past peak credit and are barreling toward peak oil, I presume. My dad is an extreme driving efficiency nut and he bought and Insight back in 2003. I picked up on the game-like aspects of their initial interface, which is much cruder than the one described. My dad actually focuses his driving entirely around the mpg variable, letting speed, battery charge, and rpm rotate around the goal of maxing the mileage.

However I think you’re reading the meta-game wrong. The idea behind the car is to encourage a maximal period of use, precisely the opposite of Detroit’s prior history of marketing strategy. Honda is aiming for long-tail, value added drivers who may only buy the Honda vehicle for the next 10-15 years. It’s a smart play toward a market that has a higher chance of existing in the future than the SUV market. You are aware that we’ve past peak credit and are barreling toward peak oil, I presume.

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