Developers Corner

Basically a topic for random observations, post yours, let the topic die or whatever.

My favorite is that when people are given a choice between two forks(left or right), that people will typically go right.   I was recently reminded of this when messing around in a maze in second life, the entrance made you choose left or right out of a few dozen people only three went left.  This is actually pretty controlled since the paths were identical when looking around, and that people/parties wouldn't see others when entering the place.

It also rememinded me of a themepark show I saw on the discovery channel where a vast majority of the parks are designed to take a heavier load on the right side of the entrance.  using anything from more branches in the paths, wider paths, and shorter rides.

I don't have anything to add, but that is really and interesting random observation there. Just can't let this topic die with only one post :)

To tell the truth, I catch myself doing that a lot actually.  Whenever I am faced with a decision to go either left or right, I always seem to go to the right.  I don't know why, but that is just my choice.

Now ehenever I have the option to go left or right I'll remember this.

It would be interesting to see if different cultures choose different directions (Japanese for example, who often read right to left).

Since this is a games forum ...

I usually clear dungeons clockwise, ie from left to right. I'm right handed btw.

Random observation: People's opinions are often products of mass marketing and misinformation designed to extract resources and/or maintain control

http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=oI5EY5kqiBU&feature=related

http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=MTN3s2iVKKI

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080624/pl_politico/11319

http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=_AI8mC8XucY&feature=related

I find these little observations rather ineteresting...it just seems like a random act of nature.  It may have sonething to do if you are righty or lefty, but who knows.

Well, I'm a de-lateralized lefty, a left-handed person forced as a child to use the right hand until most laterality is lost, and I still tend to choose the left way over the right; this might (or might not) indicate some relation between brain laterality and maze path tendences.

I only use my left hand to draw and the right hand does everything else. Any neurologists here?

I suppose the left/right choice in the maze could be dependent on brain laterality, at least if you are just going in on instinct with no plan.  I tend to use an old trick I learned in my years of maze exploring and choose right or left depending on whether that is taking me toward the outer edge of the maze or more toward the center.  If it ends up being right I keep my hand to the the wall on my right side and take EVERY right hand turn available.  In the end you may traverse the entire outer edge of the maze, but if the exit is on the outer edge you will find it eventually. 

Of course this only works with two dimensional mazes with the exit and entrance on the outer edge, as in most real-life mazes, but in games the exit could be a teleporter in the center.

Anyway, here's a random observation:  Ever notice how some people have a quirky tendency to get off topic?  Ooops. 

Thats probably why I usually have problems to find stuff... because if I was given the choice to go left or right, I would probably choose left.