I think this can be tested even more interestingly. After the december sales I might do an experiment :D...

Personally, I was betting $17.97 that it would happen; but at the same time, I had hope that people could delay gratification in order to gain three extra games.

So, I'm interested - does anyone think this could work?

It could work, but not by opening up the codes, but by juggling with the chances. So let's say I'd announce a giveaway. First one to answer can answer:
a) I just want the game
b) I would like to try my chances further.
Second day he'd have 50% chance of win the first game and can try to go for the second game (which would open up for everyone - just as the first was on the first day). If random doesn't favors him winning the first game, the others entering for it could have it on random. And this could be run forever I think... until someone takes a)

Nope.
Well... work in which sense? Greater overall gratification?


..actually, it's a surprise that it lasted for 10 minutes..

Interesting giveaway, thank you for the experiment +1.

It makes sense that active forum participants might stall because they could participate in ongoing giveaways but there's always inactive lurkers with nothing to lose.

Clever, and a bit Prisoner's Dilemma-ish. I fear that in nearly any sample size you are going to encounter at least one actor with overriding self-interest that will scotch the deal for the group. Could work with the kind of checks blotunga suggests, though again there would need to be the case where one person couldn't end it all in a single selfish action.

As Blotunga said above, it's an interesting example of game theory: although the community as a whole would have gained more had people waited, the people with the power to decide whether to wait or not (ie those who read the thread up to the ninjas who redeemed the codes) stood to gain more if they redeemed immediately, since otherwise they only had a chance of getting a game and there were significantly more entries than games. Therefore, they redeemed.

Now, that argument only works if we assume that everyone acts selfishly, and otherwise they'd have waited. On the other hand, it only took 3 selfish people to end the giveaway, while it took everyone acting unselfishly to get all 6 games.

Hear that, ninjas? You're selfish, and ruined it for everyone! :P

No. It won't matter if you say that not redeeming it will get everyone who posts in the thread 100$ worth of games, human nature is what it is.

I see that the ninja's have stuck again, but still thanks and +1.

What if I were to say that I would give away $100 worth of games? Or maybe a million dollars, would we end up with the same situation?

Probably. There are probably ninjas who don't even read and only see codes.

Actually... it doesn't even need 3...

Nice thinking, but you have Romanians around here, so good luck with that :P

Maybe a new rule which would provide more incentive would make this work, like guaranteeing a game for the first one to see the code but NOT redeem it (with screenshot as a proof, or immediate PM).

Oh, and lugum that bastard said he'd be able to post by now :D

Yet I snuck a Torchlight code on one of the related threads and it still is not redeemed.