ATITD pros and cons (Score 2, Informative)

I have played this game since about May. In real life I am an engineer. I play various computer games at a moderate level. I have to say I am hooked on ATITD more than any game since I was in high school probably. First off, well this game is heavily advertised as being cooperative and not competitive, that is clearly a half truth. The resources needed to build things range from being very common to very rare. There is MUCH competion to get the rare resources, and have the biggest and best camp. Secondly, there is 49 "tests" in the game. These tests range from having the tallest obelisk in a region to getting the most votes on your artwork. Almost every test is very competitive, where many attempt a given test, but few can pass. Pros: Puzzle solving. Almost every new technology Egypt discovers comes without directions. We have to try different things, post ideas to the forums, and do experiments to figure it out. My engineering mind absolutely loves this (yes call me a loser but even after a hard day of work, I can't wait to get online and work on pretend problems:) ). Game system in general. Most games involve very little risk. The companies make sure that the games don't negatively impact anyone playing them. This game does not do that. The developers have allowed the player base to screw up the game by passing or not passing certain laws. The clear cutting of trees is a good example. How many games allow the players to have enough control to screw up to the point where new players might not pay money? It happened in this one. I find that very intersting, that the player base is allowed a very high level of power to change the code of the game. Cons: There is a lot of time spent "working", gathering resources. Especially for new players, as you progress you get to the more interesting stuff. Steep learning curve. This is not a mindless game, where a person can come in and start playing and understand what is going on. You almost have to research the forums and fan sites, and find an experienced player of guild in game to really know what is going on. I think a lot of new players quit, cause they come on and have a hard time at all knowing what to do. In conclusion, I think this is game has some of the most deep content out there right now. It is very unique, very deep, very powerful. That said it not for everyone. Clearly not everyone wants to play this type of game, and would not like the amount of thought, time, and work that is needed to really get the most out of it. It is a niche game, where some people like myself are just blown away by it.