Can I put a slightly different slant on this? I guess I'm something of a halfway house in that I play for money not entertainment, albeit that (as I have stated on here once or twice!) I don't mind being entertained in some way while making money, but I don't play these things 'professionally' i.e. as my only or primary source of income.
With this in mind I actually use Word Up almost like an athlete uses a warm-up, in that I will often have a few games at the start of an evening's playing to get my mind in SWP mode after a day at work. I normally do this until I have cleared, which as QuizMaster rightly points out, is rarely for any significant financial reward (particularly as I'm not very good ) and then move on to other more profitable games for the rest of the evening. If only they would reintroduce the lovely Sum Up I would then have the perfect end of session 'warm down' game as well!
I totally understand where you're coming from, as on occasion I will play a quick game of Word Soup (even when I'm not going to make more than a quid or two) as a sort of mental "coffee break" between more important/profitable pursuits.
Sum Up For a long time, the installation mode on GamesNets was such that the £20 was not far away if you knew how to get it.
QuizMaster wrote:I don't mind Word Up as a game, you may all be surprised to know. I think it's quite clever and inventive. I used to make money playing it many, many moons ago.
Then they stopped the clearance paying £20 and there was no point in it any more. Therein lies the difference between me and most others on this site - there is no point in practising and getting better and better at Word Up because it won't get you anywhere financially.
If you had devoted as much time as you have to a number of other games as you have to this, you would be far better at them and ergo far better off financially. So it's really a question of horses for courses - people play this game for entertainment and that in turn is a direct reflection of this website - most people on here play quiz machines for a bit of fun and they compare notes. None of you (with the exception of Cool and Properpro) are taking this thing seriously at all.
That's fine and it's your choice, but it's a bit of fun to you lot. And 15 page threads seem a bit excessive to me, for something that is banal.
QM
I agree with what you're saying. However, as you've pointed out there are very few of you playing SWP's full-time for a living. The majority of us, however, like to experience a degree of enjoyment whilst winning money and Word-Up lets you do this. This is reflected in the game's longevity and the results of the poll above.
What I don't understand is why you feel the need to open the Word-Up thread every so often and hand out abuse. Everyone already knows how you feel about it, so what is it supposed to achieve?
Cardinal Sin wrote:[
What I don't understand is why you feel the need to open the Word-Up thread every so often and hand out abuse. Everyone already knows how you feel about it, so what is it supposed to achieve?
Have to disagree. I don't see anything wrong with his banter, which usually makes me laugh. Can't recall anything resembling abuse. It stops people getting too far up their own butts about the game.
If you look back, you'll find it's only when people start opening up extra threads about it that it tends to annoy me. Or when threads about something else descend into 'let's talkabout Word Up some more'. One Word Up thread is more than enough for any forum.
Stupid punters. Telly all the week, screw the wife Saturday
I'm not sure it's fair to describe all non-professionals (i.e. those whose primary living isn't from SWPs) as "playing for fun". As someone else has said before, SWPs without the prize element are actually pretty bl**dy dull and not something I would waste my time with; I'd certainly class myself as "playing for money" even though I might spend a lot less time at it, and be a lot less good at it, then QuizMaster and some of the other "real boys" on this forum.
some good points raised here. of course you have to put more energy into your main source of income than you would a thriving sideline lacquering kitchenwares or whatever. i take my bread-and-butter very seriously, as must SWP pros; you'd expect nothing less than dedication.
to me and others like me SWP is a diversion, i wouldn't play if there was no money but i'll admit to being frivolous with pound coins. basically it pays for my modest leisure activities and the occasional gobjob from a syphilitic whore.
i'd imagine QM, that you treat the footie betting as an aside; you want to do well but at the end of the day it is not the main endeavour towards putting food on the table.
as an enthusiastic amateur, i have nothing but admiration for those who can make a living from SWP. i couldn't do it. but i can spend hours in the pub playing parlour games for small rewards and personal satisfaction.
QuizMaster wrote:If you look back, you'll find it's only when people start opening up extra threads about it that it tends to annoy me. Or when threads about something else descend into 'let's talkabout Word Up some more'. One Word Up thread is more than enough for any forum.
I'm with QM on this one, but isn't this just a cheap trick to have another thread to talk about Word Up/Soup, and what it takes to be good/bad at it?
I truley admire the skill of those able to clear Word Up/Soup, as this is something that, even with practice, I will never be able to do.
BUT, like the bloke on the bus who sits next to you in the bobble hat droning on about the idle speed of an 18 cylinder Napier Deltic rail traction engine, there comes a time when you should all shut the F**K up.
But that's just it, people don't talk about Word Up just to brag how good they are at it. The game has many nuances, and due to the size of the English language, people have more to say about the game than a game like FFQ where all you can say is how high a score you achieved.
Most of the chat is confined to the Word Up thread, with the exception of the one Cool started and this poll.
On the other hand, on the first page of this forum, there seems to be 4 different threads devoted to Paragons, yet nobody seems the slight bit bothered about that. I wonder why?
How much can a professional/serious quizzer make as a yearly salary? And how does this compare to the salary (and additional benefits) he could make, with the talents required to be a top quizzer, in a 'proper' job?
Regarding sum up, I guess there are two main reasons it got pulled despite having some fans... (i) the average punter will be shit at it and find it totally uninteresting, and consequently (ii) the disparity between a poor player and a great player is huge, so it can easily be forced.
[Though I realise that (ii) applied to most Q&A games]
It's more of a lifestyle choice than anything else. Most of us made enough back in the day that the money is just a way of keeping score now, although recent events i.e the fucking wank interest rates means I'll have to step it up a bit for a while.
Stupid punters. Telly all the week, screw the wife Saturday
Ernest W. Quality wrote:How much can a professional/serious quizzer make as a yearly salary? And how does this compare to the salary (and additional benefits) he could make, with the talents required to be a top quizzer, in a 'proper' job?
The point re additional benefits is a good one but one contrasting issue to consider is that all SWP winnings are tax free. Apart from answering the occasional question from curious bank tellers as to where you got x hundred pound coins from, nobody has to know anything about this form of income.
Personally unless I am having a really bad night I usually 'earn' at a somewhat higher hourly rate than I do in my real job but I have never played the machines full time so don't know how that would change everything; I would certainly need to travel a lot more for one thing.
) and then move on to other more profitable games for the rest of the evening. If only they would reintroduce the lovely Sum Up I would then have the perfect end of session 'warm down' game as well!
For a long time, the installation mode on GamesNets was such that the £20 was not far away if you knew how to get it.
