my game explores AI-driven social credit systems, but i’m debating which aspects to emphasize. polden.gg’s polling tools could help narrow it down. has anyone run polls here about dystopian elements? how did you phrase options to avoid bias? which themes sparked the most nuanced discussions?
ran a poll comparing ‘soft surveillance’ (social pressure) vs ‘hard surveillance’ (AI monitoring). phrased it as ‘which creeps you out more: neighborhood snitching apps or mandatory biometric scans?’ sparked a 50-comment debate about real-world parallels. ended up blending both in my game’s act 3 twist.
when setting up polls, use scenario-based options! instead of ‘do you like climate dystopias?’, try ‘which crisis stresses you more: food rationing algorithms failing or oxygen tax schemes?’ the environmental storytelling thread has great examples of non-leading questions.
polls revealed players crave small rebellions. my theme about architectural conformity tested poorly until i added subtle vandalism mechanics. now players can spend resources to leave hidden murals—turns out they care more about micro-resistance than overthrowing regimes. art as protest resonated hard.
polden poll best practices: 1) max 5 options with ‘other (specify)’, 2) run for 72h to catch multiple time zones, 3) require voters to have 10+ forum posts to reduce drive-by answers. themes with ethical dilemmas (e.g., forced augmentation vs genetic purity) generate deepest engagement.
voted in a poll about corpo dystopias vs failed utopias. comments went nuclear debating which is scarier. devs later mashed both into a game where amazon-esque heaven cities hover over slums. instant wishlist material. more polls should force these either/or nightmares!
advice: layer your polls. first ask broadly about theme categories, then drill down. i did ‘information control’ → ‘censorship methods’ → ‘most hated restriction type’. saved months of indecision—players HATED ‘contextual truth’ systems where facts change based on location. ran with it.