The Restaurant Game: A Potential Threat?

Amie

Amie

Mac Convert for Life
Could someone please take a look at this and tell me if installing it and playing it would be a potential breach of security on my computer? How do they gather and record players' behavior and mouse clicks and such ... without getting into someone's system???

I actually downloaded it and played it once. Then I did a system-wide search for any embedded components from the game. I found none. Apparently, it doesn't install, per se, but just downloads to your desktop and you play it from there. All components and related items to The Restaurant Game were found only in the folder on my desktop.

Could someone please elaborate on this and let me know if I should be at all concerned? I'm confused on how they see what we're doing and record the information. I read somewhere in the agreement that they record mouse clicks and behaviors and game maneuvers, etc.

Thanks a bunch!

EDIT: Oops, here's the link: http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/32067
 
I wouldn't really be concerned - but how did you search for any embedded components? These components often use completely different words as a name than what the game might be called, so...
 
Ferdinand said:
I wouldn't really be concerned - but how did you search for any embedded components? These components often use completely different words as a name than what the game might be called, so...
Click to expand...

But HOW do they record your data and mouse clicks and such for their research project ... without getting into your system? That feels like a security breach or something. Could you please explain?...
 
They are being recorded on their Servers as you play, not on your machine.

Look in your Log files to see if it has a Log.
 
bobw said:
They are being recorded on their Servers as you play, not on your machine.

Look in your Log files to see if it has a Log.
Click to expand...

See, that's what I don't understand: I'm playing directly from my desktop. The game is an app that downloaded to my desktop, and when I double click on the icon, it launches and I'm playing the game. Right on my desktop. It's not even online or anything like that. So, how can it be server-related?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the whole thing, I don't know. Could you please explain?...
 
I'm no expert on this game, but I would imagine it simply records what you do in the game, then sends this data back to the server whenever you connect. Every game (or any app) needs to track mouse movements to respond to your actions, so it's a trivial matter to then record those clicks. Unless they specifically say that it tracks all your mouse clicks in your entire system, I see no reason to suspect any evil voodoo. So, for example, if you find a lamp in the game interesting enough to click on, they'll know about it. But they will not know what you clicked on in other apps.

I have read a bit about this game, and I thought it was a very neat idea. Nothing about it sounded evil. I haven't actually gotten around to playing it yet, though.
 
Mikuro said:
I'm no expert on this game, but I would imagine it simply records what you do in the game, then sends this data back to the server whenever you connect. Every game (or any app) needs to track mouse movements to respond to your actions, so it's a trivial matter to then record those clicks. Unless they specifically say that it tracks all your mouse clicks in your entire system, I see no reason to suspect any evil voodoo. So, for example, if you find a lamp in the game interesting enough to click on, they'll know about it. But they will not know what you clicked on in other apps.

I have read a bit about this game, and I thought it was a very neat idea. Nothing about it sounded evil. I haven't actually gotten around to playing it yet, though.
Click to expand...

I survived the tutorial and played my first real game. It was fun, but it could've been a lot more fun if: 1) there were more players in that particular game (there were only two interacting characters); and 2) if my waitress wasn't such a snob. LOL
 
I also downloaded the game and tried it out, but I can't get further than the microwave. It says right-click and from the menu, choose "Use". I did that, but the Tutorial doesn't "move on"!
How did you do it Amie?
 
Ferdinand said:
I also downloaded the game and tried it out, but I can't get further than the microwave. It says right-click and from the menu, choose "Use". I did that, but the Tutorial doesn't "move on"!
How did you do it Amie?
Click to expand...

That's weird. Not sure why it's not working for you. I can tell you that sometimes the controls don't work smoothly (I guess this is something that the game designers still haven't perfected), and you have to be in front of the object and facing it in order to use it. Try walking directly in front of it (not from the side) and clicking on the microwave and then selecting "Use" from the menu. Make sure the microwave (or anything else that you interact with) has that green circle around it when you select it. Otherwise it won't work.

Good luck! Keep me posted and let me know how you do.
 
YES! IT WORKED! :)

I finished the tutorial and already played one game - but just as I was getting the bill for the customer, he/she left the game, so I couldn't earn any money.

But a very cool game! I found out, there can always only be two players - I wanted to choose a server with 2 players, and it said "Maximum Players reached - try a different server" or something similar. The second thing is, it doesn't record the behavior of the players. The players themselves do that at the end of the game, as soon as you step on the "Objective made" or whatever square on the sidewalk.
 
LittleSnitch is a "reverse firewall" that snitches on applications as they attempt to access the Internet. It can prevent apps from accessing the Internet too. This kind of functionality is built into commercial firewalls (for Windows, at least) such as ZoneAlarm on Windows.

t
 
dktrickey said:
LittleSnitch is a "reverse firewall" that snitches on applications as they attempt to access the Internet. It can prevent apps from accessing the Internet too. This kind of functionality is built into commercial firewalls (for Windows, at least) such as ZoneAlarm on Windows.

t
Click to expand...

Meaning what? I don't understand what you're saying. I mean, I understand it, but why are you mentioning that here? Are you saying that the Restaurant Game snitches on apps in my system? Also: Why would I want to download LittleSnitch if it prevents my apps from accessing the Internet? I don't get it... :(
 
Ferdinand said:
YES! IT WORKED! :)

I finished the tutorial and already played one game - but just as I was getting the bill for the customer, he/she left the game, so I couldn't earn any money.

But a very cool game! I found out, there can always only be two players - I wanted to choose a server with 2 players, and it said "Maximum Players reached - try a different server" or something similar. The second thing is, it doesn't record the behavior of the players. The players themselves do that at the end of the game, as soon as you step on the "Objective made" or whatever square on the sidewalk.
Click to expand...

Glad you got it to work! :D

I'm also glad that you figured out how it records the players' moves. Now, at least, I know that it's not harmful to my computer.
 
Amie, you could use the snitching program to check up on the behavior of The Restaurant Game.
 
Qion said:
Amie, you could use the snitching program to check up on the behavior of The Restaurant Game.
Click to expand...

Ah ... gotcha. The other poster made it sound like the snitching program was a bad thing to have. At least, that's how it sounded to me. I obviously misunderstood. Thanks!
 
Amie said:
Ah ... gotcha. The other poster made it sound like the snitching program was a bad thing to have. At least, that's how it sounded to me. I obviously misunderstood. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Also i think that the game only records (if it does) its own information, not those of other applications. So your security is oke (online interactive software always exchanges information - otherwise you nor others would not know what was going on). Chatting exchanges text messages (no problem), but if applications can be shared (like msn can - security is in risk - some kind of virus is swirling around right now for msn). Games in general only exchange information and the risk is very low (unless some confidential information is relayed).

Unless you can track exactly what information is exchanged, tracking is not very reliable in preventing security breaches, only in finding possible breaches.


Have a nice game and do not worry to much i guess, it does seem harmless to me, good luck, Kees
 
Kees Buijs said:
Also i think that the game only records (if it does) its own information, not those of other applications. So your security is oke (online interactive software always exchanges information - otherwise you nor others would not know what was going on). Chatting exchanges text messages (no problem), but if applications can be shared (like msn can - security is in risk - some kind of virus is swirling around right now for msn). Games in general only exchange information and the risk is very low (unless some confidential information is relayed).

Unless you can track exactly what information is exchanged, tracking is not very reliable in preventing security breaches, only in finding possible breaches.


Have a nice game and do not worry to much i guess, it does seem harmless to me, good luck, Kees
Click to expand...

OK, that makes sense, and I understand what you're saying. But ... HOW does the game record information? I'm not sure I understand HOW exactly the information is recorded on one's computer and relayed/sent back to the developers of the game. Like I said, it doesn't play via the Internet, so it's not an online recording of info. I simply downloaded it to my desktop, and all I have to do is double click on the icon ... and, viola, I'm playing the game. It has nothing to do with the Internet, so again, I must ask: HOW do these developers gather and record information from other people computers?

(I hope that made sense.)
 
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