[avl999]

> What happened to us, as a society, that creates the expectation that a thing should be monetized?

The point is if he doesn't monetize it, someone else who works around the legalize and is less ethical about it will. It is going to very likely get monetized one way or the other, the only question is if the creator (for whom is is obviously a labor of love) is gonna monetize or someone else looking to make a buck.

[tp69]

Just because many people drive above the speed limit, doesn't mean you need to. Just because people dribble shit on twitter, doesn't mean you need to. Just because rich morons stick jade eggs into their vaginas, doesn't mean you need to. Just because there are greedy scumbags in the world, doesn't mean you need to be one too.

"But, but, someone's going to do it!" isn't even remotely a valid argument against having morals and ethics.

[Shugarl]

How does profiting from something valuable you created somehow makes you a greedy scumbag ? Besides, you're not addressing the main point : Someone is going to "steal" most of his hard labor, and will profit from it.

[juancb]

So if he monetizes it then others won't try to "steal" his hard work?

[Rastonbury]

You can look at it like this: Most people get paid for the work they do, doesn't mean you need to.

Sure but there are reasons people work for money, often times out of necessity, but also greed.

Is it immoral or unethical to chose to profit from Wordle? I think most would say not

[birdyrooster]

Consider Dwarf Fortress. It’s currently not monetized (directly) and yet no one can come in and steal the business for themselves because nothing can replace Dwarf Fortress without an incredible investment. Wordle is basic as hell and was never built to be competitive in a market place. I bet the author would have lost to competition so quickly that the profits wouldn’t be as great as a lot of people think.

[Moru]

It's not an original idea either so it would be a hard battle to fight for any sort of rights. Kids (and adults) have been playing this and very similar concepts for decades with pen and paper.