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I hate what video games have become

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Re: I hate what video games have become

#381

Post by AlexandrB »

Lazare wrote: post #204
flohofwoe wrote: post #186

This is just a self-inflicted bubble problem. There are now so many interesting games without any dark patterns on Steam alone that one can spend an entire lifetime playing awesome games without ever encountering a single loot box, just step a bit outside the AAA and mobile bubbles.

Quite right. If there's a golden age of video gaming, we're living in it now. The sheer quantity of quality, innovative games out there is almost absurd.

I disagree. There are previously popular genres that are either in sharp decline or basically dead (RTS comes to mind). Other genres (MMOs) have been almost completely taken over by games with freemium models and there are few options available if you're not into that. Finally, games on the world's most popular computing/gaming platform in the world (cell phones) are almost all freemium/gacha. This is extremely disappointing.

The indie scene is, indeed, vibrant - but there's a limit to the kinds of games that can come from a small team with a small budget. Meanwhile, extensive monetization is creeping into more and more big franchises and studios. See: the recent Gran Turismo 7 controversy.

Re: I hate what video games have become

#382

Post by XCSme »

I think the given example is really bad, Rocket League does free-to-play in one of the best ways possibles. I never spend any money on their IAPs nor do I care about them, I still feel like I have access to more customization/items than I have the time to use.

A "better" example are games that have the goal of progression (e.g. city builders, like Clash of Clans) and then simply lock that progression behind a paywall, giving you the option to either wait for hours or pay a "small" amount to skip waiting.

Re: I hate what video games have become

#383

Post by rovek »

OtomotO wrote: post #151

As a (non game) developer, I can say, thay free to play is instantly dead on arrival for me. The moment something is known to become or becomes free to play is the moment I lose all interest. The dishonesty in the system itself is what makes this unbearable for me. Developers need to eat, Managers need to eat, Marketeers need to eat... And sometimes psychologists doing evil mindtricks and supporting gambling addictio…

For me the biggest negative to F2P is in competitive games, so especially Rocket League in this case, because being F2P means that the competitive element and matchmaking system is 100% worthless.

Re: I hate what video games have become

#384

Post by mmacvicarprett »

You are missing one big and relevant point, the goal is not to get money for every small change but that now nobody needs to pay $20 to play the game. It is done to grow the game but by drastically increasing its reach. For a competitive multiplayer game that is a very good thing.

Re: I hate what video games have become

#386

Post by some_random »

sofixa wrote: post #163
OtomotO wrote: post #151

As a (non game) developer, I can say, thay free to play is instantly dead on arrival for me. The moment something is known to become or becomes free to play is the moment I lose all interest. The dishonesty in the system itself is what makes this unbearable for me. Developers need to eat, Managers need to eat, Marketeers need to eat... And sometimes psychologists doing evil mindtricks and supporting gambling addictio…

I disagree. There are ways to do it in which it's obvious where the business model is, and it isn't too forceful or gambling. The World of Tanks/Battleships/Warplanes series, are free to play, with progression through experience ( you unlock higher level machines based on xp points you accumulate through playing and success at it), or through paying to go up the ladder faster or unlock special machines. You can play…

Those games absolutely nickel and dime you. Get a new tank? Want to use your old, well trained crew? Pay up premium currency. Garage slots cost money, crew quarters cost money, they have that weird experience system that costs money, etc. Not to mention that the grind gets insane at high tiers, you certainly _can_ play exclusively f2p but there are a shit ton of hooks to get you to pay up.

Re: I hate what video games have become

#387

Post by cruano »

mcphage wrote: post #295
telchior wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair criticism, but one that is only relevant in the first place because of freemium. Prior to that business model, there was no such thing as a company continuing to provide regular, ongoing support to a 7 year old game of the non-subscription variety. I mean, how or why would they? You release something; it makes 90% of its lifetime revenue in year 1; if you continue working on it for 6 more years, you're out of bu…

> there was no such thing as a company continuing to provide regular, ongoing support to a 7 year old game of the non-subscription variety. Minecraft still gets significant updates. > I mean, how or why would they? You release something; it makes 90% of its lifetime revenue in year 1; if you continue working on it for 6 more years, you're out of business. I think a lot of these companies have found that it's the oppo…

Minecraft also has a marketplace, and a "Realms" subscription, and you can purchase it on different platforms if you want to play like that so there's plenty of ways to keep revenue coming

Re: I hate what video games have become

#388

Post by jcranmer »

mcphage wrote: post #304
nprateem wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Speaking of which EU4 is currently on humble bundle. You can get it and all DLC for £20 https://www.humblebundle.com/games/europa-universalis-iv-com...

Or... you could just buy it all from Steam, where right now it's going for only... $384.89. Huh.

If you're going to pick up EU4, wait until one of the times it goes on sale (it does so frequently). You'll be able to get a bundle with the main game and most of the expansions for ~75% off the bundle price (itself a decent discount over buying everything individually).

Re: I hate what video games have become

#389

Post by matheusmoreira »

ikurei wrote: post #290
nopcode wrote: post #254

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A better phrasing is whether they offer a competitive advantage.

Why? Why is competitive advantage the only thing that matters? OP is just ranting about people who pay more getting a better experience, making paying such a central part of gaming. They just hate this, which I agree with, although I know others don't. In a way, getting a better experience just for being able and willing to pay more is a basic feature of our society. Why should we expect videogames, being as expensiv…

> Why? Why is competitive advantage the only thing that matters?

Because it determines whether free players can still compete with paying customers.

There's no problem with a paid weapon skin that just looks cool since everyone is still on a level playing field. If that paid skin gives the user double damage then you've created 2 classes of players and one of them is superior. In such cases, the only reason free players even exist is to serve as fodder for your paying customers. They're there to get wrecked.

Re: I hate what video games have become

#390

Post by colechristensen »

xboxnolifes wrote: post #327
holler wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One complaint I've had with RL recently is that it seems like they've put all their energy into new visuals and cosmetics while leaving the game mostly unchanged. The standard multi ranked map sometimes feels boring and I've wondered why they don't add different types of maps to the mix; spheres, tubes, different physics, goals in the center, figure 8 map(?), embankments (like map in season 1), etc. I guess it's simp…

> The standard multi ranked map sometimes feels boring and I've wondered why they don't add different types of maps to the mix; spheres, tubes, different physics, goals in the center, figure 8 map(?), embankments (like map in season 1), etc. They tried. Wasteland, Neo Tokyo, and Starbase ARC were non-standard maps. Players complained about it, and now they are changed to be standard.

I liked wasteland, any other attempts were irritating.
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