Computer games.

[Disgruntledgoat]

Imagine if you bought a book on Kindle but you had to pay extra for "DLC chapters". Of you had to roll an in-app slot machine to get the font choice you want.

It's insane when you think about what gaming gets away with, because it's largely unregulated. They have literal gambling in them now, but justify it because "you always get something". Like the FIFA Ultimate Team packs, where you want Messi but you can't buy Messi, so you gamble for him - your payout ends up being the Huddersfield reserve left back, but it's not gambling because you "got something", right?

It's like saying if a fruit machine printed out a cardboard picture with a smiley face every time you put in £2, then it's not really gambling because you "always get something".

It's hideous. Proper bizarre to me how people can't see it.

This sounds worryingly like my Football Manager dealings.

 

[McBain]

Because it's predatory. Gaming used to be escapism; you bought the product and you had the full product to enjoy, to escape from every day life into a form of entertainment.

Now it's the complete opposite.

You say people "nowadays" want all these "extra goodies" - no, they simply want to be able to buy the thing as advertised. The original Crash Team Racing 20 years ago had unlockable courses, extra characters and so on - they were the advertised product. This new one? They sold it based on a lie - that there were no microtransactions - and then added them after purchase, meaning physical copies of the game should be illegal as they make no mention of in-app purchases. There's nothing "extra" in modern gaming - they've simply had features stripped away to be sold piecemeal.

I bought my brother that game, thinking it was safe from this nonsense. I was lied to. I was literally missold a product. 20 years ago, this didn't happen - the worst was you could buy a 'bad' game, that's it. This isn't progress.

So you cant play the game? Or is the extra fluff?

20 year ago they didn’t have the online power to do this. You bought the game and you play it. You wanna unlock extra stuff you pay some extra dollars.

I don’t understand wanting to keep designers and computer people in work but not wanting to pay them for the extras they work around the clock to privide. You don’t want the extras don’t buy them?

 

[larrygobfiend]

So you cant play the game? Or is the extra fluff?

20 year ago they didn’t have the online power to do this. You bought the game and you play it. You wanna unlock extra stuff you pay some extra dollars.

I don’t understand wanting to keep designers and computer people in work but not wanting to pay them for the extras they work around the clock to privide. You don’t want the extras don’t buy them?

Oh please. Most of the "extras" are cosmetic or parts of the game that are already there, but locked away. Games are expensive enough in the first place and most of these practices are in place to exploit children.

 

[McBain]

Oh please. Most of the "extras" are cosmetic or parts of the game that are already there, but locked away. Games are expensive enough in the first place and most of these practices are in place to exploit children.

So who are you to tell a company what to do with them? If you dont like the product dont buy it. The game could be a load of crap, you take that risk every time you buy a game.

People just getting so upset over everything lately.

 

[orly]

McEdgy

 

[McBain]

McEdgy

Frandindexeldidlydinho

 

[McBain]

The bit where he gets upset about not being able to show his Crash Bandicoot skins to his mates coz he has to buy them.

 

[efcste97]

So you cant play the game? Or is the extra fluff?
20 year ago they didn’t have the online power to do this. You bought the game and you play it. You wanna unlock extra stuff you pay some extra dollars.

I don’t understand wanting to keep designers and computer people in work but not wanting to pay them for the extras they work around the clock to privide. You don’t want the extras don’t buy them?

They have literally put a pay wall behind content that was previously free. Activation specifically said they wouldn't be adding micro-transactions to the game but have done so anyway. But let's defend the multi-billion £ publisher I guess.

 

[McBain]

They have literally put a pay wall behind content that was previously free. Activation specifically said they wouldn't be adding micro-transactions to the game but have done so anyway. But let's defend the multi-billion £ publisher I guess.

Well fair enough but let them know if you think its unfair. Didnt EA do the same thing and then change it? You never actually own the content of anything you buy, despite the illusion of ‘owning’ it.

 

[efcste97]

Well fair enough but let them know if you think its unfair. Didnt EA do the same thing and then change it? You never actually own the content of anything you buy, despite the illusion of ‘owning’ it.

It's just another of many examples of the greed of game publishers.

 

[McBain]

It's just another of many examples of the greed of game publishers.

I actually can’t fault them or any company for trying to get the most out of their titles. A point was made earlier about movies never doing that but they do. You have to keep upgrading it into whatever format is new and now pay to stream stuff. Paying for the same thing over and over.

 

[Tubey]

I actually can’t fault them or any company for trying to get the most out of their titles. A point was made earlier about movies never doing that but they do. You have to keep upgrading it into whatever format is new and now pay to stream stuff. Paying for the same thing over and over.

Not the same thing and demonstrates your misunderstanding of the issue.

Gaming has always had incremental hardware changes from the earliest days - Atari to NES, NES to SNES and so on. The SEGA Channel was a streaming platform back in the 90s that streamed games - that's simply a method of delivery, not a microtransaction.

What's egregious is the implementation of gambling mechanics and incremental costs to games that have ratings indicating they're suitable for children. Unless you think allowing your kids to gamble at a casino sounds reasonable, because the casino has a right to get the most out of their facility, then you aren't understanding the issue.

And this isn't a "won't anybody think of the children" thing here either - it exploits those with addictive personalities who buy games with no expectations of being exploited with gambling or addiction mechanics. Even for the "normal" buyer it makes purchasing harder because these features are now not advertised in advance, meaning you can buy a product and not get the product you were told you were getting going in.

This isn't me being against businesses making money. It's how they do it - via predatory practices and exploitation.

 

[efcste97]

I actually can’t fault them or any company for trying to get the most out of their titles. A point was made earlier about movies never doing that but they do. You have to keep upgrading it into whatever format is new and now pay to stream stuff. Paying for the same thing over and over.

Streaming services have made 1000s of movies and tv shows accessible for a reasonable price, totally incomparable.

 

[McBain]

Not the same thing and demonstrates your misunderstanding of the issue.

Gaming has always had incremental hardware changes from the earliest days - Atari to NES, NES to SNES and so on. The SEGA Channel was a streaming platform back in the 90s that streamed games - that's simply a method of delivery, not a microtransaction.

What's egregious is the implementation of gambling mechanics and incremental costs to games that have ratings indicating they're suitable for children. Unless you think allowing your kids to gamble at a casino sounds reasonable, because the casino has a right to get the most out of their facility, then you aren't understanding the issue.

And this isn't a "won't anybody think of the children" thing here either - it exploits those with addictive personalities who buy games with no expectations of being exploited with gambling or addiction mechanics. Even for the "normal" buyer it makes purchasing harder because these features are now not advertised in advance, meaning you can buy a product and not get the product you were told you were getting going in.

This isn't me being against businesses making money. It's how they do it - via predatory practices and exploitation.

You’re talking about gambling and I’m misunderstanding. How is paying $2 for a Banana Skin for my racer gambling?

 

[McBain]

Streaming services have made 1000s of movies and tv shows accessible for a reasonable price, totally incomparable.

You’ve just bought the same content times and you still think you own it? Or the extras that are now only available on the 4k blu-ray.