The Unfortunate Reality Of Microtransactions, Gambling, And Desperate Publishers (The Jimquisition)

I can't believe Crapcom went and put micro-transactions in DmC5 , after all they got right recently, resi 2 remake, mega man collections . I was considering it as my next game after missing out on all of them,

Ryan Sherwood

I've all but given up hope for BL3 due at this point. BL2 handled post-launch monetization perfectly in my opinion. Multiple, quality campaign add-ons (though Hammerlock's was a bit lackluster), headhunter packs that added less content but for a smaller fee, and a few skins that you could directly purchase for a small fee as well should you desire. The only thing approaching a loot box was the golden chest, and they gave out shitloads of free keys for that on their social media. There wasn't even an option to pay real money, it was just an enticement to follow their updates. GTA:O is one of the most egregious examples of greed in a mainstream game that I've ever seen, and I wish it weren't so because I have legitimately had some of the most fun I've ever had playing video games in that specific game with my friends. I gave it up years ago though, as they fell more and more into the moneygrubbing P2W bullshit that's now come to define it. The cherry on top, the thing that really sealed it shut for me, is the fact that when you're grinding money to buy the exorbitantly priced new content, the game not only allows, but ENCOURAGES other players to come fuck you over. It splays your location on the map, telling them to come kill you, and you are forced to play in public sessions for things like CEO missions so that the game is able to do this. And cherry on the shit cake is that those players don't even get anything for it. It adds a whole new layer of resentment and frustration to know that they basically fucked you out of hours of playtime for no personal gain at all. Say what you will about, say, Sea of Thieves (which is a game I love to hate or hate to love depending on the day), but A: If you fuck someone over it's because you happened across them on the open sea, chased them down, and bested them in combat (which takes more than a jet you paid 30 dollars for), and B: you actually get something out of it, which is their treasure, so it's not an act of pure spite.

McBeard

Thank you, thank you, thank you! 2k deserves this beat down something fierce.

Why would anyone do that? Even "cosmetic" microtransactions are a fraud - particularly when sold in a game where the experience is substantially rooted in or enhanced by things like skins and other customizible stuff. Developers and publishers know full well that the game and the feeling of progression is enhanced by these cosmetic things. That's why they've been a part of games for decades before there were microtransactions - just part of the ordinary progression system that made the game FUN. AAA publishers sell you the shell of game. The "Fun" is your "choice" to pay for if you'd like. How much will it cost to get a full game worth of fun that you thought you were getting for $60-90? Come on down to the casino and find out!!

Brendan K McBride

Well said Jim.

Perpetual Noob

One probably *could* make a game with a purchasable currency that didn't slant the game towards making play onerous without it. But what's the likelihood of a project manager investing the time and care in making sure programmers are working against maximizing profit, even if that means doing the right thing?

Kraken

Pushing a narrative and a mindset and then making yourself out like you're of a victim of that mindset is really insidious

Pinecone

You nail it, Jim. This is nothing but fraud - selling an incomplete, intentionally broken game, holding the rest of the game (the fun part) hostage unless players fork over a bunch more than the $60 they already paid. And then mix in loot boxes - unregulated gambling - and there's no limit to how much a consumer might end up paying to get that game. It's now safe to presume that any game with a significant amount of microtransactions and any amount of loot boxes was intentionally scuttled - as a game - in order to make the "gamers" into little ATMs for the publisher.

Brendan K McBride

Less for more seems to be the way of the world but still don't let criminals roam free.