Paid content in videogames (DLC, loot boxes, passes, currencies, "surprise mechanics" and - new! - pay more or wait!)

Gemini73

BioWare designer on MTs

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017- ... netisation

You need to understand the amount of money that's at play with microtransactions. I'm not allowed to say the number but I can tell you that when Mass Effect 3 multiplayer came out, those card packs we were selling, the amount of money we made just off those card packs was so significant that's the reason Dragon Age has multiplayer, that's the reason other EA products started getting multiplayer that hadn't really had them before, because we nailed it and brought in a ton of money. It's repeatable income versus one-time income.

"I've seen people literally spend $15,000 on Mass Effect multiplayer cards.

Yeah, microtransactions etc aren't going anywhere and unless some kind of regulation is brought in how they're delivered won't change either.

"I've seen people literally spend $15,000 on Mass Effect multiplayer cards.

This is almost certainly not okay

It doesn't surprise me, but I am appalled. They should not have continued to take that person's money.

I hope they got the Ultra Rare character they wanted

Karl wrote:It doesn't surprise me, but I am appalled. They should not have continued to take that person's money.

But karl, its all about player choice and convenience, maybe they were put off by such a big game but wanted to see all of it? EA were just being generous in...no i can't continue this ironic devils advocating.

As an aside to that news, that episode of Waypoint Radio is amazing and I would recommend everyone gives it a listen. That guy talks a lot on exactly these issues, especially at EA.

Cuttooth wrote:As an aside to that news, that episode of Waypoint Radio is amazing and I would recommend everyone gives it a listen. That guy talks a lot on exactly these issues, especially at EA.

The best gaming podcast, hands down. Makes my old regular listen, Daft Souls, sound ridiculously purile in comparison.

Karl wrote:It doesn't surprise me, but I am appalled. They should not have continued to take that person's money.

I agree. Unless it was Bill Gates and he just wanted to show his support for the game

OrangeRakoon wrote:
"I've seen people literally spend $15,000 on Mass Effect multiplayer cards.

This is almost certainly not okay

Maybe it was Zimbabwean dollars?

Another relevant and depressing Jimquisition.

Gemini73

Yep, that was suitably depressing. Still, I've never bought into mobile games and I've recently stopped buying new releases from the AAA industry.

One can only hope that Jim is right (again) and the whole repugnant shithouse that the AAA industry has become comes crashing down around their ears.

7256930752

Gemini73 wrote:Yep, that was suitably depressing. Still, I've never bought into mobile games and I've recently stopped buying new releases from the AAA industry.

One can only hope that Jim is right (again) and the whole repugnant shithouse that the AAA industry has become comes crashing down around their ears.

Dat hyperbole.

Gemini73 wrote:Yep, that was suitably depressing. Still, I've never bought into mobile games and I've recently stopped buying new releases from the AAA industry.

One can only hope that Jim is right (again) and the whole repugnant shithouse that the AAA industry has become comes crashing down around their ears.

Unfortunately I doubt that will happen to such an extent; we've had the mmo crash where all the post-warcraft bandwagoneers either closed or went free to play as well as the MOBA crash with many games trying and failing to get the league/dota money. Mobile gaming and their business models are so unbelievably lucrative that there is no reason for them to stop and it slowly becoming the norm.

I've never watched a jimquisition video that I've liked or even really agreed with

Gemini73

OrangeRakoon wrote:I've never watched a jimquisition video that I've liked or even really agreed with

I'm not a huge follower of Jim's channel and find he does drone on a bit, but he does hit the nail on the head from time to time.

OrangeRakoon wrote:I've never watched a jimquisition video that I've liked or even really agreed with

So none of the stuff about corporate chicanery, anti-consumer practices, egregious microtransactions or general problems like steam's open door policy to awful asset-flippers are a problem?

Edit: worked on this after watching jim's latest:

Gamespotting.

Choose games. Choose a console. Choose a strawberry floating big day 1 dlc schedule, choose unrepresentative footage, special editions, retailer-exclusive preorders, steelbooks, and collectable statues. Choose a limited edition controller in a range of strawberry floating colours. Choose spending hundreds on lootboxes and wondering who the strawberry float you are on Saturday evening. Choose sitting on that couch playing mind-numbing, wallet-crushing games, stuffing strawberry floating junk food that comes with xp boost and item codes on the box into your mouth. Choose youtubers shilling their own unregulated gambling sites to children. Choose the industry rotting away at the end of it all, pissing its last in a miserable state, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, strawberry floated up games as service platforms it spawned to continue itself. Choose your future.

7256930752 · Last edited by 7256930752 on Tue Oct 24, 2017 12:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Choose to ignore the optional loot boxes, DLC and pre order guff and enjoy gaming.

*edit* You make some good points and there are some practises that we need to be wary of but there is a lot of manufactured controversy here. Some of this reeks of the same nonsense that was spouted about FIFA and COD ruining gaming which amounted to nothing more than hard-core gamers getting butt hurt because they didn't like something that was popular.

Trelliz wrote:So none of the stuff about corporate chicanery, anti-consumer practices, egregious microtransactions or general problems like steam's open door policy to awful asset-flippers are a problem?

I generally disagree with the hysterical way he approaches these issues. It's very reactionary and exaggerating.

OrangeRakoon wrote:I generally disagree with the hysterical way (Jim Sterling) approaches these issues. It's very reactionary and exaggerating.

I dunno, OR... to be honest, I think you have to act in that style to get some kinda attention onto the subject. There seems to be little doubt that "AAA" games are quickly incorporating mobile-type money aspects into their fifty-five quid games. Sure, Sterling does (quite literally, sometimes!) make a song and dance about it, but I am more wary of opinions along the lines of "it doesn't matter". It makes me wonder what publishers will try when some folk are apparently totally fine with these approaches.

jawafour wrote:
OrangeRakoon wrote:I generally disagree with the hysterical way (Jim Sterling) approaches these issues. It's very reactionary and exaggerating.

I dunno, OR... to be honest, I think you have to act in that style to get some kinda attention onto the subject. There seems to be little doubt that "AAA" games are quickly incorporating mobile-type money aspects into their fifty-five quid games. Sure, Sterling does (quite literally, sometimes!) make a song and dance about it, but I am more wary of opinions along the lines of "it doesn't matter". It makes me wonder what publishers will try when some folk are apparently totally fine with these approaches.

Agree totally. With these kind of things you need to be thinking what the worst case scenario will be and look at the situation with a big dollop of skepticism, the other side of the coin is a corporation that's sole purpose is to increase their YoY profits after all.

It's reached the point now of not being able to "just ignore it" unless you're prepared to stop buying some of you favourite series (which is easier for some people to do than others). It is also altering the games being offered (last gen it all turned to FPS/3rd person cover shooters, now it's that plus multiplayer only experiences that are a copy and paste of the other game out last week)

Paid content in videogames (DLC, loot boxes, passes, currencies, "surprise mechanics" and - new! - pay more or wait!)

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