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

I just think the general doomsaying attitude to the industry doesn't reflect the reality, where 2017 might be the best singular year I've experienced in gaming - primarily singleplayer gaming at that.

OrangeRakoon wrote:I just think the general doomsaying attitude to the industry doesn't reflect the reality, where 2017 might be the best singular year I've experienced in gaming - primarily singleplayer gaming at that.

I agree about the high number of quality games around, OR - I'm having a ton of fun with a few of the title that have hit during this year! - but, in my eyes, gamers (the mass market, not die-hard gamers such as here in GR) need to sit up and take notice of just how publishers are changing the approach to buying games. Companies will, naturally, seek to prise every last penny they can out of customers and gaming companies see gambling*, such as loot boxes, as a means of raking in the dough.

* Legally it's not gambling but we all know that it is.

Gemini73 · Last edited by Gemini73 on Tue Oct 24, 2017 2:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

jawafour wrote:
OrangeRakoon wrote:I just think the general doomsaying attitude to the industry doesn't reflect the reality, where 2017 might be the best singular year I've experienced in gaming - primarily singleplayer gaming at that.

I agree about the high number of quality games around, OR - I'm having a ton of fun with a few of the title that have hit during this year! - but, in my eyes, gamers (the mass market, not die-hard gamers such as here in GR) need to sit up and take notice of just how publishers are changing the approach to buying games. Companies will, naturally, seek to prise every last penny they can out of customers and gaming companies see gambling*, such as loot boxes, as a means of raking in the dough.

* Legally it's not gambling but we all know that it is.

The real problem, as I see it, is that publishers are pushing how they deliver extra content as the absolute norm for modern gaming, and for a whole generation of younger gamers it absolutely is. We joked the other day about how far publishers are willing to push the boundaries, ie "pay to remove the ads" in full price games, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to wake up one morning to discover that what was once solely a mobile games stream of revenue has become a reality for full priced, AAA titles.

To me its the principle - i haven't played shadow of war, forza 7, won't get battlefront 2 etc but its just gross; especially how its hidden behind smiling devs on preview streams or couched in friendly terms in press releases. At least if they were honest about just wanting to make more money i'd begrudgingly respect these companies more. As it stands all these games are becoming the same homogenised ur-game with numerous currencies, lockboxes and padded out with extraneous bullshit to facilitate scraping more money out of people, and watching jim's latest i'm amazed more people aren't more concerned about it coming for their game of choice - imagine that kind of predatory matchmaking in splatoon or mario kart, or in pubg. That kind of fundamental microtransaction class war undermines the "its just cosmetic" argument completely if the games themselves match you with flashy players to try to get you to spend more to be the same.

Trelliz wrote:i'm amazed more people aren't more concerned about it coming for their game of choice - imagine that kind of predatory matchmaking in splatoon or mario kart, or in pubg. That kind of fundamental microtransaction class war undermines the "its just cosmetic" argument completely if the games themselves match you with flashy players to try to get you to spend more to be the same.

Well considering it's now an activision patent, I think we don't have to worry about it being used in splatoon or mario kart

OrangeRakoon wrote:Well considering it's now an activision patent, I think we don't have to worry about it being used in splatoon or mario kart

Just because activision have owned up to it, it doesn't mean that others, including nintendo, aren't looking at ways to weaponise even cosmetic items for more cash money - there's no evidence of it however publishers like EA and WB have done nothing to engender my trust or respect.

I was just joking that that exact predatory behaviour has been patented by activision specifically so that only they can implement it (not that they have). I'm sure others are looking at other, similar but non-infringing methods

Gemini73

Interview with the Whale. Pretty interesting.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017- ... -the-whale

Gemini73

Government respond to gambling in video games...

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017- ... s-petition

Eurogamer wrote:Though it has taken nearly three weeks for the response to arrive...

The temerity! strawberry floaters should have had a response from all relevant departments within 24 hours!

I’m not sure I can quite believe this.

Apparently, Call of Duty: WW II has a daily mission called Loot Spectator in which you are tasked with watching three other players open loot boxes.

I do wonder just how much further publishers are going to go with this. Incredible.

jawafour wrote:I’m not sure I can quite believe this.

Apparently, Call of Duty: WW II has a daily mission called Loot Spectator in which you are tasked with watching three other players open loot boxes.

I do wonder just how much further publishers are going to go with this. Incredible.

jawafour wrote:I’m not sure I can quite believe this.

Apparently, Call of Duty: WW II has a daily mission called Loot Spectator in which you are tasked with watching three other players open loot boxes.

I do wonder just how much further publishers are going to go with this. Incredible.

But they're just optional and have no impact on the game at all.

Seriously though, to answer your question; as far as they strawberry floating can. Making players part of their pyramid scheme of envy and jealousy is a logical next step to just making even more money.

Daily missions are trash anyway, it's not really surprising

The thing is, although folk like us here in GR and on other gaming forums know about this stuff and can decide whether or not to buy the game(s) because of it, but in the mass market they have no idea that such “features” are in the game and they will just buy it. These mobile-like, money-driven approaches are now insidious in console gaming and it’s happening at such great pace.

I can’t quite believe this latest revelation about Call of Duty... it is like an internet joke! :lol:

.

...

.

I have definitely paid to win before; i've easily put over £100 into Star Trek Online over the years and that some overt stuff like this. If someone gets the rare ship from a lootbox then everyone gets a message saying so, however you can turn those off. I didn't gamble on the crates often, instead you got the crates free but had to buy the keys which you could just sell for ingame money instead. There are periodic events with super-rare ships in crates, which became the best real money to ingame currency conversion because everyone wanted them. At least that had some flexibility because its an mmo with an economy rather than just buying stuff and having others watch which is like virtual dogging...

Trelliz wrote:...just buying stuff and having others watch which is like virtual dogging...

Now I know why that dog was introduced in CoD: Ghosts. They were warming us up for this :lol:

.

jawafour wrote:
Trelliz wrote:...just buying stuff and having others watch which is like virtual dogging...

Now I know why that dog was introduced in CoD: Ghosts. They were warming us up for this .

Jawa goes dogging with an actual dog? :dread:

Gemini73

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

Who is online

Affiliates