I wish we lived in a universe, where these platforms can exist on their own, without falling into the trap of needing financial support from literal satan, in companies like Fandom
that universe requires people to pay money for content rather than having advertiser funded content that people will just block anyway. which in 2023 isn’t going to happen
If these were all getting financial support from a large company, why did they all switch on more ads, newsletters, anti-adblockers, and subscription prompts at basically the same time? Must’ve been only crumbs, I think they will move on and be better off. A few less click-bait titles in the aggregators are all that is lost I suppose.
The games “news” coverage system is a-changin’ again, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Large companies are driven by one thing and only one thing. Shareholder value. So they and their subsidiaries will implement policies that drive shareholder value at the cost of everything else.
I wouldn’t say its that bad. Various forms of collectibles/cards have been around for a long time. Asking for gametime for a game like WoW isn’t exactly a new phenomenon.
I think it’s just that there are a few specific examples that stand out. Some aspects of Roblox can be pretty concerning.
But if a kid just wants some money for a skin for Fornite, or to buy a specific world setup for Minecraft, I don’t necessarily see that as some scary new thing.
While I hate slippery slopes, this is an historic trend. They squeeze in little ones that don’t seem so bad. I accept no games with these predatory or greedy models and I’d argue that kids shouldn’t be subjected to them.
Just dropping a gift recommendation for younger kids with a Nintendo Switch. Kirby and the Forgotten Land. A few years old at this point, but my two younger kids still play the heck out of it. It’s wholesome, and doesn’t have any in game purchases or online subscription.
My parents refused to enable me to get into the glorified gambling of trading card games and frankly I was better off for this. I’ve seen people waking up realizing they had spent hundreds to thousands on cardboard designed to be replaced and deeply regretting it. That is while having cardboard to regret buying. Imagine what happens to these kids if the game they spent all their gift cards on closes down and takes it all down the drain.
Meanwhile there were gifts like games and D&D books that let me have fun for a long time as complete packages without needing additional expenditures to enjoy.
There are things kids can like and dislike, and we should keep that in mind. But as adults we should also take some responsibility for cutting through the bulshit of manipulative marketing. They aim these things at children because children only see their immediate excitement and wonder, but not the sleazy business behind it.
Meanwhile there were gifts like games and D&D books that let me have fun for a long time as complete packages without needing additional expenditures to enjoy.
I see that kid-you never got into the world of gaming accessories.
When I bought dice sets there was never the risk of missing out on the Ultra Rare d4 and being unable to use Magic Missile because of that. I might not have always gotten everything I wanted, but I got what I needed and I didn’t need to pay a subscrption to continue playing.
That’s not how the Covid vaccines work. It’s all a game of probabilities and you can still get sick. They may also help you get more easily through the sickness, but it’s not a guarantee. Previously having additional health issues and age are also factors to take into account.
So maybe his concerns aren’t completely without base.
And even if vaccines reduce the risk of long COVID, the risk is still there. 1 in 10 COVID cases leads to long COVID. It’s about layers of protection against COVID, one of which is vaccines. The others are masks/respirators, good indoor air quality, testing, UVC lights, staying home if one is sick and so on.
Well,
especially if he has additional health issues he should go for his vaccine. Of course it's not a guarantee, but it lowers the risk for a serious illness significantly.
And it's still not an excuse to stay away from a courtroom.
The same can’t be said of the iOS App Store. Still has garbage on it, but I’d bet that games are far more successful on the iOS platform for a multitude of reasons.
If I remember correctly, at the time Valve justified the 30% by pointing out that Apple was charging the same for music and video content. And Valve immediately started building value-added services like forums, updaters, multiplayer support, achievements, etc. to justify the price.
If you compare what Valve was doing to the physical media distribution methods of the period, it was a MASSIVE improvement. Back then, you could sell 10000 units to Ingram Micro or PC Mall, or whatever, and you only got paid if they sold. And any unsold inventory would be destroyed and the reseller would never pay for it. And if you actually wanted anything other than a single-line entry in their catalogs, you paid a promotional fee. Those video games featured with a standup display or a poster in the window at the computer store? None of that was free; the developer was nickeled and dimed for every moment their game was featured in any premium store space.
Everyone’s wondering where we went wrong as a society but honestly a year of game pass during a time of my life where I didn’t get new games very often sounds way better than getting like three games for Christmas.
gamesindustry.biz
Aktywne