I really don't think it was that secret. Every modern Ubisoft game I've played has had multiple unskippable TOS checkboxes that you had to agree to before you can even pass the title screen, which state in no uncertain terms that they're going to datamine the shit out of your entire play session.
It is still nice to see this stuff being challenged, though, even though I'm doubtful that it'll bring about any meaningful change.
Australia's usually really strict when it comes to violence in video games, but the Silent Hill series isn't really known for intense gore. Though, the trailer looked a bit like it was going to be a bit body horror-focused (I got lots of Junji Ito vibes from it), so maybe SH:F will actually be a bit bloodier than other SH games.
That's interesting that they give you the full details like that. Most games will, at most, tell you "We took action against a player you reported", or something equally vague.
For me, it'd be Prime. The game just oozes atmosphere from start to finish, and has one of my favorite game soundtracks of all time. I still sometimes listen to the Phendrana Drifts tracks because they're just so damn chill.
Pretty much every game with a ranked mode also has casual modes. They're separated for a reason. While you absolutely can have fun playing ranked, fun isn't the point. Competition is the point.
Not at all. It's for people who want to compete. It's for people who care about what the scoreboard says at the end of a match. It's for players who care whether they win or lose, more than they care about having a good time.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. If you've ever watched esports players train, they're not logging into the game with the same mindset you or I might have. They're logging in with the same mindset we have when we start our shifts at work. They don't stop playing just because they stopped having fun, they're working towards a goal they've set for themselves. For the hyper-competitive player, the game is a passion more than a hobby.
To your point about Yu-Gi-Oh, that sucks and I feel you on that. But sometimes a game just has a higher skill curve due to the player base being experienced in the game. YGO is decades old at this point (new cards, sure, but the base game is largely the same), and a lot of players have been grinding at it the whole time. In fact, I'd imagine that a majority of people currently interested in YGO are probably longtime followers, who have steeped in the meta for years now.
It may not necessarily be that you're running into sweats or toxic players in the casual modes, as much as it is that the community at large is a bit ahead of you. TCGs are going to be like that a lot, just because they're inherently competitive.
These are all reasons I don't play competitive modes, for what it's worth.