When people can pay ten times the cost of a whole-ass game, for one tiny thing in a game they already bought, and any one game pushes a thousand such absurd schemes - scam is the closest word I know.
The money being taken is hilariously disconnected from any form of value or cost, even when it’s not something literally free, like letting you modify your own character on your own computer. It was a bit much when The Sims and a couple expansions could run you a couple hundred dollars. When buying everything in one generic game totals the cost of a fucking house, that’s a crime with more steps.
Let’s go with a simple approach: is anyone giving money for something where they don’t fully understand what they are getting in return. That is, they don’t know they are getting a decoration or unlocking a character or whatever?
People are getting tricked into spending money on bullshit. As a multi-billion-dollar industry, often for things with literally zero cost.
If you want to split hairs about why scam isn’t quite the right word for that rampant abuse, then propose an alternative or stop bickering. I’m not interested in prescriptivist semantics on this recently-invented intolerable greed.
If you have any serious defense of this abuse besides fixating on word choice then I’ve yet to hear it.
I’m fine with things like expansions costing real money. I’m not fine with things like cosmetics and upgrades costing real money. If they want to sell expansions in the game, I’m cool with that.
I draw the line at mixing in-game currency w/ real currency. In-game currency is a mechanic to manage progression and customizations. Real currency is for buying more content.
Nothing inside a video game should cost real money.
Only legislation will fix this.
That’s what you want to fix? Companies trying new monetization strats?
Variations on a scam.
It’s not exactly a scam, though, is it. Are the game companies committing fraud?
When people can pay ten times the cost of a whole-ass game, for one tiny thing in a game they already bought, and any one game pushes a thousand such absurd schemes - scam is the closest word I know.
The money being taken is hilariously disconnected from any form of value or cost, even when it’s not something literally free, like letting you modify your own character on your own computer. It was a bit much when The Sims and a couple expansions could run you a couple hundred dollars. When buying everything in one generic game totals the cost of a fucking house, that’s a crime with more steps.
Let’s go with a simple approach: is anyone giving money for something where they don’t fully understand what they are getting in return. That is, they don’t know they are getting a decoration or unlocking a character or whatever?
Rejected.
So you agree it’s not fraud?
Wrong.
People are getting tricked into spending money on bullshit. As a multi-billion-dollar industry, often for things with literally zero cost.
If you want to split hairs about why scam isn’t quite the right word for that rampant abuse, then propose an alternative or stop bickering. I’m not interested in prescriptivist semantics on this recently-invented intolerable greed.
If you have any serious defense of this abuse besides fixating on word choice then I’ve yet to hear it.
I’m fine with things like expansions costing real money. I’m not fine with things like cosmetics and upgrades costing real money. If they want to sell expansions in the game, I’m cool with that.
I draw the line at mixing in-game currency w/ real currency. In-game currency is a mechanic to manage progression and customizations. Real currency is for buying more content.