I highly doubt a social network would ever lack incentive for increased engagement (via shock value and toxicity or otherwise) in a non-capitalist society.

They may gain popularity, societal influence, or whatever else instead of money. They’re still motivated to deepen that connection.

I think this is the problem gooner games have run into.

Like the Neptunia games. They are not great games at all by any measure. But the only people that would publically post reviews of them are likely going to review them positively.

I get a lot of good information from bad reviews, just by having a bit of introspection.

“This game is too easy!!”
Oh, that’s okay, I was looking for something easier.

“Two body types!!”
Oh, wow, so the only people that hate it are bigots.

“If you die once to the first boss, then it kneecaps your stats and you get no healing items for half the game.”
Wait, what…? But everyone else loves the game. Is this true?
“lol it’s fine, only scrubs die to the first boss, if you do just restart the 3-hour intro.”
Are these reviewers paid!? No thanks.

I was a mega-fan of both Ori 1 and 2. I’ve got a mug based on the first game, but when I first saw the trailer for this game, nothing about it interested me. Kind of like the Xbox 360 era of “brown and gray cover shooters” I’ve never understood the appeal for grim, depressing medieval worlds. I like having some vibrancy and inventiveness, as well as some motivation behind the violence used to achieve some end.

One of the only Soulslike games I’ve finished is Another Crab’s Treasure. The story/setting in that game ends up being pretty depressing, but it at least maintains a lot of humor and colorful design.

What’s more, I looked through the negative reviews, and a lot of them touch on incomplete or over-punishing systems, rather than seeming motivated by external factors.

I wouldn’t see it SO negatively. If they were paying people for reviews, then yes, that’s corruption; but every YouTuber uses phrases like “Drop a like” and it’s considered normal. When you worked hard on something, I think it’s common to ask for a positive review. People are sentient enough to choose whether to do so.

The baby muffin scribbled words of admiration on his dad’s wrapper. He sees it, and doesn’t want to take it to work. Next panel suggests he’s about to change his mind from seeing his son’s disappointment - but then last panel switches it up, having him steal his son’s wrapper, put him in the one he drew on, and head off.

The most secure device ever made is a Rock.

You cannot have your bank account stolen from a Rock. People will never get your personal files or medical info from a Rock. People will never spy on you through the Rock.

But you also can’t do much with a Rock.

I’ve definitely boycotted companies, but try to make sure my reasoning is sent as high as it can, and even then try to direct it to the company itself rather than whoever I have on the phone.

My advice, since as others have said inkjets are trash: If you only need to print something every so often, use your local library. Easier if you live close to one, and still a hassle loading it on a thumb drive, but to me it’s easier than having a printer taking up space in my home.

Maybe I’m bitter, but I’m still not ready to forgive them for their treatment of Mick Gordon. Plus, they’re part of Microsoft Studios, who are now openly okay with genocide.

A book I was just reading told a story of how the Massachusetts church was trying for a long time to build more affordable housing, and basically got blocked out by NIMBYs and white patriarchy. So, given recent media, I’ve found them to sometimes be okay.

I don’t think we should be surprised their pro-zionists in the Bible Belt are psychopaths molesting children though.

I mean, this level of Darwinism would be fine. What grates me is not recognizing the effect it has on others.

Still seeking an analogy where not eating food somehow puts a neighbor or classmate at risk of starvation.

Overwatch 2 situation. We just add numbers now to excite people.

It seems like there’s a few studios that get this trick. Hazelight (Split Fiction, It Takes Two) seems to have a good cadence to releases and likely hasn’t inflated their size all that much. They’re consistently making good games.

I wish there were more examples of that.

Does this apply to all Hoyoverse games? Never got into Genshin, but I enjoy Zenless Zone Zero.

Seems like a tragedy of MMOs when they want to introduce what’s new to returners, but then deliver an avalanche of “new stuff” to people brand new to the game.

I suppose I’ve plugged it recently, but Another Crab’s Treasure.

It opens pretty plainly as an ocean-based Soulslike parody with a simple story premise and some self-subverting humor in the dialog with other crabs. As you go on though, every 20th conversation becomes really pointed and real-world-connecting, going beyond just “pollution bad”. It’s not quite Spec Ops: The Line, but it at least has something to say about society.

The combat is frustrating but addictive, much like Souls games - and it’s okay with handing off a number of allowances like accessibility modes and tip systems. It’s even helpful that, if I die to a glitch or something bogus, I can actually just choose to re-obtain my microplastics (souls) through a menu.

The soundtrack to Tunic is so moody.

I used a few little hints to help with the “true final boss”, but it was a fantastic reorienting of everything, and was glad by then it got away from traditional combat. I enjoyed the core combat too, although I usually don’t even like Soulslikes.

I was getting into Blue Prince, then I think I got a little annoyed with a puzzle involving a time lock, that claimed you could set it to open at a future date/time and it would stay for one hour. Fun, inventive way to get people to plan ahead.

But no, then I wasted several out of game days planning only to find that it’s referring to in-game time; something that has not plainly existed through any of the other mechanics thus far. I’ll likely get back to it, just think they could’ve chosen the orientation of “big picture” puzzles like that a bit better.

I think about the creativity that goes behind translations like Ace Attorney, and lament that people are skipping past the nuance. Ex:

• The name “Naruhodo Ryuichi” means nothing to me. However, their invented name “Phoenix Wright” evokes a popular image on its own. Same for a great many of their pun names. There are many detective games I’ve played from a Japanese theme where I actually couldn’t put clues together because I couldn’t remember “Udo Rayoge” was a noodle shop owner and “Ero Gotaro” was the police deputy that was taking bribes and was murdered - because those names form no connections in my mind.
• Maya Fey eats burgers. Before translation, it was ramen; but at time of release, Americans associated ramen with being extremely cheap and low-nutrition (thanks to Cup Noodles). Changing it to burgers accomplished the intended character theme of being junk-foody and gluttonous.
• Quite often, linguistics have some effect on the visual clues of the game (and Danganronpa mysteries just as much so), which means they often have to go very creative with something like a torn letter or a message written in blood.