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This whole things reminds me of micro-transactions in video games where people were constantly waiting for the walls to close in on companies doing them while m

This whole things reminds me of micro-transactions in video games where people were constantly waiting for the walls to close in on companies doing them while micro-transactions just continued to get more and more absurd and exploitative until finally the realization set in that the shoe was never going to drop.

beebmam 5y ago
Much of us moved on from any game with microtransactions, and only people with addictive problems buy that garbage. Deeply exploitative, just like casinos/gambling. I prefer living in a society where it's effectively banned
- joe-collins 5y ago
  You may have moved on, but the industry as a whole certainly has not. Loot boxes, season passes, cosmetic item shops, etc are the force that has allowed the $60 box price to remain the default.
  - teruakohatu 5y ago
    > that has allowed the $60 box price The market has grown substantially which is what has allowed prices to remain the same. According to Wikipedia, the video game industry revenue grew 13x between 2007 and 2018. Eventually when the pie stops growing, the industry will demand higher prices, microtransactions or not. I would argue that prices have increased. We used to be able to buy a complete AAA game, now a substantial portion of it is unlocked on if the customer keeps paying. So $60 buys less than it used to. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_industry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_industry
    - klodolph 5y ago
      I’ve been playing games recently and I can’t think of cases where I didn’t feel like I got a complete game for $60. Is that a myth that just keeps getting repeated? Or are there specific games where that’s true? The price is probably gonna go up a little bit either way.
      - QuikAccount 5y ago
        It depends on a lot of things like when you bought the game and who you bought it from. Some issues get fixed over time and some companies are just put out better products than other. A good example of this recently is Hitman 3 which may very well have the most confusing product releases ever.

beebmam 5y ago

Much of us moved on from any game with microtransactions, and only people with addictive problems buy that garbage. Deeply exploitative, just like casinos/gambling. I prefer living in a society where it's effectively banned

joe-collins 5y ago
You may have moved on, but the industry as a whole certainly has not. Loot boxes, season passes, cosmetic item shops, etc are the force that has allowed the $60 box price to remain the default.
- teruakohatu 5y ago
  > that has allowed the $60 box price The market has grown substantially which is what has allowed prices to remain the same. According to Wikipedia, the video game industry revenue grew 13x between 2007 and 2018. Eventually when the pie stops growing, the industry will demand higher prices, microtransactions or not. I would argue that prices have increased. We used to be able to buy a complete AAA game, now a substantial portion of it is unlocked on if the customer keeps paying. So $60 buys less than it used to. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_industry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_industry
  - klodolph 5y ago
    I’ve been playing games recently and I can’t think of cases where I didn’t feel like I got a complete game for $60. Is that a myth that just keeps getting repeated? Or are there specific games where that’s true? The price is probably gonna go up a little bit either way.
    - QuikAccount 5y ago
      It depends on a lot of things like when you bought the game and who you bought it from. Some issues get fixed over time and some companies are just put out better products than other. A good example of this recently is Hitman 3 which may very well have the most confusing product releases ever.