4 ms·

I realized that playing free to play online shooters was detrimental to my health. Fortunately I did not fall victim to monetization and only spent what I thoug

I realized that playing free to play online shooters was detrimental to my health. Fortunately I did not fall victim to monetization and only spent what I thought to be reasonable for the quality of the game. However I would stay up all night playing, hoping for one extra loot box or one more battle pass level. I've had to force quit these types of games multiple times. I'm fortunate in the ways games affect me, but others are not so. Their finances can be ruined, their lives taken over by a psychologically damaging product. I just can't support this. People are getting hurt. It's equivalent to the addictiveness of smoking and alcohol. This can't be the way we have fun

bamfly 3y ago
"One more turn/match" is bad enough for sleep & life when it's not supercharged by actual gambling mechanics designed by a team of professionals to keep you playing. Yeesh.
- lapetitejort 3y ago
  That is important to say. I have definitely stayed up all night playing games with zero extra monetary support. Those nights are infrequent and devoted to games I absolutely enjoy. Once I get my fun from them I go back to sleeping normally. Free to play games override this sense of contentment.
SirMaster 3y ago
I play multiple free online shooters. But I have never spent a penny on one and never plan to. They also don't affect my health as I just play a normal and reasonable amount of time and it doesn't seem to interfere with my life or sleep or heath in any other way that I or anyone around me has seen or said. Maybe it helps that don't care about loot boxes and battle passes and such? The battle pass (if free) levels up, but I rarely even look at what it does for me. I just play and enjoy these games for what they are like I did 20 years ago (quake, counter strike, call of duty 1/2, bf1942, unreal tournament, etc). No unlocks, no progression, etc.
- yoyohello13 3y ago
  What's your point? The parent post said they find the games addictive. Your comment is like bragging to an alcoholic that you can drink in moderation.
  - SirMaster 3y ago
    My point is just to tell my point of view and my experience on the topic at hand. If they are sharing their experience, why shouldn’t I share mine?
    - constantcrying 3y ago
      Your experience is irrelevant, since, as you stated in another comment, you play the most popular f2p games on PC, which are actually reasonably monetized. The games remain fair and monetization focuses on cosmetics and/or faster progression. The article on the other hand explicitly talks about mobile games, which are monetized vastly differently and significantly more predatory.

bamfly 3y ago

"One more turn/match" is bad enough for sleep & life when it's not supercharged by actual gambling mechanics designed by a team of professionals to keep you playing. Yeesh.

lapetitejort 3y ago
That is important to say. I have definitely stayed up all night playing games with zero extra monetary support. Those nights are infrequent and devoted to games I absolutely enjoy. Once I get my fun from them I go back to sleeping normally. Free to play games override this sense of contentment.

SirMaster 3y ago

I play multiple free online shooters. But I have never spent a penny on one and never plan to. They also don't affect my health as I just play a normal and reasonable amount of time and it doesn't seem to interfere with my life or sleep or heath in any other way that I or anyone around me has seen or said. Maybe it helps that don't care about loot boxes and battle passes and such? The battle pass (if free) levels up, but I rarely even look at what it does for me. I just play and enjoy these games for what they are like I did 20 years ago (quake, counter strike, call of duty 1/2, bf1942, unreal tournament, etc). No unlocks, no progression, etc.

yoyohello13 3y ago
What's your point? The parent post said they find the games addictive. Your comment is like bragging to an alcoholic that you can drink in moderation.
- SirMaster 3y ago
  My point is just to tell my point of view and my experience on the topic at hand. If they are sharing their experience, why shouldn’t I share mine?
  - constantcrying 3y ago
    Your experience is irrelevant, since, as you stated in another comment, you play the most popular f2p games on PC, which are actually reasonably monetized. The games remain fair and monetization focuses on cosmetics and/or faster progression. The article on the other hand explicitly talks about mobile games, which are monetized vastly differently and significantly more predatory.