It's not that it's more sinister, it's just that the spectrum of people who play is just so wide now. I assume the "sinister" side form your affirmation would c

It's not that it's more sinister, it's just that the spectrum of people who play is just so wide now. I assume the "sinister" side form your affirmation would correspond to the casual section of gaming. Back in the early days, only "hardcore" players would really pay attention to video games, but now, with so many casual games coming out, everybody is busy click or tapping away at least for five minutes each day. While there are heavy monetization wheels turning in the casual world, it's still about getting people to relax. Let me explain a small difference, bare with me. Just think about what user penalties for mistakes are in casual games. Also, think about how many time a casual game has made anyone feel that a mistake is their fault. Now think about hardcore games: it's always your fault. This means that to be better at a hardcore game you need to train. There is no magic button to press to become a pro gamer over night. With casual games, the only way to get "better" is to cheat luck of make time go faster. And there are buttons for that. Very few people press those buttons because very few people are looking to do or get better at those games. These buttons are clearly offensive to a person who is a hardcore gamer at heart. I know that, I see them everywhere. I guess your affirmation comes as a result of the growth of casual / social games while the pace at which hardcore games are being released has stayed pretty steady over the years. And the "give them a taste for free" bit makes me think of trial periods for non-gaming software.