What games would you consider to be GaaS? What GaaS games are good or bad?

[LudicrousSpeed]

To me, GaaS is simply a game that continuously adds new content and experiences in the game. There is really no end to the game, you can continue playing and continue having new content. That's where the service part comes in. It doesn't have to be paid DLC, a lot of the service/seasonal content in GaaS titles are free. In many, you don't have to spend a dime to experience new content, you just might have to wait longer than those that do.

The definition of good or bad GaaS varies from person to person because we all have different tastes. You have railed against Gears 5 plenty of times about so called predatory skin pricing, etc etc. I would consider Gears a GaaS title done right. It's constantly updated with new stuff free of charge. Forza Horizon 4 is another prime example of GaaS done right. The map and content changes literally with the seasons throughout the year. It's spring, you have different terrain and events than you had during winter. Again this is all free, you don't have to spend a penny. Other games don't do it very well. Imho there is a clear difference between a developer looking to provide meaningful content for long periods of time, and those just looking to entice gamers to grind away for scraps of content. Avengers is a recent example of a GaaS done wrong. They seemed more worried about future DLC and monetization than worrying about in game content at launch. Anthem was another victim of this. In contrast, Ubi did a great job with the first Division. The second one, they went a bit overboard with monetization. They also did a good job with Siege.

Last gen most of my play time was gobbled up by games I'd consider to be GaaS. Evolve, Battleborn, Destiny, Dead by Daylight. Even GOTG Titanfall added elements of GaaS with seasonal ranked play and daily challenges plus burn cards, but that game had zero monetization outside of map packs. Nowadays you see plenty of single player games adding GaaS elements with rotating challenges, leaderboards, and seasonal content. It's been proven dramatically that when done correctly, it works.

It definitely rubs some people the wrong way. Many just can't get over the idea of spending so much time or money on one game. For example, Dead by Daylight I've probably spent close to $250 at least on content in the game. That seems crazy to some, but I've played the game for thousands of hours so factually, that's incredible value. I'm adding it up right now, here's what I actually spent:

Base game: $32
Michael Myers: $9
Leatherface: $5
Fredward Krueger: $9
Head case (charity skins): $4
SAW chapter: $9
Clown: $9
Spirit: $9
More charity DLC: $5
Legion: $9
Ghost Face: $5
Stranger Things: $13
Deathslinger: $9
Silent Hill: $8

I've also spent $146 on the DbD in game currency, some to buy skins, some to buy season passes, some to buy other new characters. Grand total of $281, worth every penny.