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curl-6 2 days ago
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Chrkeller said:
curl-6 said:

The same applies to technology though, it can be harmful and dangerous if we embrace it without carefully weighing the consequences. 

Microtransactions for instance may seem innocuous on paper, cos hey, nobody's forcing you to buy them, right? The problem is though that publishers then design their games to psychologically pressure you into spending money in order to progress effectively or have a good experience, or put them in games that are already full price, so even something that's technically optional can still ruin the experience.

I struggle with this comment.  I dont like MTX but also dont have a problem with it.  I own over 200 games and have been gaming for 40 years.  I have bought 0 MTX.  MTX is super easy to avoid.  

Games with microtransactions are very often specifically designed to pressure and annoy the player into spending money, so even if you don't spend you have have to put up with friction that's designed to hassle you. Publishers have invested a lot of time, research, and money over the years into the optimal way to push people to pay up, it's well documented, and they have no ethical qualms about it. 

Heck, this is how bad it was even back in 2016:

I've been gaming for many years across hundreds of games and never once bought a microtransaction too, but I have very often noticed the game trying to manipulate me into spending, and while spending may be optional, the pressure is not.