Games are not a service. Full stop.

No. That point isn't valid. Warfighter is one of the biggest failures of a game I've seen this generation (development wise). The game is just a smelly PoS (no offense!). 

But the point does stand: if EA continues making business decisions that fans don't enjoy, they will react and stop purchasing their games. This microtransaction ordeal is a bit different, though. EA has one of the most draconian microtransaction idealogies out of any company in the world, and it's really sad to see such a big company use such cheesy tactics to suck money from consumers. It's taboo but well known that "whales" and big spenders in F2P games are actually impulse buyers who don't *actually* believe they're getting their worth for their money. They throw it down fast without really thinking about it. It's addicting like gambling. That sort of instant gratification plays into it a lot.

F2P games are amazing value for those who don't want to spend a penny (it's free!). However, they quickly turn into huge money suckers that offer no real strong value for the money being spent for those who do start to spend a lot. F2P games are the best value in the industry for free players, and the worst value for players who monetize. I say this in a general sense (so don't retaliate with specific examples like LoL that you find to be different).

CliffyB seems kind of desperate for attention these days.

It's awful hearing this from a game creator. Yes, he's telling the truth -- all businesses want to make a profit -- but he's defending an anti-consumer model by hiding behind the free market.

Shame on him.

This is where he's wrong. Try picking up NSMB Wii or Mario Kart for under $30 - you can't! These are 3-4 year old games that have sold 25+ million copies, yet nobody wants to part with them. No DLC here, just great games worth keeping. If a game is worth keeping, trade-ins or being rented isn't a big factor.

I'm not wholly against certain games as a service - I think a game like WoW is fair. Sure, there's a monthly fee, but if I'm ever bored or dissatisfied with the game, I terminate the service. This gives them incentive to create more and more content.

However, EA and the other publishers try to suck you dry through unethical means. They poison their own games, by making them less enjoyable, more grindy, and locking out features of the game until you finally give in and pay. They hold your enjoyment hostage with gameplay barriers whose only purpose is to try to take your money. If I ever feel like I'd enjoy your game more if I had more money, if I'm ever pressured into buying something (and am pissed off while doing so), you're doing it wrong.

Latest two games I've played have really been testing my patience... NBA 2k13, with its bullshit Virtual Currency. And now Borderlands 2, where Mechromancer items drop / show up all over the place, even though it's a fucking DLC character. What the fuck, man? Whatever happened to complete games out of the box?

He kinda has a point about DLC extending the retainment period of a game.

But I'll only support this if it's free DLC.

I agree, people will vote with tehir wallet. I hope EA goes down soon or changes their ways. Games can hav great replay value with out DLC or microtransactions. So i disagree with him on that.

I think this microtransactions in singleplayer games might be a really good thing. Just imagine if could spend like 2€ or so for a guide in Uncharted which shows where all the treasures are hidden. I´d love that. And cosmetical changes for your cahracters are optional as well.

This could be just another possibility for less successfull games to refinance themselves. As long as gaming companies don´t misuse it I am fine with. And everybody will be too

work your ass off in game to unlock things or just buy everything. sorry I have pride in my gaming, next thing you know you can buy trophies or achievements.

Of course he defends those kind of stuff. GoW 3 had on-disk DLC.