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posted by martyb on Monday January 07 2019, @07:43PM   Printer-friendly
from the Figured-it-out dept.

ArsTechnica:

Gaming was like breathing. It was the biggest part of my life as a teenager, one of my priorities as a college student, and eventually one of my most expensive “hobbies” as a young professional.

Then all of a sudden, after thousands of hours spent playing across genres and platforms, boredom hit me hard for the very first time in my early thirties. Some of my favorite games soon gave me the impression of being terribly long. I couldn’t help but notice all the repeating tropes and similarities in game design between franchises.

I figured it was just a matter of time before I found the right game to stimulate my interest again, but time continued to go by and nothing changed.

Is it that games have failed to innovate, or that real life is ultimately more engaging?


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  • (Score: 3, Disagree) by mobydisk on Monday January 07 2019, @11:47PM (6 children)

    by mobydisk (5472) on Monday January 07 2019, @11:47PM (#783469)

    I completely disagree with your list. Some of those games are great games: you don't have to buy the loot boxes.

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  • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 08 2019, @06:53AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 08 2019, @06:53AM (#783578)

    if (game.hasLootBox() === true) garbage.put(game)

  • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday January 08 2019, @03:36PM (4 children)

    by Freeman (732) on Tuesday January 08 2019, @03:36PM (#783699) Journal

    You can debate on how good Overwatch is or isn't, but the loot box thing is just less awful than the competition. Seriously though, what is a game that's $20 - $30 on sale doing with loot boxes in it? Oh, that's right, cash grab.

    --
    Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
    • (Score: 2) by Hyper on Wednesday January 09 2019, @09:44PM (1 child)

      by Hyper (1525) on Wednesday January 09 2019, @09:44PM (#784290) Journal

      I've never played a game with these "loot box" problems. Is it really that bad?

      • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday January 10 2019, @05:06PM

        by Freeman (732) on Thursday January 10 2019, @05:06PM (#784553) Journal

        Some, limit the "loot boxes" to cosmetic only items, but most don't. It's like removing the classic treasure/loot boxes in games and replacing them with boxes/crates/barrels that you have to purchase instead. Some even give you the crate/loot box, but require a key to be purchased in order to open them. The free-to-play games that limit the gimmick to cosmetic only items, aren't so bad. The problem is they will always have the temptation to introduce cool stuff for the paying only customers and could very easily turn it into a pay-2-win scenario.

        The worst offenders in my book are the games like Overwatch that you pay a normal price for, yet they still have microtransactions. Including microtransactions in your game, moves the focus from just great game play to how best to monetize your "customer." I say "customers," because I would argue that you're turning them into "marks" instead of customers at that point. At least when you walk into a Casino, you know they're trying to fleece you. That same mentality shouldn't be in a computer game, unless it's clearly marked as a gambling game. In which case it should be regulated as a gambling game.

        Here's a listing of articles on loot boxes. Generally, a lot of places are cracking down on them and even the FTC is getting involved.
        https://www.pcgamer.com/loot-boxes/ [pcgamer.com]

        --
        Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
    • (Score: 2) by mobydisk on Tuesday January 15 2019, @06:14PM (1 child)

      by mobydisk (5472) on Tuesday January 15 2019, @06:14PM (#786984)

      So long as the loot boxes are cosmetic, and they can be earned in-game, I see no problem with them also selling those loot boxes for real currency too. I just choose not to buy them. For my main in Overwatch, I have every single skin just from playing that character enough.

      • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday January 15 2019, @06:29PM

        by Freeman (732) on Tuesday January 15 2019, @06:29PM (#786988) Journal

        The problem, is the focus is shifted towards monetizing the customer. There's a definite difference in the addition of "more grind" to entice players to spend more money on "loot" that should be free. Overwatch is one of the least offensive loot box styles, but it's even more offensive due to the fact that it's not a free to play game. There should not be real money loot boxes in a AAA title that commands a AAA price. You want mobile game style monetization, then make it mobile game monetization, at least then it will be easy to spot the cash grab games. Overwatch may not be so much of a cash grab game, but it's still tainted by the real money loot boxes.

        --
        Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"