I don't think micro-transactions are going anywhere, lads. We should focus on how they can be implemented fairly and support the user-base, which for all the bemoaning there is, can actually be done.

I’m pretty unbothered about them as a concept, TBH.

They potentially can change the design of a game, and I’m bothered when that happens, but I haven’t seen many examples of that.

As for targeting vulnerable people, I’d have thought they’d be trying to target as many people as possible. Furthermore, I’d have thought that the type of people who could get sucked in by lootboxes are already being rinsed by online casinos.

"Season passes" can fuck off too.

Yossarian wrote:

They potentially can change the design of a game, and I’m bothered when that happens, but I haven’t seen many examples of that.

I can only imagine that you’ve severely limited what you’ve played for the last five years.

I’m giving FUT a good go because I was told I was wrong about it, and it was a great mode. So far I’ve seen nothing to convince me that it isn’t an inferior mode, deliberately geared to encourage people to spend money on a game that already sells at a high price while aspects of it go neglected for over a decade now.

The mere presence of micro-transactions cheapens otherwise professional presentations. They, almost without exception, break the atmosphere and tone of a game by turning them into a themed-fruit-machine version. It’s the same piss-cheap feel of iOS/Android IAP-laden apps; boiled-sweet festooned, match-three, hidden-object, buy a handful of gems or chest of bullion travesties for bored housewives who smell of chip-fat and sour cloths. Middle-Earth Shadow of Mordor has been replaced by Blackpool Shadow of War.

Fuck the lot of it in a needle-bin.

Andy wrote:

Yossarian wrote:

They potentially can change the design of a game, and I’m bothered when that happens, but I haven’t seen many examples of that.

I can only imagine that you’ve severely limited what you’ve played for the last five years.

I haven’t limited anything. I haven’t played that many games in the last 5 years, but I’ve played all the ones that I’ve had the inclination to play and I stand by my statement. I’ve ignored them, I’ve been fine.

Its the amounts of money that are potentially involved that are at issue, surely. Providing extra content for a reasonable fee each time is one thing. Selling in game currency that could be endlessly spent is another. Free to play games are generally looking for a small group of users who will spend shit loads, no? I doubt that group will all be millionaires.

It's not just the Welsh though, right?

So as long as there's something worse out there it's all OK.

It's not the biggest problem, so it isn't a problem is a weird argument.

I know some games that have million dollar players, I.e. players who've sunk over a million $$$ in. That's fucking mental, and obviously an edge case... we're talking rich emirati here. Still fucking mental though. I used to spend £20 a month on a game I loved, played every day *and actually worked on*. That last point is important simply because it's rare to actually play and enjoy a game you worked on in your own time.

What's my point here? Dunno. Just that spending a bit on microts isn't a bad thing, it's the price of a few pints or a nice meal a month, and in my case I was playing for hours a day, so value was great. But at the same time, there are clearly some that take it to the extreme.

Yossarian wrote:

I’m yet to see any evidence that it is a problem full stop. If you can provide some, I’m willing to reconsider my position.

You know this was just raised in Parliament yes?

I don't mean to sound so uncaring BTW, clearly the industry can try harder.

Re: 14 grand on Forza microtransactions; I’m logged into Forza Horizon 3 now, the most expensive car (by quite some distance) in the game would cost a bit over a tenner in real world cash even if you didn’t go for a larger token pack. He must have bought every car in the game dozens of times over.

I suspect that he may not have been entirely truthful about how much was spent on Forza versus the fucky fucky game.

Yossarian wrote:

Re: 14 grand on Forza microtransactions; I’m logged into Forza Horizon 3 now, the most expensive car (by quite some distance) in the game would cost a bit over a tenner in real world cash even if you didn’t go for a larger token pack. He must have bought every car in the game dozens of times over. I suspect that he may not have been entirely truthful about how much was spent on Forza versus the fucky fucky game.

Yar, sounds like bullshit.  I was barely even aware microtransactions existed in FH - the game throws credits at you when you play it, and if you can't be bothered to play it why would you be putting in real money?  Garbage.