Opinion - 6 Worst Gaming Trends

The author forgot "Let's outsource quality testing to our customers!".


(They could have used this instead of physical copies. Really.)

I would like to add some points. 3.DLCs this really depends on what, if anything, the DLC adds to the game. For the POE2 example, its a good game and complete without the DLCs which add a couple of optional side quests. Its not like adding a new ending or new classes. 5. Physical copies are dated. I have a lot of old games and many of them simply can't run anymore on my computer. My copy of Neverwinter Nights won't run on a 64 bit system. My copies of Might and Magic 7 and Icewind Dale crash on the title screen. My digital version run just fine, as they've been updated for newer systems.

Originally Posted by duerer
For the digital, you get the game, and there it is.
For the physical, I get the game, a disc, a plastic holder, a nice printed cover art, and even a handy Spartan Mask keychain!

So, my good Sir, you are badly ripped off with your fancy digital copy, because I get more value for the same amount of cash (and, no, it's not just the keychain).

The point you are missing is that the *marginal cost* of the disc, a plastic holder, a nice printed cover art and even handy Spartan Mask are very little or zero to the publisher. So from their point of view there is no additional cost for the physical copy over the digital.

As consumer I don't personal value disc, plastic holder or even cover art. They have zero value to me so I am not being ripped off here. Even if I value these things, I don't value them as much as the game itself which is the main product. So the point stands which is digital version of the game cost the same the physical version from the point of view of the publisher so they should cost the same.

Originally Posted by duerer
Heck, I can even play my physical copy of AC:Oyssey as long as my computer is working! (=20+ years in the future, where PSN, Steam and co. won't ever exist anymore!)

How do you figure that? The physical copies still use the same online DRM as the digital copies.

What's to figure? That was just an enthusiastic irrationality. In 20 years some of us will be gone for good and those who remain will play games that don't exist yet, instead of old and exhausted mules that will be outdated in that future.
Instead of happily dancing on Nintendo Gameboy emulations announcements. Then again, maybe I'm underestimating humanity. Maybe Nintendo dies too.

Originally Posted by joxer
…In 20 years some of us will be gone for good…

Did you have to say that? ()

pibbur who, approaching level 64, realizes that either he sets a solid longevity record, or is more than half way through his life.

Go for the record!

Originally Posted by pibbur who
Did you have to say that? ()

I did.
Hoping some lurker will rethink all the time wasted with Candy Crush Saga and company. Life is just too short to spend it on garbage.

Originally Posted by joxer
I did.
Hoping some lurker will rethink all the time wasted with Candy Crush Saga and company. Life is just too short to spend it on garbage.

I promise I will never play any Candy Crushes.

pibbur

Originally Posted by BoboTheMighty
7. Burritos+Mountain Dew combination
( though this mostly applies to 'Mericans)

Burritos yes Mountain Dew no cant stand that stuff.

Reminds me of this futurama episode.

One thing I'd add to the list as a broad category is the notion that too many games have design elements (or lack thereof) that do NOT respect their customers' time.

-A bevy of unskippable credit screens before you get to the start menu

-Thoughtless tacked on UIs that are cumbersome, disorganized, needlessly nested, and/or otherwise ill suited to efficiently manage in-game assets the player has control over (original Skyrim UI comes to mind, but Skyrim is far from being alone)

-Unskippable Cut-Scenes - this one in particular is really aggravating, especially when you're replaying a game

-Pointless filler content (which might take time before the user realizes just how pointless it is - AC games come to mind, again, they're not alone)

-Any design element that forces tedious repetitive actions that are not part of the core gameplay experience

-Any design element (or lack thereof) which requires a user to alt-tab out of a game to find information about the game on the internet (I'd be happy if game manuals made a comeback but since they've gone the way of the dinosaur, all information that a player needs to make informed choices should be available in game… of course this would take a lot more work and is therefore left to 3rd party websites to take care of it, much like how some devs leave lacking things about their games to modders).

Originally Posted by you
and as joker said - it is bad for the ecology.

Non-physical games will just vanish at one point. Physical games can be stored and re-stored. Just bits & ytes on the HD are prone to dissolve as soon as the magnetic layer of the HD dissovles.

Just imagine HOW MUCH work, anergy and artistic power are put into making a game ! Should all that vanish because "it's bad for ecology" ?

How do you actually archive and emulate non-physical games 50 years later ? When all magnetic layers have dissolved into dust ?

Originally Posted by TheMadGamer
One thing I'd add to the list as a broad category is the notion that too many games have design elements (or lack thereof) that do NOT respect their customers' time.

Like in my philosophy which I had outlined years ago : A game isn't a game anymore if it is designed to be a tool for generating profits.
And swe, the customers, are profit-generating tools as well, now.
This mind set - using humans as "human resources" can come only from psychopaths and narcists, and I bet that this is the very mindset at the top of giant companies.

Society gets transformed into giant richness generators.