Tired of this abusive business model that big companies use on games.
I see a game on Steam with some decent price
I click on it
Dozens of DLCs, “Gold”, “Deluxe” “Enhanced” version to enjoy the full game
Then you decide to pay for this shit anyway
But then the game is behind a launcher, that needs online connection and account even if it’s full single-player
The game sometimes are just a port from an old console with almost full price, a game that you’ve paid for before
The game needs a hell amount of updates do become playable
And so much more…
Steam did an excellent job keeping me away from piracy, they provide too much good feature, discounts and etc… But not even Steam can make miracles against those abusive practices.
I must say RDR1 port was the last drop to me, It’s game I played back on PS3 on my teenager time, I wanted to have some good memories and play it again, guess what, a full AAA price on a port, it’s not even a remaster.
I’ve been avoiding EA and Ubisoft games for years, but still buying from big companies on Steam. Now I just give up, there’s no more hope for AAA games, only mercenary companies are left: EA, Ubisoft, Rockstar, Activision, 2K, Bungie etc…
EA: Games with a hell amount of DLCs, the same FIFA every single year at full price, launcher required, they don’t even try to hide anymore
Ubisoft: Same thing as EA, lots of DLCs, missed some game content from an old Prince of Persia because they shut an old launcher integrated to the game.
Rockstar: Launchers everywhere, charging a full price for the same game multiple times (GTA V).
Activision: You pay a full price and it still comes with a hell amount of micro-transactions, killed COD.
2K: Out of nowhere decided to add a launcher to every old game they had (Bioshock and others I think) saying it was “QoL” update, now they decided to remove it, too late. The new Borderlands 4 terribly optimized, here we go with some dozens of updates again.
Bungie: The live service model, removed a lot of old paid contents from Destiny, the game will eventually die.
I’ll still pay for small companies games, because I can, but those big ones, honestly, I don’t give a shit anymore, they could be erased from existence together with all their games, I really don’t care. Some smaller companies I’ve had a good experience and I think it’s worth paying for: Ghost Ship Games, No More Robots, Hello Games, Techland, Frictional Games, Annapurna Interactive.
Some companies are in a limbo to me, I’m not entirely sure about it: Capcom, Bethesda, Warner, Square Enix.
So, that’s it, I just downloaded Spider Man Remastered and RDR from FitGirl, it worked seamless, I didn’t have a single issue. I could even add as non-Steam game and use Steam input (thanks Steam), I’ll probably use some script to move to savegames data to the cloud, and let the packed games on an external HDD (finally, I’ll own my games).
Another thing that’s hard to ditch to me is achievement tracker, I know we have AchievementWatcher but it doesn’t work too well on pirated games. It’s something I’ll need to get used, not a big deal tbh.
I’ll probably use the money I’d spend on AAA games to explore some indie games. And AAA games are now always pirate.
Obs.: The companies I’ve mentioned here are from my own experience, this isn’t meant to be an Wikipedia of good/bad companies, I know there are more decent and bad companies out there.
That does seem a little out of bounds. I think my personal is about 30 cents per hour. My favorite games are probably in the realm of 1-5 cents per hour.
The ones I look back on and cringe are MMOs. Those were surely pushing 50 cents or more per hour. Maybe if I had been a hardcore dungeon/raider and sank 12 hours a weekend into them they would be alright, but my filthy casual ass didn’t put more than a few hours a week into them. It’s honestly why I still avoid any subscription to this day. It’s always the other side gambling you won’t use their product, and that always strikes me as setting up bad deals.
My usual thought process is going to the movies sets you back maybe 10-15 for two hours. If the game is under that it’s usually fine by me, they are usually way under that even though I tend to move on from most games rather quickly.
See, that’s wild to me. I would buy a movie for that price, and it would be watched multiple times over my use of it. I don’t go to the movie theater because, aside from the experience often being ruined by other people, why would I leave my house to have the same experience I could in my house? The other people don’t add to it, the overpriced snacks don’t add to it, and the accumulated filth on the floor and chair definitely don’t add to it. Having a larger screen to look at doesn’t really do all that much. In my memories, the fact that I watched it on a 50 inch screen or a 50 foot screen doesn’t even show up. I remember the story, not the method of input.
Uh, but back to the point. I think most of my movies that I own have been watched at least 4 times, which means give or take $12/6 hours. That’s almost too high, which is why I don’t buy movies much anymore. Netflix was fine for a while, since it was probably a couple dozen hours binge for the month subscription, then cancel it again. I really don’t like ‘moving on’ from games quickly. A short one with a story is alright, but I want 50 hours of enjoyment, minimum, out of a game. Otherwise I could just find another game that I really enjoy for that long.
Somewhere in that neighbourhood, yes. That’s how much I’m willing to pay. My old carrom board lasted me two decades, and it was $30 (with discs). That’s the yardstick I measure games by.
It is to be noted that that $30 does not account for the amount of powder used to lubricate the board or the replacement discs. Just as I did not include the cost of upgrading my PC to run minecraft 1.18, the dogshit optimization update.
It is also to be noted that I bought minecraft only after I was sure that I would enjoy it. That’s why I played the cracked version for 3 years before my purchase.
You are not logged in. However you can subscribe from another Fediverse account, for example Lemmy or Mastodon. To do this, paste the following into the search field of your instance: [email protected]
Welcome to the largest gaming community on Lemmy! Discussion for all kinds of games. Video games, tabletop games, card games etc.
Rules
1. Submissions have to be related to games
Video games, tabletop, or otherwise. Posts not related to games will be deleted.
This community is focused on games, of all kinds. Any news item or discussion should be related to gaming in some way.
2. No bigotry or harassment, be civil
No bigotry, hardline stance. Try not to get too heated when entering into a discussion or debate.
We are here to talk and discuss about one of our passions, not fight or be exposed to hate. Posts or responses that are hateful will be deleted to keep the atmosphere good. If repeatedly violated, not only will the comment be deleted but a ban will be handed out as well. We judge each case individually.
3. No excessive self-promotion
Try to keep it to 10% self-promotion / 90% other stuff in your post history.
This is to prevent people from posting for the sole purpose of promoting their own website or social media account.
4. Stay on-topic; no memes, funny videos, giveaways, reposts, or low-effort posts
This community is mostly for discussion and news. Remember to search for the thing you’re submitting before posting to see if it’s already been posted.
We want to keep the quality of posts high. Therefore, memes, funny videos, low-effort posts and reposts are not allowed. We prohibit giveaways because we cannot be sure that the person holding the giveaway will actually do what they promise.
5. Mark Spoilers and NSFW
Make sure to mark your stuff or it may be removed.
No one wants to be spoiled. Therefore, always mark spoilers. Similarly mark NSFW, in case anyone is browsing in a public space or at work.
6. No linking to piracy
Don’t share it here, there are other places to find it. Discussion of piracy is fine.
We don’t want us moderators or the admins of lemmy.world to get in trouble for linking to piracy. Therefore, any link to piracy will be removed. Discussion of it is of course allowed.
So you think the correct price to hours of enjoyment ratio is $15 per decade of playtime?
That does seem a little out of bounds. I think my personal is about 30 cents per hour. My favorite games are probably in the realm of 1-5 cents per hour.
The ones I look back on and cringe are MMOs. Those were surely pushing 50 cents or more per hour. Maybe if I had been a hardcore dungeon/raider and sank 12 hours a weekend into them they would be alright, but my filthy casual ass didn’t put more than a few hours a week into them. It’s honestly why I still avoid any subscription to this day. It’s always the other side gambling you won’t use their product, and that always strikes me as setting up bad deals.
My usual thought process is going to the movies sets you back maybe 10-15 for two hours. If the game is under that it’s usually fine by me, they are usually way under that even though I tend to move on from most games rather quickly.
See, that’s wild to me. I would buy a movie for that price, and it would be watched multiple times over my use of it. I don’t go to the movie theater because, aside from the experience often being ruined by other people, why would I leave my house to have the same experience I could in my house? The other people don’t add to it, the overpriced snacks don’t add to it, and the accumulated filth on the floor and chair definitely don’t add to it. Having a larger screen to look at doesn’t really do all that much. In my memories, the fact that I watched it on a 50 inch screen or a 50 foot screen doesn’t even show up. I remember the story, not the method of input.
Uh, but back to the point. I think most of my movies that I own have been watched at least 4 times, which means give or take $12/6 hours. That’s almost too high, which is why I don’t buy movies much anymore. Netflix was fine for a while, since it was probably a couple dozen hours binge for the month subscription, then cancel it again. I really don’t like ‘moving on’ from games quickly. A short one with a story is alright, but I want 50 hours of enjoyment, minimum, out of a game. Otherwise I could just find another game that I really enjoy for that long.
I think your reasoning is valid. We are both valid.
Somewhere in that neighbourhood, yes. That’s how much I’m willing to pay. My old carrom board lasted me two decades, and it was $30 (with discs). That’s the yardstick I measure games by.
It is to be noted that that $30 does not account for the amount of powder used to lubricate the board or the replacement discs. Just as I did not include the cost of upgrading my PC to run minecraft 1.18, the dogshit optimization update.
It is also to be noted that I bought minecraft only after I was sure that I would enjoy it. That’s why I played the cracked version for 3 years before my purchase.