Comment on EA invents new microtransaction nightmare as it breaks paywall promise on Skate: rent a playable area for 24 hours or buy a premium pass, bucko

rizzothesmall@sh.itjust.works ⁨5⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

• SpiceDealer@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  In American-style neo-liberalism, everything must have a price tag. If it doesn’t generate a profit, it can’t exist.

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  • roserose56@lemmy.zip ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Then people should stop buying, otherwise nothing will change. People complained about Nintendo switch 2, yet they bought it.

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    • SpiceDealer@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      This is actually good advice… in isolation. Encouraging people to spend their money more wisely can bring awareness to an issue but it ultimately does little to implement change. Sure, you and I (and the Fediverse as a whole) might be hyper-vigilant about these kind of things but the average consumer isn’t. Continuing with your Nintendo example, Nintendo has decades of brand recognition and a zealous fanbase to satisfy the demand. An eager gaming press will gladly take free hardware from Nintendo for positive coverage.

      Real change won’t happen until the tap is turned off, so to speak. These companies are taking advantages of gaps in the law that permit them to get away with this. Antitrust law in the US dates back to a time when steam-powered trains were still common and the last breakup involved a telephone company. When AT&T was broken up, the home computer (desktop in modern parlance) was just starting to take off.

      So, yes, we should spend our money elsewhere when we see this kinds of corporate abuses but until you starve the beast, keep expecting these kinds of behaviors.

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    • doublah@sopuli.xyz ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      People aren’t playing or paying for stuff in Skate. The player count drop off has been substantial.

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• iamthetot@piefed.ca ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  I understand the sentiment here but let’s note that you do not go buy Skate. because it’s free to play.

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  • snooggums@piefed.world ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

    Remember when free to play meant free to play?

    I remember shareware.

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    • FryHyde@lemmy.zip ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      But… shareware was literally designed to paywall the majority of an application or game until you paid for it. It was a free shareable demo.

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    • iamthetot@piefed.ca ⁨4⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

      Free to play games are similar to old shareware though… You get to play some of it for free then pay for the rest.

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• Strider@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

  I still just buy games and play them.

  They’re just 99,99% not triple A games.

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