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Free to play games why these pc games are so popular

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luke11685
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Free to play games why these pc games are so popular

Post by luke11685 »

What makes free to play pc games so popular these days such as Team Fortress 2,Fortnite Battle Royale? Anyway do you think microtransactions,lootboxes are annoying nowadays like in Star Wars Battlefront,mobile games(mmorpg,rts,moba genres),Overwatch? At least Lawbreakers wasn't f2p pc game,but Radical Heights was.
https://www.pcgamer.com/every-game-comp ... vested-in/
I have mixed thoughts about casual modern pc,mobile gaming. MMORPG,moba,rts were niche in the early and late 90's. I have to disagree I still do believe that hardcore gaming is still profitable. Everyone got their own opinion. That's how I'm interpreting my own way this pc gamer article.
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Kajgue
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Re: Free to play games why these pc games are so popular

Post by Kajgue »

Lootboxes and microtransactions imo are a flatout scourge of the game industry in its pursuit to subvert the art and entertainment form of video games into a business (or in most cases these days, excess profit).

Perhaps in the issue where a game is free but microtransactions which don't sway the situational favor of battle to the players who pay the most I can accept more, though selling games at full price while charging several £ for cosmetic novelties (or worse, integral unlocks that you need to in order progress, especially crucial items on competitive/mp games that you need to pay for just to remotely compete with other players) is just an unfortunate (and disgusting) example of greed that can be found within the industry.

If there is any doubt on the relevance of this issue, and if EA is any example, just see the video below about how a previous EA CEO gloats about his business (if you even want to call it that) techniques on how he planned to milk customers/players of *even* more money via microtransactions.



There's even another video of another EA (not sure if it's the same dude) vice president expressing similar ideas in a business conference, and about how 'hot state' (a psychological state a person can be in which results in more impulsive and faster decision making) can be easily exploited to grind even more money out of customers.

To note further on 'hot state', it's a state of mind which is normally triggered when a persons adrenaline is higher and in the evolutionary process, historically served (and still so today) its purpose of facilitating a threat/fight or flight response. As you may expect, immersive gameplay where the player is trying to survive and the player begins to feel more emotionally involved in the game (even though it's purely in a virtual context, it doesn't necessarily need to be a physical threat to trigger such a state in a person, it can remain within said context) has the potential to unlock this mental response.

So? Hot state in some of these guys ideas can be exploited to enable players/customers to be more likely to engage with microtransactions.
Last edited by Kajgue on Mon Nov 18, 2019 6:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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luke11685
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Re: Free to play games why these pc games are so popular

Post by luke11685 »

I guess Unreal Tournament 4 revival will be free to play within microtransactions just like in Team Fortress 2. I heard Blizzard Entertainment announced Overwatch 2.
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Re: Free to play games why these pc games are so popular

Post by Hellkeeper »

What makes free to play games popular? I believe the "free" part is a big plus.
Microtransactions are a plague, but when a game is free, the developer have to find a way to make a profit. I think there is no problem with cosmetics being for-pay (hats in TF2 or weapon skins is a good example), but whenever a game starts to require payment to access later parts of the game or limits your progression, then it's a trap. Paying players having an advantage is fine but paying players being grossly overpowered is unbearable.
Last edited by Hellkeeper on Tue Nov 19, 2019 12:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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luke11685
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Re: Free to play games why these pc games are so popular

Post by luke11685 »

Were these game genres such as MMORPG,moba,rts niche and unpopular in the 90's?
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Re: Free to play games why these pc games are so popular

Post by Hellkeeper »

MMORPGs were incredibly niche and I don't think MOBA games even existed back then.
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luke11685
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Re: Free to play games why these pc games are so popular

Post by luke11685 »

Do you agree with him?
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Buster
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Re: Free to play games why these pc games are so popular

Post by Buster »

It was a well made video, gave me a lot of information to look into, but do I agree with him. Agree about what? That the various posts made by the people he mentioned are factual, or that esports is a scheme to scam young players out of their money? As in many things in life, there's bad people who'll corrupt good intentions.

I do agree with one thing he said. The players themselves need to grow up. If they want to succeed in becoming a professional gamer, they have to do the work. Put in the years. And do it all for the love of the game, NOT money and "social media" fame.

Schemes work because people buy into the "get rich quick with as little effort or investment." Maybe there's a need for amateur and semi-pro leagues ONLY. Esports is trying to be a NHL or NBA when it's really a WWE.
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Feralidragon
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Re: Free to play games why these pc games are so popular

Post by Feralidragon »

Free games are popular because they're free.

You just download them, and voilá: you're playing it.
And if you don't like the game, you just uninstall it, pretty simple.

From there, "free" games have to have a way to support themselves and have profit, and microtransactions is generally the most viable way of doing it.

Unless these microtransactions include P2W items (items that give you an actual advantage in-game), there's really no reason to dislike them by default, to not mention that what you pay for took generally a fair amount of time to develop by someone.

There's a reason why free games keep getting richer with cosmetics, whereas other games die off very early on the same regard.

Most people spend a lot more money on shit they don't really need in RL, and you're not forced to buy anything at all within any of these games.

Personally, one of the games I have been playing quite a lot is Apex Legends.
I never spent a cent in acquiring anything from that game, and being published by EA means that the microtransactions are no longer "micro", you could pay full games with what they sometimes ask for just a character skin/model.

I dislike EA, and their microtransactions tactics, but I like the game and I think the developers did a great job, so just have fun playing the game while it lasts, and as long their publisher is EA and they indulge on these practices on the business side, they will never see the color of my money (speak with your wallet as they say).
Last edited by Feralidragon on Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
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