One reader revealed how long it had been since he bought a full-priced game, claiming that publishers are training people to expect everything for free.
I completely agree with the recent message that the biggest barrier to my game is time. To some degree, we expect that most of us are experiencing content overload in various media, but the gaming industry itself has contributed significantly to this problem and its potential decline, and this issue continues to grow every week. I would argue that it is getting worse.
First, a little context. Gaming has been my main hobby for nearly 40 years, but I balance it out with TV, movies, books, board games, soccer, comics, music, and most of all, raising my young children. This especially means that I don't get a lot of consistent time to myself, but at this age I can play certain games at certain times where all my friends are together. I don't feel any social pressure to do so.
I don't particularly like live service games because I like variety. They tend to just be a waste of time, and after an online session, you often feel empty, like you haven't made any real progress toward the end goal of being able to take care of your backlog.
I have a similar feeling about ridiculously overstuffed open-world games that take years to get the hang of. I usually have a lot of games in circulation at once, mainly to avoid getting completely bored with repetition. I initially thought the game inflating was created to compete with the second-hand market more than its perceived value, although the broader gaming community's shift to digital has all but destroyed this market. The structure of the game remains unchanged.
Next, take a look at the game you're currently playing and see if you can spot the issue.
- Advance Wars: Dark Conflict (DS – bought used almost 15 years ago)
- Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag (Free on Xbox 360 – Games with Gold)
- Dark Souls (Free on Xbox 360 – Games with Gold)
- Destiny 2: The Witch Queen (PlayStation 4 – Half Price Sale)
- FIFA 22 (PlayStation 4 – Free with PS Plus)
- Football Manager 2022 (PC – Free from Epic Games Store)
- Galactic Civilizations 3 (PC – Free from Epic Games Store)
- Gloomhaven (PC – Free from Epic Games Store)
- Halcyon 6 (PC – Free from Epic Games Store)
- Here They Lie (PlayStation VR – Free with PS Plus)
- Mafia 3 (PlayStation 4 – Free on PS Plus)
- Mario Kart 8 (Switch – Gift)
- Super Mario Odyssey (Switch – Gift)
- Metro 2033 (Free on Xbox 360 – Games with Gold)
- Rome: Total War (PC – bought about 15 years ago for about £8)
- Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor (PlayStation 4 – Gift, but around £10)
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Switch – Free with SNES Library)
- The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword (Wii – Gift)
In general, I was already 10 years behind, and more than half of the games I played were free. Because prices tend not to fall, Nintendo was the only one that was bought close to list price. Additionally, I still have another 400 games to play, most of which were free.
On average, you get 7-10 more games for free every month (-ish), but for the past 10 years, you've only been able to complete 10 games a year. From the list above, I've been playing Advance Wars, Dark Souls, and Total War since 2021. Why would you consider paying full price for a new release? Back in the days when physical copies were all you had, you might have found a game on sale and panic bought it in case you never saw it again at that price.
Now, I ignore digital sales at a fraction of that price because there's no urgency or FOMO. [fear of missing out]. I have more than enough to play with, and I'm actively encouraged by the industry not to buy it now, as it could probably be offered for free before I play. It's also why I have no interest in paying for a subscription like Game Pass. I'm already drowning in options.
I understand that my situation is not normal and is the result of an OCD desire to experience as many games as possible. But even though this problem was primarily caused by the industry itself, it's still clear that I'm part of the industry's problem. I'm already a lost cause, as the backlog grows every month, new releases get further and further away, and it's more likely to be free by the time I release.
I don't want it to crash, and I love the game, but the truth is, if everything were to collapse, it would optimistically be at least a decade before I would be affected. By that point something will have replaced the current standard. That might be the only way I'll actually catch up!
From reader Ernie
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