GreenAlex

Makes sense. I definitely feel the same frustration sometimes and think it’s insane when people actively defend practices like these or try to sweep the problem under the rug.

Awareness is good but berating your average Joe is not the way to make any kind of systemic change. It will make them not listen to you or even actively work against you.

I’m not about to tell anybody they’re evil for playing a game like this and not knowing any better. If you really wanna change people’s habits, you’d be better off showing them what a better game can be. Even then, they could legitimately prefer their gachas or be addicted. I think that’s pretty crazy but there’s only so much one can do.

The AAA price increase was mostly just wanting more money and using inflation as an excuse. They’re not necessarily hurting because of f2p games. Well made traditional games still sell but often times the big publishers put out unfinished crap or overload their full-price games with monetization anyways. Those may be hurt financially. Meanwhile, games like Elden Ring and BG3 have done extremely well.

The pressure to change needs to be put on the companies, not the individuals. What the individual mostly needs is awareness.

I mean for sure these games are bad for the industry but I don’t think it’s a moral failing for people to play them. The reality is that companies have learned how to manipulate and ease worse practices into games over time. It sucks that a notable number of people have fallen for it but accusing individuals of being at fault (especially here) isn’t going to change the industry.

Credit where it’s due, Bluetooth headphones have come a long way. I like the ones I have now. That said, removing the jack and micro SD slots was extremely anti consumer and they should come back.

Adoption always comes with a certain level of trauma that not all people are prepared to help the child work through. There are also a lot of unknowns that come with it that can be challenging, both medically and behaviorally, that are lessened by having a biological child.

Naturally, it’s also much more straightforward to have your own kid if there aren’t fertility issues.

I don’t really care about the thumbnails but the video titles are awful. I’m not going to click on a video if I don’t actually know what it’s about. What am I supposed to expect when I start watching just about any of these?

Could it be Knowledge Adventure? I played some of the JumpStart games growing up.

https://www.closinglogos.com/page/Knowledge_Adventure

This may just be my device but I have to kill the PWA if I stop using it for around 10+ minutes, else I just get a black screen. Not the biggest problem but a bit annoying because I lose whatever thread I may have been reading.

I recommend giving Plate Up! a look. As good as it is, we also found Overcooked incredibly overwhelming/frustrating. Plate up is much better in that area, we feel. It eases you into the more hectic situations and you actually have agency over the design of the restaurant.

I go in cycles. Most of the time I prefer highly replayable games that I can sink my teeth into over a long period. Deep Rock Galactic, Monster Hunter, Grim Dawn, etc. Then I’ll dip into some shorter experiences for a little while. I have a hard time sticking those games out until the end most of the time. I guess I just dont like endings. It’s not a problem I have with any other media, though. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Powerwash Simulator is perfect for this.

Sony buying everything is just as much a problem as MS doing it. I think the main difference is that they’ve stayed under the radar by doing smaller purchases, but I want someone to push the brakes on them equally as much.

Slightly pains me to say that this is a good thing. As much as I hate what’s happened to Blizzard but especially Crash and Spyro, monopolies are only going to end up making things so much worse.