I think this gets at an interesting issue—you or I might dislike free-to-play games because they feel exploitative or disrespectful of our time, especially when there's more mechanically or narratively interesting games out there that don't artificially gate you from playing to needle you into purchasing credits to continue. On the other…
I think this gets at an interesting issue—you or I might dislike free-to-play games because they feel exploitative or disrespectful of our time, especially when there's more mechanically or narratively interesting games out there that don't artificially gate you from playing to needle you into purchasing credits to continue. On the other hand, my grandmother doesn't feel any exploitation, as she just plays it for a little bit then moves on with her day. It's a weird case where, on the face of it, the practice is exploitative, but most people who play those games don't feel the exploitation.
Yep - totally agree. We're just not the intended audience for these kinds of games, or at least the primary audience. I personally would rather spend my money on a game with an engaging story, fleshed out characters, etc. Though I do play a wide variety of games even without these aspects, but I avoid F2P games altogether. It also helps that there are more options than ever these days to get high-quality, full games at relatively cheap prices if you're not picky about playing new releases and are willing to wait for sales and deep discounts that pop up all the time. For someone like me that's more than enough to keep me occupied during my limited free time these days.
I think this gets at an interesting issue—you or I might dislike free-to-play games because they feel exploitative or disrespectful of our time, especially when there's more mechanically or narratively interesting games out there that don't artificially gate you from playing to needle you into purchasing credits to continue. On the other hand, my grandmother doesn't feel any exploitation, as she just plays it for a little bit then moves on with her day. It's a weird case where, on the face of it, the practice is exploitative, but most people who play those games don't feel the exploitation.
Yep - totally agree. We're just not the intended audience for these kinds of games, or at least the primary audience. I personally would rather spend my money on a game with an engaging story, fleshed out characters, etc. Though I do play a wide variety of games even without these aspects, but I avoid F2P games altogether. It also helps that there are more options than ever these days to get high-quality, full games at relatively cheap prices if you're not picky about playing new releases and are willing to wait for sales and deep discounts that pop up all the time. For someone like me that's more than enough to keep me occupied during my limited free time these days.