Seasons (Destiny)

by Kahzgul, Sunday, October 22, 2017, 17:43 (2380 days ago) @ Harmanimus

It is condescending to imply that just because someone pays for microtransactions they are somehow not savvy or understanding of what that purchase is. For most players it is as much a conscious choice to buy microtransactions based on their budget and perceived value to the exact same degree that people don't due to their budget or perceived value.

I apologize if this was insulting as it was not intended to be. I believe that microtransactions, in general, are designed to play on addictive tendencies in players, and that those who are savvy to the tricks are more able to resist those tricks or at least make their purchases with full and complete information. I did not mean to imply that people who were unaware of the predatory abuse of human nature playing out in their video game were somehow less than as a result. Being unwittingly manipulated is not the fault of the victim. Perhaps savvy was not the best term to use, but I'm struggling to think of one that more accurately describes what I was trying to say.

We know, for a fact, that Destiny was intentionally designed to create addictive loops in the gameplay and rewards systems, and was done so scientifically by a professor of behavioral psychology.

People who think "I can afford this" may be right, but they aren't the players I'm particularly concerned about, and most people who just buy one thing are probably totally savvy. It's the 0.15% of game players who account for 50% of microtransaction revenue who concern me. These players likely have a combination of video game addiction and gambling addiction, and there is virtually no support system in place to help them. Gamblers have a hotline. Alcoholics have a hotline. Microtransaction Whales have nowhere to turn and no one looking out for them.

I understand that you are in squared opposition to many aspects of modern gaming financial staples and I respect that even if I disagree with some of the logic. However, I cannot respect the implication that people with different priorities are a) not savvy consumers b) are being taken advantage of c) derive no benefit from these transactions.

Addiction is not a matter of a player simply having "different priorities" as you imply. And intentionally designing your game to prey on addiction is a gross abuse that should not be tolerated.

Again, I apologize if it sounded like I was trying to shame or assign blame to the players here; the fault lies entirely with the developers who seek to take advantage of these players.