Data Hive (Criticism)

by narcogen , Andover, Massachusetts, Thursday, January 27, 2022, 09:43 (820 days ago) @ Claude Errera

I feel like maybe you could replace the word 'players' with 'streamers' and have a more accurate sentence.

I'm not arguing that this hasn't been the (vocal) request of prominent streamers. I'm arguing that Cody's belief that it's ONLY streamers that want this is based on... nothing.

That's not how I read what Cody said at all-- even if that is what he is saying elsewhere.

Even if only a higher percentage of streamers felt this way compared to the general population, that would make his substitution a more accurate statement, without needing to assert that this desire is non-existent in the general population.

I've played with a wide-enough variety of normal, non-streaming players that I understand that a LOT of people enjoy this.

Skinner boxes work on people. And I'm one of them! These techniques also work on me, and right now I'm trying to queue to get back into the game to tick some boxes off on a checklist.

I also understand that a lot of people don't. Cody has been complaining about this for quite some time... and to me at least, it seems that over time he's gotten more certain that it's ONLY streamers that feel this way. I wanted to make the point that this is an opinion - not fact. And that it's not based on any real info.

It's not very meaningful to say a speculation isn't based on real info where it cannot be. I don't think anyone would reasonably think Cody has inside information on the topic, or think that his usual overconfident assertions require any :)

Bungie ABSOLUTELY has data that shows, one way or the other, which side of this argument is more true (you can compare player retention in seasons where the grind has intentionally been ramped up to seasons where it hasn't, for example). They have not shared this data with us explicitly, but I'd argue that they're leaning into the route that gets more players... because that's where the money is.

Where more money is, yes. Where more players are? No. GaaS is based on casting a wide enough net to get a sustainable population and then maximize the return from that population.

There's nothing about literally removing the opening campaign of your game, constantly changing the way progression works, and creating an ecosystem that's so arcane and complicated that it practically makes it mandatory to use third party tools and follow various channels that provide basic information on activities and weekly/daily changes and schedules in order to advance and play effectively that is friendly to growing a population.

Between DLCs, season passes, special editions, merch, and in-game item sales, what I'd allege Bungie knows is that there are points on the curve where you make more money from fewer people if you design a game that caters to people who play in a particular way.

Cody, I think, would argue that they've gone full exploitative, and they don't really care whether we're happy playing, or just having our hindbrains tickled enough that we can't leave. I simply don't buy that argument.

They're not as nakedly exploitive as they could be. But they're not the least, either.

What I think I probably have come around to agreeing with Cody on is that the nature of the model itself is exploitive, even if some of the most egregious practices are excluded.

Even there Bungie is being worse than it used to be-- cosmetics only was one thing, but now there are Exotic weapons that only come with preorder bundles, so...