Yeah I thought it might be...

by Xenos , Shores of Time, Tuesday, May 14, 2013, 08:37 (4220 days ago) @ Kalamari

This makes me wonder, have we reached the point where gamers won't accept a game unless it contains some sort of addictive reward system for them grind out. Similar to how people will only accept cell phones that can play games or take pictures. So much so that currently all cell phones possess these extraneous capabilities that aren't necessary for phone calls. Have gamers become conditioned to expect player investment systems in most new games?

Yes, I know it's not a perfect analogy, but I think it serves my point well enough. I am pretty sure a cell phone without a camera or games would sell pretty poorly these days.

Is designing a good player investment system just as/more important than designing a good game? Without an addictive reward system, how do developers expect gamers to accept their game?

Personally I don't think so, I think plenty of games sell well that don't have addictive reward systems (except for achievements, but I am 99% sure those are required by Microsoft and other distribution companies). A few examples: Bioshock games, Metro 2033 and Last Light, and Portal 1 & 2 as just a few examples. I definitely think they are (sadly) the exception to the rule now, but they definitely exist and can sell very well.