patrick.net

It’s selling time and expertise. If you’re busy, too busy to build up a character, but like to play and want to have a badass avatar, you can pay someone to do that “work” for you.
It’s lame but so are most of the ways people choose to spend their money.

It's the new capitalism in game play. The game makers will release games in shorter serial sections like a subscription and charge for chapters. They get more for several chapters than a game, and can suspend development if the game does not stay popular.

Typically, characters in first person games start out with scant resources, and build up their resources through skillful gameplay. With online play with multiple players, you typically go into action with guys who have acquired more powerful weapons, and you just get killed by an adversary right away with a single shot. I discovered this in the game "Destiny". Guys would come in with powerful one shot weapons that they paid extra for, you didn't stand a chance with them. I would try to go after them with some weak pea shooter with weak ammo that wouldn't phase them, or that required multiple sessions of extended fire to touch them. You can also pay to drape your avatar in more elaborate gear, colors, emblems etc.

In these games where you can "buy" your way to more powerful resources, then it's just like real life, the guy with the most money and toys wins.

Stuff like this has been around forever. Look up youtube videos about most expensive/rarest game items. I think the top one was someone buying a planet for $10k

Gaming is my life!

Another form of addiction.

Just a money grab, this issue has been growing since the 90s and wide spread online access.

Check out “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline if you’re interested in this subject. Aside from being informative and geeky with a serious 80’s bent, it’s also an enormously entertaining read!

Also check out “Reamde” by literary giant Neil Stephenson.
Yes, the spelling of the title is correct, a deliberate misspelling of “Readme.” This book will twist your mind into new shapes while keeping you glued to the pages.

rpanic01 says

his issue has been growing since the 90s and wide spread online access.

Why is it just getting attention now?

zzyzzx says

rpanic01 says

his issue has been growing since the 90s and wide spread online access.

Why is it just getting attention now?

Somebody got bored.

Witcher 2 and 3.

Stellaris

Europa Universalis

Fuck EA, they've sucked since C64. I used to love to use FAST HACK 'EM to kill EA protection (anybody remember 'parameters'?)

Destiny 1+2 (Bungie) Freelance payers who will help you through tough sections for 20 - 50 bucks, they advertise on twitch and YouTube

That anon was me BTW. For some reason the site didn't auto login GAME OVER!

Whatever happened to just playing games on your PC without the internet? Can you even still do that?

If it's not new, why so many people upset at EA all of a sudden? The whole bored thing makes no sense. They had to do something, like taking money more than they had before.

Anyway, from what I have read, the fact that so many people actually paid is probably only going to make the issue more widespread.

Obligatory:

zzyzzx says

Whatever happened to just playing games on your PC without the internet? Can you even still do that?

Of course. These guys review some pretty cool offline computer games:
http://cinemassacre.com/2016/10/24/among-the-sleep/
www.youtube.com/embed/vX_2PhhcS_c

Most games I don't use the team play features, but a few, the internet features are so conspicuous that I got involved in a few. I am not that great at them from lack of practice.

Watchdogs 2 and Assassin's Creed Unity were two in which I attempted team play. Using the microphone head seat and communicating to hear each other's voices, I realized I was playing with all these little kiddies. I did OK on a few and the kiddies added me to their preferred teams through my gaming identity. What a laugh!

I can see how it might be a problem if the young critters are playing games rather than reading books or attending to their schools. I can go with or without them. However, the games are amazing and create some incredible experiences both visual and experiential that you just can't get through any other medium so far. People who haven't gone through the gauntlet to experience them don't realize how remarkable they are. They are also great for honing skills in reflexes and puzzle solving. "Dead Space" on the older PS3 platform creeped me out for while.

I usually just wind up learning the more subtle features of the games about the time I finish them, I am too lazy to study them up front.

Ceffer says

However, the games are amazing and create some incredible experiences both visual and experiential that you just can't get through any other medium so far.

If the experience were really that good, porn producers would be using this same technology