Facebook Aunt posted:

Games like that are complete games with just the original purchase. Some of those DLCs are what would in earlier days have been complete sequels. Some of them are cosmetic trash you can ignore if you don't care what your mans are wearing or what music plays. Plus, as mentioned, that's like 5 years of ongoing development. Usually each time a new major DLC comes out the base game and a bunch of earlier DLC goes on sale. I got Crusader King II and a bunch of DLC for $10 once.

Plus anyone who enjoys those kinds of games IS getting hundreds or thousands of hours of play time, so they probably think they got their money's worth. A single play through probably takes more than 20 hours even if you play at max speed the whole time and there is a ton of replayability.

Somfin posted:

Yes, but the key point is that those extra add-ons could have been included in the base game, and weren't; or they could have been included in update patches down the line, and weren't; they were excised out and sold separately. The full experience that game has to offer costs significantly more than the base price. A whole bunch of games release free content updates these days, often with way more included than the lists you're seeing.

Poops Mcgoots posted:

I though train simulator is basically a digital model train set. You don't buy all $3000 worth of trains unless you run a YouTube channel where you review train simulator dlc. You just buy the trains you find interesting. And sure, you could make them free updates. But model train enthusiasts are kind of already known for being bad with money.

Screaming Idiot posted:

God, that reminds me, is there a Discord client without the shop and other bloat? I used to love Discord because it was a lightweight way to shitpost with friends assholes I can barely tolerate, but now it has to load ALL THE THINGS. Discord wants me to know that Quirky Indie Game is available now! And WoW is having a new patch! And by the way, won't you share more data to access even more wonderful invasive features?

gently caress Discord, gently caress ads, gently caress game stores, I just wanna chat goddammit.

Sagebrush posted:

if you actually need all that poo poo to make the game playable/enjoyable, it is a lovely game

ToxicSlurpee posted:

You don't, actually. Mostly it's just extra poo poo you can do in the game. Paradox is actually really good about not crippling the base game at all. For Crusader Kings II there are like two or three DLCs that people usually say are "essential" but really they aren't. The game works just fine without them. The games also frequently go on sale so I highly doubt many people paid full price for all of the DLC.

John Lee posted:

Dude, calm your poo poo. This is my home tab, literally none of the poo poo you mentioned is on it.



Oh, wait, I'm wrong, there is that unassuming Store tab there in the upper-left.





Done. drat, guy, chill yourself out a little about this insane bloat ruining your chatting experience.

honda whisperer posted:

I think there is a large overlap between people who scream about video games on the internet and people with a limited game budget and a lot more free time. Maybe it's being a shut in that makes you scream into the void.

I don't know exactly what it is but there's some kind of Venn diagram going on that parallels a lot of other things where the worst people are also the loudest.

Also if your identity is tied up in half pressing a at the right moment you're probably going to see a game that invalidates half presses as an attack on your very existence.

Memento posted:

Poops Mcgoots posted:

But model train enthusiasts are kind of already known for being bad with money.

Microcline posted:

It's hard to come to terms with the fact that not only are you going to die but that everything you love is going to be sucked dry by capitalism within the next 10-20 years.

Gum posted:

wouldnt it be the entente for ww1?

RareAcumen posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM_B8iQUqgw

Target Practice posted:

I don't buy that, really. I guess the key would be to insulate yourself with hobbies that, as far as I can tell, aren't susceptible to the corruption of capitalism. Learn a skill, cook, read, take some drawing or other art classes at a local CC, etc.

Sure, are those things going to ping your Skinner box brain parts? Maybe not, but at least you're not pouring money into a system that is doing its best to fleece the gently caress out of you.

poo poo knows it's not easy to pull yourself out of it. I still play games, my hobbies require not living in an apartment so it's going to be nice when my wife and I can get a house and unplug for Christ's sake.

Target Practice posted:

I don't buy that, really. I guess the key would be to insulate yourself with hobbies that, as far as I can tell, aren't susceptible to the corruption of capitalism. Learn a skill, cook, read, take some drawing or other art classes at a local CC, etc.

Sure, are those things going to ping your Skinner box brain parts? Maybe not, but at least you're not pouring money into a system that is doing its best to fleece the gently caress out of you.

poo poo knows it's not easy to pull yourself out of it. I still play games, my hobbies require not living in an apartment so it's going to be nice when my wife and I can get a house and unplug for Christ's sake.

RareAcumen posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM_B8iQUqgw

bike tory posted:

PULL him out & BEAT HIM

Somfin posted:

Yes, but the key point is that those extra add-ons could have been included in the base game, and weren't; or they could have been included in update patches down the line, and weren't; they were excised out and sold separately. The full experience that game has to offer costs significantly more than the base price. A whole bunch of games release free content updates these days, often with way more included than the lists you're seeing.

I'm simply quibbling with definitions here. I don't actually have a problem with expansion packs and similar concepts; but if your definition of a game is "the base game with none of the additional content" then I have to assume you specify when you're talking about Diablo 2 with the LOD expansion pack as opposed to the base game without it.

Personally, I consider a game's price to be the price with all of the expansions and add-ons, and the "base game" is functionally an incomplete product sold at a discount. Handily, this makes games with infinite paid content generators, like loot boxes, into games with a price tag of $[all] so I stay the gently caress away.

bike tory posted:

PULL him out & BEAT HIM

bike tory posted:

Imo the key difference between a real hobby and other consumptive activities is that a hobby is something that gets more rewarding and enjoyable the more you do it. Consumptive activities gradually lose their appeal as you consume them.

Like compare learning to play a musical instrument to playing video games. The former kinda sucks at first but as you stick with it you get much better and it becomes much more enjoyable, you're able to play for enjoyment rather than just practicing constantly.

The problem living under capitalism is that after work people have so little time or energy that more myopic pursuits are totally understandable.

itskage posted:

I'm guessing you have never played a game at a high level?

...

itskage posted:

I'm guessing you have never played a game at a high level? This really breaks down when you apply the same principles. You're dismissing the fact that video games are something you can practice and become skilled at.

For instance I've found practicing really long combos in something like the Marvel vs Capcom series to being just as rewarding as learning the melody to a song on my guitar. They're fun to learn and experiment with. Even more so when you play someone and you're able to beat them in a match executing what you practiced instead of losing because you dropped your combo right at the end giving them the chance to comeback.

Lots of fighting games require hours of practice, learning to read people, becoming confident enough to execute under pressure.

Team shooters where you have to coordinate with a team, and practice your kit. Like a sniper player will spend time working on twitch shooting, so they can react and shoot an opponent instantly and accurately (again under pressure, I've missed so many shots during tense moments)

Or look at MMOs like FF14 where the highest level content requires a group of 8 people to perform the mechanics of their classes and the boss fight by coordinating and communicating with each other over a period of 10-15 minutes. Some fights tuned so difficult that just one person making a mistake will wipe the group.

Even old single player games have a community of speed runners working on finding the fastest way to beat a game, then spending hours practicing to post the fastest times.

Or poo poo like beaglerush's xcom runs where you see an experienced player minimize risks and play through a game in a meticulous manner that allows them to beat it on the hardest difficulty, despite most casual players assuming an 80% chance to hit means they will.


I don't know. Playing an instrument is cool and I practice my guitar almost every day and it's nice that this skill has value outside a digital world, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily a better use of my free time then just playing video games I like.

itskage posted:

I'm trying to be honest here and genuinely ask a question why they don't see games as something that can be practiced for enjoyment.

But feel free to continue responding with mashups of tired catch phrases, this is the meme thread after all.

e: I guess if I remove that one sentence it would sound less snarky on my part.

A GLISTENING HODOR posted:

Please source your quotes when turning on your monitor at this McDonald's drive thru, sir.

itskage posted:

I'm guessing you have never played a game at a high level? This really breaks down when you apply the same principles. You're dismissing the fact that video games are something you can practice and become skilled at.

For instance I've found practicing really long combos in something like the Marvel vs Capcom series to being just as rewarding as learning the melody to a song on my guitar. They're fun to learn and experiment with. Even more so when you play someone and you're able to beat them in a match executing what you practiced instead of losing because you dropped your combo right at the end giving them the chance to comeback.

Lots of fighting games require hours of practice, learning to read people, becoming confident enough to execute under pressure.

Team shooters where you have to coordinate with a team, and practice your kit. Like a sniper player will spend time working on twitch shooting, so they can react and shoot an opponent instantly and accurately (again under pressure, I've missed so many shots during tense moments)

Or look at MMOs like FF14 where the highest level content requires a group of 8 people to perform the mechanics of their classes and the boss fight by coordinating and communicating with each other over a period of 10-15 minutes. Some fights tuned so difficult that just one person making a mistake will wipe the group.

Even old single player games have a community of speed runners working on finding the fastest way to beat a game, then spending hours practicing to post the fastest times.

Or poo poo like beaglerush's xcom runs where you see an experienced player minimize risks and play through a game in a meticulous manner that allows them to beat it on the hardest difficulty, despite most casual players assuming an 80% chance to hit means they will.


I don't know. Playing an instrument is cool and I practice my guitar almost every day and it's nice that this skill has value outside a digital world, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily a better use of my free time then just playing video games I like.