Digital Madness

[DarkTone | 1,039]

I've fallen down a rabbit hole, lately. I've been watching videos on people spending money on digital game items. Mainly skins. Have you, or do you know anyone who's dropped a lot of cash on any rare digital only items from games? To each their own, but for the amount that I see, I could never do that. 

[Reed Rothchild | 10,083]

Gross.

Unless it was like an Usagi Yojimbo skin or something... 

Samurai rabbits are my only weakness.  Someone please make an Usagi game.  Preferably with no digital items.

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,135]

I couldn’t care any less about digital items of any kind. I don’t really know anyone in person that has gotten into getting that kind of thing

[Hammerfestus | 4,211]

I just assumed these digital items were only relevant to children with their parents credit cards.

[a3quit4s | 4,545]

I spent like maybe $10 one time on a skin for pubg and 6 years or so later I’m still using it. Circus bear costume was totally worth it lmao

Other than that I’ve always been happy with what can be unlocked for free by playing whatever game

Edited May 1, 2024 by a3quit4s

[fox | 1,861]

I don’t see many others rocking the pre-order armor for Helldivers 2.

Yes I have been team killed by haters  

[DarkTone | 1,039]

Interesting how some people spend thousands on in game skins for games like counter strike. I can see why people think its crazy. The same way non collectors think spending thousands on physical rare games is crazy 

[AirVillain | 544]

Hate the concept of all "DLC".

Shitty money grab.

[T-Pac | 8,443]

Buying in-game digital items with real-world money strikes me as wasteful and ephemeral...

...But then I think of all the money I spent on trading cards as a kid, which are nothing more than pieces of cardboard for games I never even played.... And I think of all the money I spend now on video games - many of which only ever get an hour or so of playtime before I abandon it on the shelf forever...

...and I realize my spending habits are probably no better than those people shelling-out for a different-colored avatar or whatever.

[T-Pac]

[Reed Rothchild | 10,083]

On 5/13/2024 at 10:19 AM, AirVillain said:

Hate the concept of all "DLC".

Shitty money grab.

They used to be called expansion packs.  Before that they were called Mega Man sequels.

[Gloves | 12,594]

2 hours ago, T-Pac said:

Buying in-game digital items with real-world money strikes me as wasteful and ephemeral...

...But then I think of all the money I spent on trading cards as a kid, which are nothing more than pieces of cardboard for games I never even played.... And I think of all the money I spend now on video games - many of which only ever get an hour or so of playtime before I abandon it on the shelf forever...

...and I realize my spending habits are probably no better than those people shelling-out for a different-colored avatar or whatever.

[T-Pac]

When my bunny character in Call of Duty suplexes Spawn, it fills me with a joy that I consider to be worth the price I paid for the pleasure of seeing it happen.

[DarkTone | 1,039]

@Glovessuplex homelander and snoop for me. 

@T-Pac its crazy seeing digital items sell for anything. Mainly in counter strike. Knives and gloves, patterns and stickers, there's someone who will pay a lot for it. Maybe not even use it!

[fcgamer | 5,138]

Never been into dlc, don't think I've ever even played an online game.

[Brickman | 4,317]

I sold my WoW character that had good raiding gear back in the day. I think it was around $300 back when Burning Crusade was out. Couldn't believe someone would actually pay me for a character.

I feel like most of those skins are just a form of kids getting into early gambling and trying to make an easy buck. Pretty sad when you think about it. 

[Code Monkey | 2,244]

One of the biggest factors of my friend's divorce was because his wife was playing so much Fortnite and spending so much money on outfits.

I don't understand it at all. I have a new outfit and..........now what? What do I do with it?

[RH | 5,429]

28 minutes ago, Code Monkey said:

One of the biggest factors of my friend's divorce was because his wife was playing so much Fortnite and spending so much money on outfits.

I don't understand it at all. I have a new outfit and..........now what? What do I do with it?

I don't think I've ever agreed with you more.

That said, I'm not opposed to the general idea of a FTP game monetizing itself by allowing for superficial, visual updates to be purchased.  This provides an even playing field for all participants, regardless of how much money they spend and, in theory, it shouldn't encourage influencer-gamer types to spend 10s of thousands of dollars to stay as king of the hill.  The games can remain about skill and everything else is secondary.

BUT.. this obviously isn't happening. I can't believe anyone would over-spend in Fortnite, unless they've changed their business model to be P2W.  If this woman got a divorce because she was over-spending on skins, then I really just don't understand.  I don't understand at all.

[Kguillemette | 1,682]

Dlc as in an expansion pass of games I already enjoy? Sure, I bite from time to time. Rise of Rome and Conquerors for Age of Empires were some Christmas list items back in the day. Sims 2 pets mod, sure! I've been known to buy DLC for mortal kombat and smash characters as well from time to time

Micropay and pay to win gaming models have no appeal to me and I strongly dislike the existence of them.

On a similar sidenote, anyone remember this lady who took it to a whole different level?

https://www.craigslist.org/about/best/nyc/308349637.html

 

[Gloves | 12,594]

4 hours ago, Code Monkey said:

I don't understand it at all. I have a new outfit and..........now what? What do I do with it?

You wear it? 

You have clothes IRL. These clothes give people a glimpse into your personality at a glance. Decked out in black, chains, spiky hair - maybe that's a goth! Pink, purple, skirts and bracelets? Etc.. 

It's the exact same thing online. People choose outfits which they feel represent them. Some people buy many outfits to represent their current *mood*, and swap them out regularly. I do this myself, it's not abnormal at all. 

[DarkTone | 1,039]

But to spend a lot of money on a skin? A character? Sure. Weapon? Maybe. Mission or quest? I guess. 

Samsung teamed with fortnite to release a rare skin. You had to buy a certain phone or tablet that cost $1000, and play 3 games to unlock this skin. BUT, you get a phone / tablet. Some games you get the skin, and you can't even sell it on!

[T-Pac | 8,443]

On 5/22/2024 at 9:16 AM, Gloves said:

When my bunny character in Call of Duty suplexes Spawn, it fills me with a joy that I consider to be worth the price I paid for the pleasure of seeing it happen.

Yeah - that definitely makes sense to me.

I'm with @RH : Paying to win is awful, but paying for customization is cool as long as it makes the game more fun for you.

[T-Pac]

[GPX | 1,444]

It’s a hypothesis, but I wonder how much of the people who buys up extra digital game items, could it be related with a certain level of gaming addiction? It’d be interesting to do surveys on people who buys into this sort of digital extras.

 

 

[Sumez | 3,218]

On 5/22/2024 at 6:05 PM, Reed Rothchild said:

They used to be called expansion packs.  Before that they were called Mega Man sequels.

If you ever find any single piece of DLC of the same quality as any individual Mega Man sequel on NES, be sure to call me up

(to answer myself, the Dark Souls 2 DLC is probably a good/the only contender, but fortunately it's available on disc now)

Edited May 27, 2024 by Sumez

[Sumez | 3,218]

On 5/22/2024 at 3:44 PM, T-Pac said:

Buying in-game digital items with real-world money strikes me as wasteful and ephemeral...

...But then I think of all the money I spent on trading cards as a kid, which are nothing more than pieces of cardboard for games I never even played.... And I think of all the money I spend now on video games - many of which only ever get an hour or so of playtime before I abandon it on the shelf forever...

...and I realize my spending habits are probably no better than those people shelling-out for a different-colored avatar or whatever.

[T-Pac]

I think there's a fine line between having irrational spending habits, and actually encouraging a predatory system that abuses people's addictive behavior patterns.

Where that line is drawn is definitely arguable, and probably somewhat subjective. I don't think we need to necessarily agree on it. But I do think it's important to maintain that it at least exists somewhere, because there's some absolutely cynical and despicable stuff going on out there once you start delving into the rabbit hole of the worst examples.

[Reed Rothchild | 10,083]

2 hours ago, Sumez said:

If you ever find any single piece of DLC of the same quality as any individual Mega Man sequel on NES, be sure to call me up

(to answer myself, the Dark Souls 2 DLC is probably a good/the only contender, but fortunately it's available on disc now)

Shadow of the Erdtree 

[AirVillain | 544]

On 5/22/2024 at 12:05 PM, Reed Rothchild said:

They used to be called expansion packs.  Before that they were called Mega Man sequels.

Yeah but shit.... Imagine playing Mega Man and having like 30 levels/bosses to play???

All jokes aside, you make a good point, but the medium capacity was different.

At the time, Mega Man was just about as a "complete game" as you could make...? I mean.... had they been able to do ALL the suit upgrades, slide, etc. in the first one they would have?

But... probably didn't even cross their minds because Mega Man was so badass in itself.

Also, I get you weren't actually being serious, yet I have provided my thoughts in case so.... I mean, I suppose there are some people who could think Mega Man 2-6 were money grabs?

Okay... hold on... Now I'm actually thinking about this legitimately....

It seems to me, without going back and playing through them all, that 6 was still able to improve on the gameplay from the previous games....? Through the flying R.Coil suit?

But there's a pretty good argument to be had that the bosses and weapons get shittier after 2...  Hmmmm..... 3 had the slide AND charge M. Buster?

So what really was THAT GREAT of an improvement in gameplay/mechanics after 3???   I mean, the flying suit in 6 was cool, but it kinda was redundant given the R. Coil suits previous to it. Still awesome, though.

Hmmm.... Having 6 games on the NES is astounding. I won't quite say that 4-6 jump the shark, though, as I enjoy the variety....