I'm Building Games That Don't Treat You Like a Wallet
https://lemmy.world/post/48455144
I'm Building Games That Don't Treat You Like a Wallet - Lemmy.World
I got into making games because I love games. Not because I see players as a
balance sheet to drain. But somewhere along the way a lot of the industry
stopped shipping things you finish and started shipping things designed to hook
you, time you, and quietly bleed your wallet on a Tuesday night. Loot boxes that
are just slot machines with extra steps. Countdown timers built to make you
panic-buy. Hyped-up trailers covering for a launch that’s broken or empty. Full
price games that still nickel-and-dime you for the fun parts. That’s not design,
that’s a casino wearing a costume. To be clear, I’m not mad at charging money. I
sell my own game, and there are optional purchases that keep the servers on and
pay the people building it. Charging a fair price for real work is honest.
Engineering addiction and hiding a hollow product behind a flashy trailer is
not. There’s a line, and a lot of people sprinted past it. So here’s my flag in
the ground. Fair price. Finished game. No psychological traps, no dishonest
hype. You buy it, you own it, you actually have fun. That used to be the
baseline. I want to make it the baseline again.
I'm Building Games That Don't Treat You Like a Wallet
https://lemmy.world/post/48455143
I'm Building Games That Don't Treat You Like a Wallet - Lemmy.World
I got into making games because I love games. Not because I see players as a
balance sheet to drain. But somewhere along the way a lot of the industry
stopped shipping things you finish and started shipping things designed to hook
you, time you, and quietly bleed your wallet on a Tuesday night. Loot boxes that
are just slot machines with extra steps. Countdown timers built to make you
panic-buy. Hyped-up trailers covering for a launch that’s broken or empty. Full
price games that still nickel-and-dime you for the fun parts. That’s not design,
that’s a casino wearing a costume. To be clear, I’m not mad at charging money. I
sell my own game, and there are optional purchases that keep the servers on and
pay the people building it. Charging a fair price for real work is honest.
Engineering addiction and hiding a hollow product behind a flashy trailer is
not. There’s a line, and a lot of people sprinted past it. So here’s my flag in
the ground. Fair price. Finished game. No psychological traps, no dishonest
hype. You buy it, you own it, you actually have fun. That used to be the
baseline. I want to make it the baseline again.
Players, Not Wallets - Lemmy.World
Somewhere in a glass tower, a meeting happened. The question on the slide wasn’t
“is this game fun.” It was “how do we get them to spend again before they notice
they stopped having fun.” That’s the part that gets me. I’m not against paying
for games. I sell mine for less than a lunch, with a few optional extras that
keep the servers on and let me keep doing this. That’s a fair trade. You give me
a little, I give you a whole world and I don’t pick your pocket while you’re
standing in it. What I’m against is the slot machine wearing a game’s skin. The
blinking timers built to make you anxious. The fun locked behind a wall so
you’ll pay to feel something. The hyped launch that ships broken because the
marketing already cashed the check. Designing a game to drain you instead of
delight you is a choice, and a lot of big teams keep choosing it. So here’s
where I plant my flag. I’d rather make a smaller, honest thing that respects
your time and your wallet than a shiny machine engineered to bleed you slow. If
you’re tired of being treated like a balance instead of a player, good. Come
build the other timeline with me. We’re still out here, and we’re not selling
you back the joy.
Players, Not Wallets - Lemmy.World
Somewhere in a glass tower, a meeting happened. The question on the slide wasn’t
“is this game fun.” It was “how do we get them to spend again before they notice
they stopped having fun.” That’s the part that gets me. I’m not against paying
for games. I sell mine for less than a lunch, with a few optional extras that
keep the servers on and let me keep doing this. That’s a fair trade. You give me
a little, I give you a whole world and I don’t pick your pocket while you’re
standing in it. What I’m against is the slot machine wearing a game’s skin. The
blinking timers built to make you anxious. The fun locked behind a wall so
you’ll pay to feel something. The hyped launch that ships broken because the
marketing already cashed the check. Designing a game to drain you instead of
delight you is a choice, and a lot of big teams keep choosing it. So here’s
where I plant my flag. I’d rather make a smaller, honest thing that respects
your time and your wallet than a shiny machine engineered to bleed you slow. If
you’re tired of being treated like a balance instead of a player, good. Come
build the other timeline with me. We’re still out here, and we’re not selling
you back the joy.
