The 'AAA' Industry Can't Be Trusted To Regulate Its Gambling Problem (The Jimquisition)

Wanted to pick a week where you were talking about this, come here, tell this to you here: I realized I got so addicted to phone games where it was nothing but waiting around for loot boxes with cosmetic items. Then I thought about why that is. And it is simply because games that come out now are not like Project Diva and Tekken 6 on PS3 where those cosmetic items didn't ask you to watch commercials or anything else. You played the game, and you worked for items, sometimes you got a random item unlocked. And I think I just really really miss that. And you talk about how things used to just be apart of the game. But hundreds to thousands of cosmetic items used to be part of the game experience. Unlocking additional characters and items used to be part of it... and it was always the part I loved most in games. Do you even know a modern game that does what those two games did without charging you extra? I mentioned this to mobile phone game groups I am in and they just feel they are in control of what they do and do not find the games predatory and it feels useless talking to them. I bring up that the gambling might actually have skewed odds, the odds might not actually be as they present themselves. and they just shun the idea. People who drop hundred a month on these games will deny it and will say they enjoy those mechanics... I just want to know if you know any newer game alternatives which contain lots of unlockable content, lots of cosmetics where you can dress up your character to look cool, you unlock that don't have microtransations or lootboxes.

Try and have a conversation about this with people over 20, and they just don't understand why you're even talking about it 9 out of 10 times. With anyone 20 or younger, they get mad that someone might DARE tell them they're being manipulated. Then they act shocked when someone loses all their money to a kid or a problem gambler in the house on a video game and they wonder why nobody warned them.... SIGH!!! I went to school for drug and alcohol counselor training and we covered addiction to gambling.... and my teachers used video games as a perfect example BACK in the 90's because of things like Triple Triad in FF8, Pokemon's ravenous need to find partners to trade with to 'get 'em all', and so on. Those easily became compulsions and obsessions. Now that money's involved and people are making it about status? Hoo boy.

Trevor Bond

As somebody that studied business and does that for a living. I find it funny when people push back against your comments, like when don’t live in a world where marketing/ pricing/ behavioral psychology exist. So, here are some books where you can literally see the roots of AAA strategy. Smart Pricing: How Google, Priceline, and Leading Businesses Use Pricing Innovation for Profitability by Jagmohan Raju and Z. John Zhang Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Pedro Garcia-Huidobro

I hear that! Funnel cakes are a food of the gods, man!

Hey, V.O. If it was the Nintendo Switch you were considering, I'll let ya know that there is a companion app where you can control pretty much all aspects of the Switch experience for children: https://www.nintendo.com/switch/parental-controls/ You can also designate account restrictions including disallowing digital purchases (including DLC and micro-transactions) on the child's account. Seems Nintendo in particular are always ahead of the curve when it comes to family/child-friendly features. :)

I'm still sitting wondering 'At what point will the Video Game Money Train' derail. Will the next gen ps5 and Microsoft scarlet (or whatever they call it) be enough to blow it out? Drop an ever-more expensive platform into a seas of gaming that already has the current gen running with multiple iterations, for incremental improvements most consumer's won't see, and games being even more of a virtual commodity rather that physical goods purchased. Essentially we're moving to people buying into a thrill ride for a hefty price, for a limited time period. Is gaming going...Disney? Wanna park? we got fee's. wanna hotel room? fee's. Want food? fee's Water? fee's. faster access to the rides? pay a premium. But oh wait sorry that ride isn't at the park anymore, you will have to try what replaced it! And if you don't use your codes on time they're useless as entry is a limited time only, while available... Yeah... Gaming is a theme park.. gawd... No wonder I prefer smaller festivals and carnivals.. hehehe Least theare more upfront about their chicanery and goddamn that carney food!!!

Sterling Treadwell

I really liked the outro on this one. It was nice and heartfelt.

Goldfinch

That intro was amazing, it is a bit annoying how everyone feels the need to ask you to like and subscribe, like it's going to affect your decision at all.

Jono Charles Davey

If there's one big organisation I feel sorry for in all this, its the European Space Agency

LonMcGregor

Hi Jim, I don't know if this counts as a testimonial that you're looking for, but I do want to give my piece on this. I have a niece, who is turning 7 this year. She and I play Yoshi's Crafted World on the Switch almost every time she comes over to visit. She is also an big fan of Pokemon, Eevee being her absolute favorite, and with the new Switch Lite having a special Pokemon version, I once thought on getting Sword and Shield for her for Christmas. I recently changed my mind. My sister is not an expert on what's going on in video games. She still thinks games are like what they were back during the N64 days. If I were to get my niece a Switch, I would need to trust my sister will be careful on letting my niece play games while looking out for monetized RNG systems like loot boxes. Now the only way I can think of letting my niece play games is strictly physical copies, and we all how Activision Blizzard thinks of that now... Now I can't even get my niece a simple Christmas present without worrying about what exactly I am getting my sister into. A bunch of homework and careful planning all so my niece doesn't bankrupt them. Guess I'll just take the "at least I'm being a careful family member" points...

Dying Breed

Another brilliant piece. The AAA portion of this industry continues to be as scummy as ever. Thank you Jim.

Perpetual Noob