The Sinister Reasons For Adding Microtransactions After Launch (The Jimquisition)

I'm sorry, I really don't. There's a metric ton of "kicking gamer culture's ass" articles out there, and most of what they've done is make it that much easier to reflexively spout "whining entitled gamers" boilerplate without fear anyone will disagree and convince a lot of people that "mainstream" games journalism (whatever the hell that is at this point) actively disdains vast potions of the customer base that makes their work possible, in turn causing them to flock to more aggressive and sometimes reprehensible sources because at least they aren't actively vilifying them. That there are some genuinely toxic people out there I don't argue, and threats, doxing and worse are not tactics anyone should engage in. But every shotgun "gamer culture sucks, rrrarrr" attack makes the situation worse, not better. If people felt they could actually be heard rather than reflexively dismissed when they have a problem with an issue in their hobby, there is very little question that there would be less of the really bad stuff. And more of an incentive to marginalize the toxicity, rather than a "they're going to heap crap on us no matter what we do, so we might as well circle the wagons and settle in to fight" attitude. To broaden actual discussion and maybe improve matters would be great. To just gratify others' sanctimony? Pass, please.

Kraken

Have you done a whole Jimquisition on online harassment? You should. Calling out shitty companies is all well and good but with all the stuff you brought up at the end, plus the recent Ooblets backlash, I think "gamer culture" needs more of an ass-kicking.

Tyrannodokuro

Get them a PC with indie games. Best stuff coming out is on the Indie Level rn

Harry Moore

It's been pretty egregious with the ESA situation, watching certain parties acting as though pointing out the safe had been left open was more important than having left the safe open. I mean, yeah, there's an element of caution in reporting on situations like this, but when the people bearing the brunt of your ire are the ones who just dared point out the malfeasance- ignoring that plenty of plenty of malefactors were already aware- it comes off sounding like you're working on a whitewashing campaign. Running interference for the ESA, intentionally or not, is a crummy thing to do. As for the bulk of the story... Well, good grief. It's increasingly hard not to feel like companies shouldn't have to beg you on their hands and knees to be *allowed* to run an update on their software. If it isn't fixing things that should never have been allowed in a "finished" piece of software, it's adding new bugs. If it isn't diminishing your device's battery life, it's breaking its ability to run older software. If it isn't checking that you aren't "cheating" in your single-player game, it's adding a @#$%ing real-money store. Why do we put up with updates again? Oh, right- otherwise we wouldn't be able to go on the multiplayer servers. Hey, who was it who told us that everything should be multiplayer, and run on external servers...?

Kraken

At this point, if I had kids, I would only allow them to have a Nintendo and right now, I am basically only buying Japanese games. It is kinda sad but I honestly don't feel like I am missing a damn thing. Western publishers are all coming out with the same game and the same storefront. I really feel as though congress has to step in just to save the industry from itself. Also unions.

Benedict Holland

Hi, Jim, I've been eaing to say the past few weeks how much I've noticed your delivery improving over the years. It was only like a year ago that I would often think, "Breathe, Jim! Breathe!" when you'd deliver your lines. You'd try to do it all in one breath and would sound out of that breath by the end of all thoughts. No longer. It's more even now, and for sure benefits!

Google "Jason X"

Kyle Williams

Forgive my ignorance, but was the intro of this Jimquisition actually a robot beating a person in a sleeping bag with another person in a sleeping bag?

Freakish Uproar

I dig that a lot of reviewers have taken the policy of updating reviews based on patches and additions

Harry Moore

Same old BS as ever... obfuscate the objectionable bits until everyone looks away, then sneak in the poison.

Trevor Bond

I always shared TotalBiscuit's opinion on Rocket League being massively overrated-it's just soccer with cars, big fucking deal and seeing the game shove lootboxes in makes me feel vindicated in my opinion. So in light of that games award being tainted now, if you had to give JQ awards to what you think are the five best games of 2015 today, what game would you give the award to instead of Rocket League? Personally i'd give it to Dying Light or Mad Max without a second thought, those games were pure single-player focused bliss with no bullshit monetization at all.

RedBedroomRecords

I totally mistook Jason X at the start of this video for the character 'Cyborg' from the 90s TV series 'Space Precinct'. I literally haven't thought about Space Precinct in 20 years. Space Precinct was bloody awesome! Even though this video has nothing to do with Space Precinct, thanks for inadvertently reminding me that Space Precinct was a thing Jim :) Oh, and screw post-launch microtransactions too of course.