Civ is a bit exploitative in that they deliberately release a half-arsed base product with glaring flaws, charging big $$$ for it; and then release a chain of expansion packs to flesh it out and make it complete.

I was on the beta team for Civ 5; and it was a real eye-opener to see that this is a deliberate strategy. It isn't just that games are hard to get right. They deliberately hold back to squeeze more cash out. I haven't bought any civ game since then.

But yeah, I agree that it isn't the same type of exploitation as gambling.