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Valve unintentionally set the stage for today's digital economic hellscape, according to its former economist in residence (www.pcgamer.com)

submitted 1 month ago by nanoUFO@sh.itjust.works to c/games@sh.itjust.works

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[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 94 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I definitely agree that Valve is responsible for the MTX hellscape in gaming because of TF2's hats. People thought Oblivion's Horse Armor for $5 was insane; but I would be shouted down bringing up the $25 for a single video game hat when TF2 started adding that shit. It was so much worse and that system was the one adopted by everyone and what evolved into the current "live service" systems damn near every new AAA game has now.

Unintentionally though? They were one of the loudest proponents of "games as a service" back in the day.

[-] Famko@lemmy.world 52 points 1 month ago

More problematically, TF2 popularized loot boxes in the form of Mann Co. supply crates, starting the trend of adding essentially gambling to online multiplayer games.

[-] warm@kbin.earth 40 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Actually EA popularised that with FIFA Ultimate Team and pack opening. TF2 is very very small in comparison. After FUTs success, the loot box trend really set off.

[-] Sylvartas@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

TF2 proved it was a viable model

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[-] magic_lobster_party@kbin.run 24 points 1 month ago

They were one of the loudest proponents of "games as a service" back in the day.

Among the old PS3 conferences there’s this one where Portal 2 is announced for PS3. While everybody else tried to make 3D TV gaming and motion controls the next big thing, Gabe just enters the stage and describes how they believe games as a service is the future.

They were so far ahead. Everybody struggled to figure out what the next big thing is going to be. Valve had already figured it out.

[-] warm@kbin.earth 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

At least I can sell my TF2 hats.

But the fact people spend $60 on a skin in a game, for just one character or weapon, is absolutely fucking insane. Not that I agree with any paid game selling cosmetics for any price.

[-] MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net 17 points 1 month ago

But the fact people spend $60 on a skin in a game, for just one character or weapon, is absolutely fucking insane.

My nephew got very excited about the Transformers skins coming to Overwatch. I let him have his hype cycle (we are both Transformers fans), then asked him how much it cost. I told him he could buy an entire game for that much. Then, on his own, he started analyzing the pricing, and how buying 3 of the 4 on their own is more than buying the whole pack. Which segued nicely into how companies use price to steer people into buying specific things.

But he was still iffy until I told him that the same money could buy 2-3 HG Gundam kits. The next day he told me that he had bought an RG kit instead. Works for me.

[-] warm@kbin.earth 11 points 1 month ago

Respect to him.

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[-] Chozo@fedia.io 11 points 1 month ago

It's absolutely absurd what people are willing to pay for cosmetics. I'm not about to tell anybody what they should do with their own money; do whatever makes you feel happy, even if that means buying a digital hat. But I've seen some wild shit.

I used to be one of the top-rated middlemen in the TF2 trading scene, and was a SteamRep admin for several years. This was back before Steam Marketplace existed and before there were reliable, bot-managed escrow services for these grey market sales. I oversaw some pretty big trades in that time. I remember one of the larger ones I oversaw was for a BFTC, and I think the buyer spent over $1000 on it.

And you can bet your ass I played a few games with it on while I waited for them to finalize the payment; I'm no better than a valet taking your car for a joyride while you eat dinner. :)

[-] warm@kbin.earth 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Yeah, it's your money, spend it how you want (but please stop buying skins). It's a tough one, I guess we are stuck with it though unless a major attitude shift happens suddenly. I think a lot of people forgot or never experienced games before MTX were rampant, so they literally don't know any better.

That's crazy yeah, there's CS skins these days going for tens of thousands. I heard there was an AK sold for over a million, whether or not that was true I don't know, but the fact I think it could be really says a lot about the current state of video games.

[-] PlzGivHugs@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago

It is worth noting that unlike something like a League or Overwatch skin, and even a lot of early TF2 trading, modern CS and Dota skins have more emphasis put on their marketability and speculative value. For example, I've bought a few CS skins that I don't use, purely because I expect their value to increase over the next couple years. Of course, thats not all of the buyers, but that influences the purchase, and allows for those valuations unlike a Fortnite skin with a fixed price tag set by Epic with zero recoupable value.

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[-] Sylvartas@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

TF2's hats were just the beginning. The shit they've pulled with my beloved dota 2 over the years ended up disgusting me away from the game altogether

[-] jacecomix@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago

Dota Plus killed it for me. I used to buy every TI Battle Pass + Extra Levels but the paywalling the QOL and Analytics was disgusting.

[-] index@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago

It's 100% intentional

[-] stardust@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I think mobile monetization is what most people experienced first. Was the first ad driven games and mtx was something pretty much anyone that had a phone encountered with it not being platform specific. So I feel like mobile was the main driving force with the initial low cost and free apps and need to monetize then turning out to be an absolute hit.

I never experienced TF2 since I wasn't PC gaming back then. But the mainstream success of mobile and the low/free app costs made what would happen to "traditional " gaming inevitable.

[-] BigTrout75@lemmy.world 72 points 1 month ago

Valve is the only good thing in the hellscape. Linux support, cheap games and free multiplayer.

Who else provides this?

[-] ruse8145@lemmy.sdf.org 11 points 1 month ago

Gog

[-] archchan@lemmy.ml 18 points 1 month ago

Linux support

[-] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 month ago

To be fair, they do a decent job providing Linux compat for games they support. They just don't do anything on the launcher side.

[-] PenisDuckCuck9001@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 1 month ago

Doing nothing is still more than some companies do. Some go out of their way to ensure their game won't run on Linux.

[-] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago

Fortunately, it's mostly MP games, and I very rarely play MP games.

[-] Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 2 points 1 month ago

Then there's me that pretty much only plays multiplayer games... 😥

Blessed are those that still find joy playing single player games

[-] cordlesslamp@lemmy.today 3 points 1 month ago

GOG doesn't have regional pricing.

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[-] CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 44 points 1 month ago

Is it a hellscape?

The last two GOTYs have no micro transactions. The new Elden Ring DLC is more of a traditional expansion

Indie gaming is alive and well and it’s easier than ever to develop and publish.

[-] holgersson@lemmynsfw.com 8 points 1 month ago

It says "digital economic landscape", so not just games and microtransactions, but having a distribution platform vendor-lock you in, not actually owning pieces of media you purchased on that platform and in a broader sense even art as a commodity

[-] YeetPics@mander.xyz 6 points 1 month ago

Not to mention the infinite supply of awesome indie games I have access to at the click of my mouse..

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[-] CitizenKong@lemmy.world 32 points 1 month ago

I think it's a little odd the article omits the fact that Yanis Varoufakis was also the Greek minister of finance for quite a while.

[-] Cyberflunk@lemmy.world 32 points 1 month ago

Hellscape? I guess my reality didnt get that memo.

Unless this is just about TF2. I don't know shit about tf.

[-] jqubed@lemmy.world 23 points 1 month ago

More broadly about companies not producing things but extracting “rent” from others by controlling a marketplace all others have to go through. The former economist in residence is promoting a new book he wrote, which I suppose I would have to read to fully understand his argument. The little bit I read in the article has not exactly convinced me, but more from the part that other companies he mentions like Apple and Amazon also produce products.

[-] AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 month ago

I've read the book and I found it okay, but I read it not long after Shoshana Zuboff's Surveillance Capitalism, which I think tried to explain many of the same things that Technofeudalism does, but I feel Zuboff's take feels more fitting (though the two models aren't necessarily mutually exclusive)

[-] Eggyhead@kbin.run 27 points 1 month ago

I’m more inclined to blame Microsoft for innovating subscriptions for online multiplayer & MTXs on consoles. As well as advertising on dashboards and everywhere else.

[-] DAMunzy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 1 month ago

Capitalism is what is going to kill Capitalism.

[-] reksas@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 month ago

No, all of us are. Capitalism is just the motive.

[-] fulg@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

Amazon is a prime example

I see what you did there…

[-] slaacaa@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Dark Gaben

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this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2024

136 points (88.6% liked)

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