Feel, Not Think

[Literatel 144]

I'd like to start off by saying that MLP Forums suck. This site really sucks. The layout is awful, the characters in My Little Pony are annoying beyond belief, and the amount of colors is unbearable. The show and this site stinks.

To those who had the family jewels to boo me, good. I didn't make you think. I made you feel.

Boy, I'm glad that part is over.

You would be surprised how professional wrestling and the media (along with multiple other forms of entertainment) are incredibly similar to one another. Professional wrestling and the media are the two longest-lasting forms of entertainment in the majority of cultures, and they persist to this day, stronger than ever. How, you might ask?

Only a decade ago and prior to that, the news pretended that integrity was a priority, that there were lines not meant to be crossed and they covered both sides of the story, and let the audience decide what to think of the stories. But recently, this formula has all but been erased. The news now only covers one side of the story, often obsessively focusing on certain current events while completely disregarding others that are, arguably, as equally as important. But why? Because nowadays, they want you not to think, but to feel. In professional wrestling (or the WWE), a heel will walk out on stage and will insult the crowd and the current location that the event is behind held at. This generates heat, causing some people to boo the person, others to silently hate them, and sometimes, they still cheer. Whether or not the reaction is negative or positive, it is still a reaction. And when people feel, business is good. This is why the media, for example, only covers one side of the story these days, and they only cover emotional topics- they want to tick you off, because when you feel, the cash flows in like you wouldn't believe. Video game companies, movie industries, the media, wrestling, etc. are making much more money these days than they ever used to do because they make people passionate about their product, for better or for worse. In addition, while make a quality product if you are making much more money through shareholders, stockholders, sponsors, etc.?

And if you don't feel, they will stir the pot. They will pull a trick from under their sleeve and they will make you feel passionate. Because controversy and passion creates cash.

This is just a connection I had.

 

 

Edited December 8, 2018 by Literatel

[碇 シンジン 27,431]

Its simple people usually let their feelings overcome them and because of that their reaction is stronger. 

Stronger reaction leads to more people hearing about the thing in question which is basically free advertising. Doesn't really matter if it's positive or negative to those people.

So basically if you can generate something that incites a lot of strong feelings in people you are going to get more attention which equals more popularity which in turn equals more money.

That's why the news are all about some random disasters or accidents even if they were completely irrelevant these days as those news sell more than news that don't have such deep effect on how people feel.

It's why I have stopped consuming the mainstream media or basically any media as most of it is corrupted with aforementioned system.

[Goat-kun 2,527]

Gaming ... AAA games. How are those sales going on the latest batch of copy-paste annual titles?

[Literatel 144]

7 hours ago, Goat-kun said:

Gaming ... AAA games. How are those sales going on the latest batch of copy-paste annual titles?

 

 

 

Money wise? VERY GOOD. Diablo Immortal? It's going to make Blizzard billions. And don't get me started on Bethesda.

[Goat-kun 2,527]

5 hours ago, Literatel said:

Money wise? VERY GOOD. Diablo Immortal? It's going to make Blizzard billions. And don't get me started on Bethesda.

We shall see. Outrage always happens; however, this era of gaming is a bit different. A small team of Kiwis is able to compete with a giant company behemoth and create a title that has become known as Diablo alternative for more engaged players. No money lost on excessive marketing, no underhanded connections with gaming journalists, no system specks and monetary tactics ascribed to games carrying the sigil of AAA titles. That lack of investment makes these big companies tremble the same way the legacy media is pissing their pants when faced with alt media YT creators that can attract more people vlogging about news from their home apartments. AAA titles are still profitable, for now. How long will they be able to drag this on while their detachment from consumers is only deepening? The war on microtransactions that has attracted the attention of politicians has only just begun. And the little birds are chirping that the new financial crisis is at hand. We shall see. The future is full of surprises. Those emotions work both ways, you know. Hatred makes for a great tool of abstinence.

[Literatel 144]

6 hours ago, Goat-kun said:

We shall see. Outrage always happens; however, this era of gaming is a bit different. A small team of Kiwis is able to compete with a giant company behemoth and create a title that has become known as Diablo alternative for more engaged players. No money lost on excessive marketing, no underhanded connections with gaming journalists, no system specks and monetary tactics ascribed to games carrying the sigil of AAA titles. That lack of investment makes these big companies tremble the same way the legacy media is pissing their pants when faced with alt media YT creators that can attract more people vlogging about news from their home apartments. AAA titles are still profitable, for now. How long will they be able to drag this on while their detachment from consumers is only deepening? The war on microtransactions that has attracted the attention of politicians has only just begun. And the little birds are chirping that the new financial crisis is at hand. We shall see. The future is full of surprises. Those emotions work both ways, you know. Hatred makes for a great tool of abstinence.

 

To be honest with you, in my opinion, the only event that could "save gaming" now is another video game collapse like the one years ago. Gaming these days is no longer just a source of entertainment, but a business. Target the lowest common denominator (and the greatest one), produce cheap products that make you pay while you play, and reap the rewards with warehouses full of cash. As I always say, "Always support the indie developers... until they start making money, that is; those selfish, soulless sell outs."

As much as I disagree with microtransactions, they are a genius business move. Video gaming companies make the majority of their money through shareholders, stockholders, sponsors, microtransactions, and loot boxes. Don't fix what isn't broken.

One thing has gotten me worried. I forgot the name of this group, but they are the equivalent of Human Resources; they aren't there for the customer, but to save the company's rump. Anyway, they have begun branding games that include MTX and loot boxes with a tag that states, "Contains virtual payments" or something like that. This not only means that the game's age rating is not affected, but arguably, those games branded with this tag are bulletproof.

[Goat-kun 2,527]

22 hours ago, Literatel said:

To be honest with you, in my opinion, the only event that could "save gaming" now is another video game collapse like the one years ago. Gaming these days is no longer just a source of entertainment, but a business. Target the lowest common denominator (and the greatest one), produce cheap products that make you pay while you play, and reap the rewards with warehouses full of cash. As I always say, "Always support the indie developers... until they start making money, that is; those selfish, soulless sell outs."

As much as I disagree with microtransactions, they are a genius business move. Video gaming companies make the majority of their money through shareholders, stockholders, sponsors, microtransactions, and loot boxes. Don't fix what isn't broken.

One thing has gotten me worried. I forgot the name of this group, but they are the equivalent of Human Resources; they aren't there for the customer, but to save the company's rump. Anyway, they have begun branding games that include MTX and loot boxes with a tag that states, "Contains virtual payments" or something like that. This not only means that the game's age rating is not affected, but arguably, those games branded with this tag are bulletproof.

The market needs to collapse the whole entertainment industry. The only thing that keeps this industry honest is the acute awareness that their link with the consumers is their one and only lifeline. That lifeline has been neglected since most prominent corps are too big to fall fast without a strong catalyst to accelerate the process.

 

I'm fine with microtransactions as long as they're cosmetic items or don't feel like the whole 60$ game has been chopped up.

 

Probably ESRB. The whole In-Game Purchases thing is too broad, thus it doesn't address the main concern with randomized loot from purchasable lootboxes. I suppose we'll have to keep up the consumer awareness going until this thing will be like virtual version of food additives.

[Literatel 144]

14 minutes ago, Goat-kun said:

The market needs to collapse the whole entertainment industry. The only thing that keeps this industry honest is the acute awareness that their link with the consumers is their one and only lifeline. That lifeline has been neglected since most prominent corps are too big to fall fast without a strong catalyst to accelerate the process.

 

 

 

I'm fine with microtransactions as long as they're cosmetic items or don't feel like the whole 60$ game has been chopped up.

 

 

 

Probably ESRB. The whole In-Game Purchases thing is too broad, thus it doesn't address the main concern with randomized loot from purchasable lootboxes. I suppose we'll have to keep up the consumer awareness going until this thing will be like virtual version of food additives.

 

Unfortunately, you and I (among other people who are aware or care about these issues) only make up a tiny portion of the population. The rest of them see a crappy product as "a flawed product (but what products aren't?) and that people are too entitled these days". Honestly, if people's idea of a standard product are, for example, a video game that is half-complete that you have to pay DLC for, that is riddled with game-breaking bugs that will never be fixed, filled to the brim with MTX, loot boxes, and pay-to-win mechanics, etc., then I don't know what this world has come to.

I have one argument against the compromise that MTX should only be cosmetic: the VAST majority of MTX sales are cosmetic-only items. This encourages companies to continue participating in these methods, meaning the sky is the limit for them. If one really wants MTX and loot boxes banned, it can't just encompass some parts of the problem.

Exactly.

Apparently, relatively recently, they found a way around the law that will keep said lawmakers scratching their heads for years. The original loot box system was like this: you pay with real money for a loot box for a random chance to get what you want, with no telling what you will get. The new system? You pay for a loot box opening, you know what you are getting, but you have to pay for them in order to continue buying more. The gambling addiction is still real, the damage is still there, but technically, it cannot be classed as gambling. 

Sadly, if these practices disappear, other methods will take their place. Every human, every living thing, is driven by greed, one way or another. (And fear? Lack of greed.) We all want something, we all need something, and most people don't give a pony's rump about anyone else. Not really. Money is but the physical embodiment of greed, gambling is but a side affect of money, and as long as all creatures are hide-wired to get what they feel they want or need, then these practices cannot be considered anything out of the ordinary.

Edited December 10, 2018 by Literatel

[Goat-kun 2,527]

23 hours ago, Literatel said:

Unfortunately, you and I (among other people who are aware or care about these issues) only make up a tiny portion of the population. The rest of them see a crappy product as "a flawed product (but what products aren't?) and that people are too entitled these days". Honestly, if people's idea of a standard product are, for example, a video game that is half-complete that you have to pay DLC for, that is riddled with game-breaking bugs that will never be fixed, filled to the brim with MTX, loot boxes, and pay-to-win mechanics, etc., then I don't know what this world has come to.

I have one argument against the compromise that MTX should only be cosmetic: the VAST majority of MTX sales are cosmetic-only items. This encourages companies to continue participating in these methods, meaning the sky is the limit for them. If one really wants MTX and loot boxes banned, it can't just encompass some parts of the problem.

Exactly.

Apparently, relatively recently, they found a way around the law that will keep said lawmakers scratching their heads for years. The original loot box system was like this: you pay with real money for a loot box for a random chance to get what you want, with no telling what you will get. The new system? You pay for a loot box opening, you know what you are getting, but you have to pay for them in order to continue buying more. The gambling addiction is still real, the damage is still there, but technically, it cannot be classed as gambling. 

Sadly, if these practices disappear, other methods will take their place. Every human, every living thing, is driven by greed, one way or another. (And fear? Lack of greed.) We all want something, we all need something, and most people don't give a pony's rump about anyone else. Not really. Money is but the physical embodiment of greed, gambling is but a side affect of money, and as long as all creatures are hide-wired to get what they feel they want or need, then these practices cannot be considered anything out of the ordinary.

This too shall pass. The AAA companies are slowly but surely falling from grace. The thing is, even with all the money they've grabbed over the decades, they can hardly compete with indies. And they can't bully them out of the market. Trying to sell more and more to their dwindling playerbase will turn out to be the critical error that shall either force them to downsize or die. No amount of microtransactions and gambling loopholes can save them from the shrinking market share. In fact, it may not be so far from truth that all the money they need to spend on propaganda, useless groups of advisors, and legal matters to cover up their arses more than compensates for the lack of microtransactions in an indie game.

[Literatel 144]

3 hours ago, Goat-kun said:

This too shall pass. The AAA companies are slowly but surely falling from grace. The thing is, even with all the money they've grabbed over the decades, they can hardly compete with indies. And they can't bully them out of the market. Trying to sell more and more to their dwindling playerbase will turn out to be the critical error that shall either force them to downsize or die. No amount of microtransactions and gambling loopholes can save them from the shrinking market share. In fact, it may not be so far from truth that all the money they need to spend on propaganda, useless groups of advisors, and legal matters to cover up their arses more than compensates for the lack of microtransactions in an indie game.

 

One thing is for certain: the majority of gaming companies are not looking in the long-term. For example, Bethesda recently announced that they will be using the same "groundbreaking engine" for the upcoming Elders Scrolls game. Why? It is a very simple, easy (and buggy) engine that they can just copy a former game (such as Skyrim), paste it onto it, tweak the story and the world a bit, and boom! Done. They don't care at all about the long-term; it is all about the short-term for them. Call me a pessimistic, but I don't see the video game industry falling for decades to come. I hope I am proving wrong.

[Stone Cold Steve Jobs 22,440]

Facts don’t care about your feelings.

[Lucky Bolt 35,063]

.....come again? Am I the only one who doesn't know what the hay this thread is about. 

[TBD 17,254]

I'll say this, it's alright to follow what you feel, as long it's not leading you to do something stupid that might not be helpful in anyways for the society or yourself. Think before do. 

Edited April 18, 2019 by TBD

[Dreambiscuit 9,818]

It's not really a great idea to live completely on emotional impulse. It may be fine in some situations, but it's gotten so out of control that nobody wants to think anymore. When logic, intelligence and responsibility for the outcome of emotion is disregarded, civilization goes spiraling down the toilet.