Does anyone else feel like the entire business model of live service games keeps you from really exploring all the amazing single player experiences that there are? I work. I have a family. My free time is limited.
Back when Overwatch was a paid game, I didn’t feel so much pressure to play all the time. I enjoyed playing and I played as much as I wanted. I could take breaks if necessary and return without feeling bad. I didn’t miss out on things because I was sick or had a business trip because events lasted long enough.
Now Overwatch and Rivals both have daily tasks, battle passes, events, even limited time comp rewards. I don’t really like that. It feels like my hobby is now a job.
Am I alone here? Does anyone else think that the FOMO and engagement needed is just a bit too much in gaming these days?
As an adult, no, I don’t. I play this game when I want, how I want. If you care a lot about having different colors for your pretend video game “heroes,” then, yeah, it probably sucks, but… I don’t, so, it’s fine to me.
When was Overwatch a single player experience, though? Doesn’t matter to your point, but still
Edit: Wait, you’re saying live service games’ FOMO keeps you from playing other games that are single player. Aight my bad.
Personally I don’t get it because I legitimately don’t understand how cosmetics make people feel anything substantial. And since cosmetics make me feel almost nothing I also don’t get any FOMO out of whatever daily, weekly, battle pass content there is
Pogchamp!
I mean there is “legitimate” FOMO (meaning FOMO I can understand lol) like Lost Ark, WoW daily quests where doing the daily content is necessary for you to progress through the game. That I totally get and hate as well. But cosmetics, luckily I guess, were never an issue for me so I don’t mind it personally.
Edit: Hmm… maybe I would’ve felt different about it if I was younger. Like, back in the day I cared a lot about titles, achievements, levels and stuff like that, which tbh isn’t all that different from battle pass titles. So when thinking back, I can actually understand it partially. Not with cosmetics, but bp titles which depend on bp levels
Yep, which is why I’ve returned to single player AAA titles. FF7 Rebirth is my current jam.
Same, but now days it feels like a chore to play.
It’s exactly as you said, it’s too much, and the games themselves haven’t been too great lately. Rivals is about the only thing multiplayer I’m playing, and that’s sparingly.
I will say the first is really good, but the second isn’t as great. You should definitely give both a go though.
Its just extra ironic because daily tasks were partially designed for ppl who cant grind 24/7 to prevent them from falling behind the ones who could yet the ones who cant grind are now complaining about the daily stuff.
I feel all the little exclamation points and making them go away is my daily not reading them and doing them lol. I’m not doing tasks for a video game for rewards they are just going to take away when they feel like it anyway. They want me to play games free because that works on people? Fine by me I guess.
Not sure how OW is FOMO? the store is on a rotation, and usually rotates back around with several color variants. I guess the BP and drives are kind of fomo? Those items just seem so underwhelming, if you’re playing the game purely for time gated loot, you’re playing for the wrong reason.
Yeah, the FOMO has gotten extreme. Everything is geared towards trying to keep players playing every day for extended periods. It’s pretty exhausting and periodically unforgiving. Truthfully, although I also play a bunch of phone games (which often require much less active interaction), I pretty much only can budget time for 1 live service game consistently; when I’ve done 2, usually one’s not getting nearly as much attention and I have very little time for other things.
I don’t think this is the way gaming should be; it’s supposed to be a fun hobby, not a second job. There’s a balance to be struck in making sure players who do play very heavily feel like they’ve got something to play towards and not making the design obtuse for people with less time. I don’t think OW is doing either particularly well right now (they really should at least steal the weapon camo system from CoD to give players challenges to grind out at their own pace and make extended play less pointless).
The way they configured the additional rewards this Comp Drive kind of hammers home how excessive the time demand has gotten; it’s probably going to require 2+ hours a day each day just to get all the comp currency out of it. Yes they made it a bit more forgiving to progress, but they also tripled the point target if you only play for all the currency, while only about doubling the event duration.
I’m tired; my connection has been dismal all season. I’ll play a lot this week to get the jade weapon skins, but it’s going to be more stressful than it will be fun.
In this game specifically, I find the bpass pretty easy to complete, so not much issue there. As for shop skins, don’t really care much, or limited time modes, also don’t care as imo they are usually pretty bad. Tho I am tired of every game having a bpass to complete. When it’s 1 game fine, maybe 2. More than that and yea, can’t be bothered trying to play all those.
Fortnite has basically corroded modern day cosmetics; if you don’t treat the game like a job, then bye bye to those cosmetics forever.
Its a predatory, outdated model.
Recent games have realized this and made passes non expireable (The one good thing Halo Infinite started). It makes more sense just making all passes available 24/7.
Yeah, luckily its only really for the Skin Shop and not so much the BP or daily challenges. Like, I have the money to buy Celestial Zenyatta but I cant because it was a limited-time skin and now I have to be reminded of it everytime I log in this season with the Celestial skin main screen. Its so dumb and I hate it…
I do not engage with FOMO mechanics for this very reason. I’m a collector, I have thousands of games. I also have a demanding job, and a family. The moment I buy a battle pass, the game becomes a job. So I just don’t buy the battle pass. I don’t want another job.
So, I always have to ask myself, with my limited free time, what would bring me the most enjoyment? I could play Star Ocean Second Story… which for me, is a new game, with a new story, and new experiences… which makes it even more interesting. or, I could play Overwatch, which is more or less, the same match time and again, as the least fun and most frustrating role (tank), to grind out and be drip fed little tiny bits and pieces of experience every match, over and over again, to essentially “earn” content I’ve already paid for… otherwise I would have felt like I had thrown out my $10… and 99% of the content I’d be trying to earn is garbage to me (voice lines, sprays, anything other than legendary skins for heroes I actually play).
Yes. The game has too much FOMO. I think if you buy the battlepass, you should just get the stuff you paid for to be honest.
