Game Over: How Influencers and Predatory Practices Are Tanking ARPGs

[Rob⛧Slayer]

You ever notice how folks are just letting their favorite game genres go down the toilet, all because of slick marketing scams? Free-to-play has turned into a codeword for "we're gonna drain your wallet dry," and a chunk of this mess falls on those YouTubers and Twitch streamers hawking shoddy game designs like snake oil salesmen.

Anyone who thinks game developers can't make a buck the old-fashioned way has been drinking the Kool-Aid, probably fed to them by some shady streamer or developer with a hidden agenda. It's obvious now that the defenders of these scammy models are neck-deep in the sunk cost fallacy, and they want to drag the rest of us into their quagmire. Instead, let's hold these developers, publishers, and influencers' feet to the fire for their deceit and borderline criminal antics.

Free-to-play games? Total con jobs. Games-as-a-service? All hype, no substance. These models are designed to mess with your head, putting the good stuff—like cosmetics and basic features—behind a paywall. They've warped how we see and play games, and in the low-rent world of free-to-play, you'll never truly get what's missing compared to a straightforward, honest sales model.

Remember when games actually gave you something worth your time? Earning cosmetics was a badge of honor, proof of your skill and dedication. Now, you can buy your way into looking like a big shot, making real achievements meaningless. Tencent and GGG have trashed the industry’s integrity with their shady tactics.

Even Diablo III managed to keep live service going without resorting to dirty tricks. They handed out seasonal cosmetics with the base game, each class getting unique rewards. Nowadays, games drip-feed you content and milk you for every penny.

Influencers like Darth Microtransaction, Raxxanterax, and Rhykker are some of the worst offenders. They've sold out for fame and sponsorships, betraying the community’s real interests and going easy on publishers. They're helping to sink the genre, focused more on personal gain than on preserving the soul of ARPGs.

Tencent and GGG are throwing money at YouTubers and Twitch influencers to push their sketchy models, grooming players into accepting their con games disguised as "fun."

In Path of Exile and ARPG circles, you've got people like Raxxanterax, Rhykker, and Darth Microtransactions pulling the strings. The OTK network, Tectone, Mizkif, and Asmongold are doing the same in the open-world action RPG arena. In FPS and action shooters, figures like NickMercs, TimtheTatman, and Dr. Disrespect are spreading the deceit.

Then you've got Hasan Piker slamming xQc, Trainwreck, and Adin Ross for promoting gambling, while he's pocketing Tencent cash to push their "free-to-play" scams. This trend of influencers selling out for Tencent's dirty money is wrecking the western gaming market.

The 'free-to-play' model is a con, pure and simple, playing on the sunk cost fallacy. Players keep dumping time and money into these games even as they get less and less out of them. Their emotional and financial investment makes it tough to walk away, even when the genre’s quality and integrity are shot.

Publishers and developers have perfected the art of audience manipulation, prioritizing marketing over real game development. We need to get back to honest gaming, where the focus is on enjoyment and player well-being, not squeezing every cent out of us. We must hold these influencers accountable and push for a gaming industry that respects players and the heart of our beloved genres.

A straight-up honest release would mean a full game launch, season passes included, and expansions every couple of years—none of these anti-consumer gimmicks that Tencent has polluted the industry with.

I almost caved and bought Diablo IV's expansion in the sale, and PoE 2 was tempting until I reminded myself there's no real reward in playing these games as they are now. We desperately need everyone on board to save the genre from Tencent’s clutches. The only way to do this is by spreading the word about what’s really going on.


Please read Salt Engineer's post where he provides an in-depth analysis of how Tencent's acquisition of various gaming companies, including GGG, has led to predatory monetization practices that prioritize profits over player experience. The post delves into Tencent's history and ethics, outlining how their influence has changed the gaming landscape, particularly in the ARPG genre. It also criticizes influencers who promote these deceptive models, drawing attention to the negative impact on the industry. By reading this, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of the broader implications of corporate control in gaming and why it's crucial to support indie developers who prioritize genuine player enjoyment.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/2694490/discussions/0/565867433751007187/

[xXBulletJusticeXx]

Origineel geplaatst door Rob⛧Pentakill:

Origineel geplaatst door xXBulletJusticeXx:

There is nothing manipulative about anything that GGG does.

It is plain and simple. They tell you what you get for what you pay. You decide to pay it or not. You get to play the game regardless of what you choose to do.

When individuals choose to defend this approach, it's clear they're caught in a sunk cost fallacy, whether concerning time or money. They've been led to believe that developers can't thrive with traditional sales, and this belief justifies their acceptance of these practices. Money has been spent on features that should be standard in any genuine release. The free-to-play model is fundamentally deceptive and has dramatically altered how players view and engage with the genre and the gaming industry at large. By locking the most rewarding elements, such as cosmetic upgrades, advanced gameplay functionalities, and additional stash space behind a paywall, players end up spending more in a free-to-play game than they would in a traditional gaming experience just to regain what was taken away. With the bar set so low within the free-to-play structure, there is no real way to compensate for what's inherently lacking.

Developers employ sophisticated psychological techniques to keep players engaged and spending money, such as creating artificial scarcity, offering time-limited deals, and designing the game to induce a "fear of missing out" on special events or items. As players invest significant time and effort into the game, they become more likely to continue spending money to justify their previous investments. This emotional attachment makes it difficult for them to walk away from the game. Furthermore, the game continuously presents opportunities for microtransactions, often in small amounts that seem insignificant individually but add up over time. This can lead to players spending more money than they would on a traditional game. The model also encourages impulse buying by offering instant gratification through quick and easy purchases, causing players to spend money without fully considering the cost or value of what they are purchasing. Overall, these tactics create a manipulative environment that maximizes revenue at the expense of player experience and enjoyment.

There is no sunk cost falacy. By definition to be a sunk cost there has to already be a cost that has been sunk. When you don't spend a dime, there has been zero expenditure.

So tell me how it is decepting to have a free to play game that you can choose to spend money on or not, and get exactly what you want for a set price that is pre-determined prior to the point of sale?

[xXBulletJusticeXx]

Origineel geplaatst door Dizentegrator:

I wasn't talking about any deceptive stuff here, the game just bad in many aspects (the fact that instead of making clear season passes they making it less clear (forcing u to buy stash tabs) included, which is not about deception just about being a piece of ♥♥♥♥).

You are free to your own opinion, but did you even read the OP?

"Deceptive Marketing and the Sunk Cost Fallacy"

That's what I'm having a discussion about.

The game is Early Access.. there is no season pass. in POE 1 there are season passes to get extra cosmetics... that's it. Again, zero deception there. All optional content that you don't NEED to play the FULL game.

[xXBulletJusticeXx]

Origineel geplaatst door Rob⛧Pentakill:

Origineel geplaatst door Dizentegrator:

No u can't play the game without buying more and more stash tabs, stop this already

He'll never acknowledge the significant impact this has on gameplay or how much of an advantage it offers to others, leaving you with no choice but to purchase it. He's managed to sidestep nearly every point of discussion. This is the kind of individual who, after making a poor investment, attempts to bring everyone else down with them.

Why would you put words into my mouth? "He will never acknowledge the significant impact , blah blah blah..."

Brother. The stash tabs are a quality of service improvement. Are they "nice to have" yes. Are they "required" no. Does it give you an "advantage" No. You have access to the same loot that everyone else does in this game wether you have the basic stash or premium stash. There is ZERO gameplay advantages to paying for stash tabs. You can not argue otherwise.

I have not sidestepped anything. I have always done a counter argument. You just can't handle the truth of the matter.

[Salt Engineer]

Origineel geplaatst door Rob⛧Pentakill:

Origineel geplaatst door Dizentegrator:

Btw, guys, there is last epoch that has ingame AH, stash tabs for ingame money and fixed cost (u buy the game u play the game, nothing more needed aka free seasons)

Honestly, the battle against Path of Exile is a struggle to save the genre itself. Blizzard, once the leader, now trails behind Tencent. This is why the primary battleground lies with them.

Origineel geplaatst door xXBulletJusticeXx:

mmm yeah, parasocial, lol Trust me, I know GGG and tencent exist. so sorry to burst your bubble.

GGG is just a subsidiary for
Sixjoy Hong Kong Limited

The company specializes in games based on casinos and most of the games generate revenue through in-app purchases.

Sixjoy is also an investment arm of Tencent, and has also made the move towards Kadokawa and FromSoftware directly to begin taking over the other type of ARPG.

Also interesting to note is GGG's Sixjoy registered address is room 907 Wingtuck Commercial Center in HK. There are a ton of rabbit holes at that location including entries in the panama papers. A few minutes away from that office is Tencent.

I'm just going to say, you may know of Tencent, but... the things they get up to is deeper than most people are really talking about. I wonder why CCP stopped caring about their RMT business when it never stopped...? It's weird. Almost like they might have made some kind of deal, or had other shadiness going on that might have led to them being designated a military related company by the US.

Surely with all the offshores, strange connections, questionable characters, AI, bot farms, pissed off governments, and overall lack of ethics... they wouldn't even consider wrecking a game to turn a profit at the players' expense.

"Tencent bad, but..." is a reductive take. I wouldn't trust Tencent as far as I could throw them. Seeing how GGG is Sixjoy, and Sixjoy is Tencent and full of laundering secrets. Mmm yeah.




There's a business move here if you're looking at the things they're doing, and it's not good for your game, or the genre.

[xXBulletJusticeXx]

Origineel geplaatst door Rob⛧Pentakill:

Origineel geplaatst door xXBulletJusticeXx:

Why would you put words into my mouth? "He will never acknowledge the significant impact , blah blah blah..."

Brother. The stash tabs are a quality of service improvement. Are they "nice to have" yes. Are they "required" no. Does it give you an "advantage" No. You have access to the same loot that everyone else does in this game wether you have the basic stash or premium stash. There is ZERO gameplay advantages to paying for stash tabs. You can not argue otherwise.

I have not sidestepped anything. I have always done a counter argument. You just can't handle the truth of the matter.

Apply this logic universally: the ability to carry more materials or data consistently offers an advantage. Why are you so adamant about this position?

You can't apply that as logic univerally, because it's not logical to begin with, because if you take it out of context it changes the form of the implications. I am adamant on what is truth. The truth is that you can play the game WITHOUT buying extra stash. Never said I want to, I'm just saying you can. I am freely happy to spend a few dollars to support a game and get some stash out of it. I am also freely happy to spend a few dollars on other games for other reasons.

Origineel geplaatst door Rob⛧Pentakill:

If the underage anime characters on your profile weren't already a concern, starting an argument with "brother"—a clear indicator of stress and anger—certainly adds to it. How many hours a day do you spend on Twitch? You perfectly exemplify my argument in every aspect. I wouldn't be surprised if you've also invested a few hundred dollars in Genshin Impact or another "free-to-play" waifu-based game. I stand firm in my belief that you are the type of individual who, after making a poor investment, attempts to drag everyone else down with them.

1. Strawman much? Now who is derailing?
2. attack of character? that's a new low for you, how's dirt taste?
3. If you believe spending money into a game is an investment then I can see where you think a game is a sunk cost falacy... you should reorient your line of thinking. It's not an investment, it is an expenditure. Like being a can of Soda at your local supermarket. Did you expect it to be an investment? I think not.
4. Not my problem that you don't like anime characters.

[xXBulletJusticeXx]

Origineel geplaatst door Rob⛧Pentakill:

"Brother", it's relevant to the topic, and you fit the character archetype I've developed for this analysis. I stand firm on my original response to you. You've been absolutely helpful.

Name calling and drawing conclusions on a persons character based on a Social hub profile is not relevant to this topic lmfao enough strawman from you, it's childish and sad.

Shoving words into someone elses mouth is also not conducive to a proper discussion.

If you want to be taken seriously in life and have REAL discussions and try to get people to agree with your point of view, perhaps you should start with actually being a nice person.

Also, repeating yourself like a broken record does not help your case. It just proves to others that you have zero agency and can't think of anything else to say.

[Salt Engineer]

Origineel geplaatst door xXBulletJusticeXx:

3. If you believe spending money into a game is an investment then I can see where you think a game is a sunk cost falacy... you should reorient your line of thinking. It's not an investment, it is an expenditure. Like being a can of Soda at your local supermarket. Did you expect it to be an investment? I think not.

Sunk cost fallacy applies to more than just Goldman Sachs investments. World of Warcraft relied on it heavily in multiple areas, and that directly contributed to it earning Blizzard it's current place, and all of the following "WoW killers."

They didn't kill it, in a large part due to the sunk cost fallacy. Let's say you played from launch until a year after TBC dropped.

It is now January 16, 2008. You've been playing WoW since November 2004. You've paid a grand total of $85 for the game itself, and have paid subscription fees for

You first bought the game. $50. Then you paid for a $15/month subscription.
TBC. That's a $35 expansion. Assuming you got a free month trial, you've paid around 38 months worth of subscription fees totaling another $570. So far, the game has cost you $620 and thousands upon thousands of hours. You've built up a group of friends in your guild.

Leaving means you lose all of that. $620 gone. Those friends? They're not leaving with you to go play anything else. They'll be gone too. All that time? Gone. The items you dutifully worked for? Gone. And if you just take a break for a while...? You're behind everyone else and will be excluded.

Underneath it all, many of those friends are struggling with the same thoughts - but you, and everyone else are still here too.

Or...

You could just spend another $15 and keep all those things you worked so hard for. It's a small price to pay to keep $620, everything you've rightfully earned, and all those experiences you've had. It's all or nothing after-all.

Or at least, that's the kind of mindset that's pushed onto people.

The pinnacle endgame accomplishment of MMOs is quitting.

There are tons of ways it's targeted and abused in the industry, but at the end of the day it's a very common tool used to keep an audience around and dumping money into a company. Take a look at more than one live service game. Most feature the exact same monetization techniques and psychological devices like FOMO.

That's because games are a product designed to extract worth for shareholders from your wallet. That's it. They want you around as long as possible due to your time investment, monetary investment, social investment, or simply because you don't want to miss out on the next cool thing. They will do anything, and everything, to extract that cash flow from you - because at the end of the day that's what you are to them. You're a revenue stream, not a person.

[xXBulletJusticeXx]

Origineel geplaatst door Salt Engineer:

Origineel geplaatst door xXBulletJusticeXx:

3. If you believe spending money into a game is an investment then I can see where you think a game is a sunk cost falacy... you should reorient your line of thinking. It's not an investment, it is an expenditure. Like being a can of Soda at your local supermarket. Did you expect it to be an investment? I think not.

Sunk cost fallacy applies to more than just Goldman Sachs investments. World of Warcraft relied on it heavily in multiple areas, and that directly contributed to it earning Blizzard it's current place, and all of the following "WoW killers."

They didn't kill it, in a large part due to the sunk cost fallacy. Let's say you played from launch until a year after TBC dropped.

It is now January 16, 2008. You've been playing WoW since November 2004. You've paid a grand total of $85 for the game itself, and have paid subscription fees for

You first bought the game. $50. Then you paid for a $15/month subscription.
TBC. That's a $35 expansion. Assuming you got a free month trial, you've paid around 38 months worth of subscription fees totaling another $570. So far, the game has cost you $620 and thousands upon thousands of hours. You've built up a group of friends in your guild.

Leaving means you lose all of that. $620 gone. Those friends? They're not leaving with you to go play anything else. They'll be gone too. All that time? Gone.

Or...

You could just spend another $15 and keep all those things you worked so hard for. The pinnacle endgame accomplishment of MMOs is quitting.

There are tons of ways it's targeted and abused in the industry, but at the end of the day it's a very common tool used to keep an audience around and dumping money into a company. Take a look at more than one live service game. Most feature the exact same monetization techniques and psychological devices like FOMO.

That's because games are a product designed to extract worth for shareholders from your wallet. That's it. They want you around as long as possible due to your time investment, monetary investment, social investment, or simply because you don't want to miss out on the next cool thing. They will do anything, and everything, to extract that cash flow from you - because at the end of the day that's what you are to them. You're a revenue stream, not a person.

Doesn't matter.

Most people can walk away at any time without even a second glance. Sunk Cost Fallacy is something that an individual experiences. It's not something that is placed upon you directly.

"The sunk cost fallacy is our tendency to follow through with something that we’ve already invested heavily in (be it time, money, effort, or emotional energy), even when giving up is clearly a better idea"

FOMO is also not really a factor for most people with POE. Only the die-hard fans try to grab everything that comes through the shop, and just about everything is available after the fact later on anyways. Only specific people have that problem and of which is not unique to POE nor is it going to be unique to video games either. If someone has a problem with FOMO it will manifest through their daily lifestyle.

[ZyntaxError]

Honestly one of the better ChatGPT posts, but the structure still gives it away... Good for award farming tho

[Salt Engineer]

Origineel geplaatst door xXBulletJusticeXx:

Doesn't matter.

Most people can walk away at any time without even a second glance. Sunk Cost Fallacy is something that an individual experiences. It's not something that is placed upon you directly.

"The sunk cost fallacy is our tendency to follow through with something that we’ve already invested heavily in (be it time, money, effort, or emotional energy), even when giving up is clearly a better idea"

Just because you can, doesn't mean you don't find other incentives not to. Games like WoW didn't hold people at gunpoint... but all of those factors contributed. So much so that if you study related marketing or game production it's an area that gets focused on.

Origineel geplaatst door xXBulletJusticeXx:

FOMO is also not really a factor for most people with POE. Only the die-hard fans try to grab everything that comes through the shop, and just about everything is available after the fact later on anyways. Only specific people have that problem and of which is not unique to POE nor is it going to be unique to video games either. If someone has a problem with FOMO it will manifest through their daily lifestyle.

It's not just the shop.

Post-tencent acquisition there's been a marked improvement of quality of the rotating, and forever gone after, MTX "supporter" packs. Once it rotates out, it's gone.

But wait, there's more.

We had the inclusion of the battle pass, simply named Kirac's Vault. If you buy one of those $30 packs, you can get those exclusive items, PLUS the battle pass for one low price. If you do, then you'll be able to grind your way to even more rewards. Make sure you play enough before, or after, the purchase to ensure that your $30 isn't flushed straight down the toilet though, because failure to achieve those milestones results in a wasted battlepass... er, vault pass, and you'll never get another chance to unlock those items.

When did that get introduced? Feb 2022. Sixjoy/Tencent acquired GGG and introduced a corporate constitution[app.companiesoffice.govt.nz] at the end of 2021. Immediately after, in the subsequent league, the battlepass shows up.

This marked a shift in how things were done, and it's been obvious ever since. That's why there were Concern™ threads all over the PoE forums, steam, elsewhere.

Tencent acquired GGG and immediately introduced a battlepass system. Mull that over a bit. It's not required that you interact with that content, but they absolutely build their software to incentivize you to.

[xXBulletJusticeXx]

Origineel geplaatst door Rob⛧Pentakill:

Origineel geplaatst door Salt Engineer:

Just because you can, doesn't mean you don't find other incentives not to. Games like WoW didn't hold people at gunpoint... but all of those factors contributed. So much so that if you study related marketing or game production it's an area that gets focused on.



It's not just the shop.

Post-tencent acquisition there's been a marked improvement of quality of the rotating, and forever gone after, MTX "supporter" packs. Once it rotates out, it's gone.

But wait, there's more.

We had the inclusion of the battle pass, simply named Kirac's Vault. If you buy one of those $30 packs, you can get those exclusive items, PLUS the battle pass for one low price. If you do, then you'll be able to grind your way to even more rewards. Make sure you play enough before, or after, the purchase to ensure that your $30 isn't flushed straight down the toilet though, because failure to achieve those milestones results in a wasted battlepass... er, vault pass, and you'll never get another chance to unlock those items.

When did that get introduced? Feb 2022. Sixjoy/Tencent acquired GGG and introduced a corporate constitution[app.companiesoffice.govt.nz] at the end of 2021. Immediately after, in the subsequent league, the battlepass shows up.

This marked a shift in how things were done, and it's been obvious ever since. That's why there were Concern™ threads all over the PoE forums, steam, elsewhere.

Tencent acquired GGG and immediately introduced a battlepass system. Mull that over a bit. It's not required that you interact with that content, but they absolutely build their software to incentivize you to.

xXBulletJusticeXx will never address the facts and will keep deflecting instead. Fandom's are modern cults.

Funny comming from you. I've been saying facts this entire time. The only one deflecting is you. In addition to personal attacks.

[xXBulletJusticeXx]

Origineel geplaatst door Rob⛧Pentakill:

Origineel geplaatst door xXBulletJusticeXx:

Funny comming from you. I've been saying facts this entire time. The only one deflecting is you. In addition to personal attacks.

Something so evident wouldn't be taken personally unless you're uncomfortable with your true self. Perhaps consider making a change—it might be beneficial for you. It's obvious this isn't working for you. I suggest engaging with Salt Engineer to learn something meaningful instead of trying to use me as an escape. He offers compelling arguments that could help you broaden your understanding.

You try to sound smart but what you say actually doesn't make any sense. The reason it doesn't make any sense is due to the fact that you are presumptuous.

You presume I took something personally. This could not be farther from the truth. I take nothing personal from someone on a discussion board. You don't know me and I don't know you. To take anything you say personally would be the most idiotic thing someone could do on the internet with a stranger.

The only one trying to escape is you. You want me to engage with someone else, because you don't want me to engage with you.

Thus far you have provided zero factual support for your claims of POE being a 'Predatory Practice'.

Perhaps you should try being a troll somewhere else? IF you really want to reach the masses of people. Go talk to a news agency. I'm sure they would love to post your manifesto on their websites and invite you to some talks.

[thawn4444]

Origineel geplaatst door Rob⛧Pentakill:

Origineel geplaatst door Salt Engineer:

Just because you can, doesn't mean you don't find other incentives not to. Games like WoW didn't hold people at gunpoint... but all of those factors contributed. So much so that if you study related marketing or game production it's an area that gets focused on.



It's not just the shop.

Post-tencent acquisition there's been a marked improvement of quality of the rotating, and forever gone after, MTX "supporter" packs. Once it rotates out, it's gone.

But wait, there's more.

We had the inclusion of the battle pass, simply named Kirac's Vault. If you buy one of those $30 packs, you can get those exclusive items, PLUS the battle pass for one low price. If you do, then you'll be able to grind your way to even more rewards. Make sure you play enough before, or after, the purchase to ensure that your $30 isn't flushed straight down the toilet though, because failure to achieve those milestones results in a wasted battlepass... er, vault pass, and you'll never get another chance to unlock those items.

When did that get introduced? Feb 2022. Sixjoy/Tencent acquired GGG and introduced a corporate constitution[app.companiesoffice.govt.nz] at the end of 2021. Immediately after, in the subsequent league, the battlepass shows up.

This marked a shift in how things were done, and it's been obvious ever since. That's why there were Concern™ threads all over the PoE forums, steam, elsewhere.

Tencent acquired GGG and immediately introduced a battlepass system. Mull that over a bit. It's not required that you interact with that content, but they absolutely build their software to incentivize you to.

xXBulletJusticeXx will never address the facts and will keep deflecting instead. He’ll never recognize the considerable impact this has on gameplay.

oh noes the cosmetics cost real life money!!!

reeeeeeeeeee!!!

Wont someone stop GGG from these purely optional purchases?


think of all the children!!!







lol. . .

[Balekai]

Origineel geplaatst door thawn4444:

Origineel geplaatst door Rob⛧Pentakill:

xXBulletJusticeXx will never address the facts and will keep deflecting instead. He’ll never recognize the considerable impact this has on gameplay.

oh noes the cosmetics cost real life money!!!

reeeeeeeeeee!!!

Wont someone stop GGG from these purely optional purchases?


think of all the children!!!







lol. . .


:exalted:

We are thinking about the Children though.

Purely optional purchases keeps our young precious children away from the game.

We all know the true pleasure kids get from games like this, is stealing mom's and dad's credit card numbers.

Only the most chill children will dare purchase optional stuff only. Pretty well studied with science that for them to truly get carried away with a game, it needs P2W MTX + Monthly Subscription + S100 initialling cost + full RMT support for maximum begging and stealing entertainment.

[Rob⛧Slayer]

Origineel geplaatst door Salt Engineer:

Origineel geplaatst door xXBulletJusticeXx:

Doesn't matter.

Most people can walk away at any time without even a second glance. Sunk Cost Fallacy is something that an individual experiences. It's not something that is placed upon you directly.

"The sunk cost fallacy is our tendency to follow through with something that we’ve already invested heavily in (be it time, money, effort, or emotional energy), even when giving up is clearly a better idea"

Just because you can, doesn't mean you don't find other incentives not to. Games like WoW didn't hold people at gunpoint... but all of those factors contributed. So much so that if you study related marketing or game production it's an area that gets focused on.

Origineel geplaatst door xXBulletJusticeXx:

FOMO is also not really a factor for most people with POE. Only the die-hard fans try to grab everything that comes through the shop, and just about everything is available after the fact later on anyways. Only specific people have that problem and of which is not unique to POE nor is it going to be unique to video games either. If someone has a problem with FOMO it will manifest through their daily lifestyle.

It's not just the shop.

Post-tencent acquisition there's been a marked improvement of quality of the rotating, and forever gone after, MTX "supporter" packs. Once it rotates out, it's gone.

But wait, there's more.

We had the inclusion of the battle pass, simply named Kirac's Vault. If you buy one of those $30 packs, you can get those exclusive items, PLUS the battle pass for one low price. If you do, then you'll be able to grind your way to even more rewards. Make sure you play enough before, or after, the purchase to ensure that your $30 isn't flushed straight down the toilet though, because failure to achieve those milestones results in a wasted battlepass... er, vault pass, and you'll never get another chance to unlock those items.

When did that get introduced? Feb 2022. Sixjoy/Tencent acquired GGG and introduced a corporate constitution[app.companiesoffice.govt.nz] at the end of 2021. Immediately after, in the subsequent league, the battlepass shows up.

This marked a shift in how things were done, and it's been obvious ever since. That's why there were Concern™ threads all over the PoE forums, steam, elsewhere.

Tencent acquired GGG and immediately introduced a battlepass system. Mull that over a bit. It's not required that you interact with that content, but they absolutely build their software to incentivize you to.

xXBulletJusticeXx will never address the facts and will keep deflecting instead. He’ll never recognize the considerable impact this has on gameplay.