Responsible Gamer Manifesto

[Zel]

Responsible Gamer Manifesto

"If we want the industry to change, we must first change how we consume."

I love video games, but I refuse to be treated like a walking wallet.
I will no longer fund half-finished games, broken promises, or cut content repackaged as DLC.
Some people buy 10 DLCs at €10 each, without realizing they’ve paid €150 for what should have been the base game.

I wait before I buy.
I don’t pre-order.
I don’t fall for CGI trailers.
I listen to real players, not sponsored influencers.
I wait for honest reviews, patches, real feedback. I vote with my wallet.

I refuse to normalize abuse.
To many younger players, a game launching full of paid DLC now feels “normal” —
But no, it’s not normal. It’s not healthy.
A game should be complete at launch. Period.

I refuse to be a sheep.
I won’t defend a bad game just because I used to love the franchise.
Being a fan also means knowing when to say stop.
If a game releases unfinished or broken, I don’t buy it. And I say so.

I support honest developers.
Even the best teams often work in absurd conditions, under deadlines dictated by marketing departments.
I support studios that take their time, listen to their communities, and respect their players.

Video games are cultural works, not just traps for microtransactions.
Every euro spent is a vote.
Before I buy, I ask one simple question:

"Does this game respect my intelligence, my time, and my money?"

What this industry lacks is not talent. It’s not passion.
It’s a community of gamers able to think critically about what they consume.

The day more players:

wait for real reviews,

see through the marketing,

boycott unfinished releases,

demand full content from day one,

...then yes, the balance of power will shift.

And maybe, just maybe, we’ll stop having to “wait for the first 5 DLCs” just to get the game we were promised at launch.

Enough. It’s time to demand better.

I won’t buy this game at launch. I’ll wait until it’s complete, stable, and respectful.

[Nx Machina]

Purchasing is voluntary not mandatory and we all get to choose if we do.

[AmsterdamHeavy]

Gamer activists are among the most tedious of their their kind.

I always especially enjoy their assumption that everyone was a mindless consumer like they were. Kind of insufferable, like former smokers moaning at everyone who still does.

[Hikari Light]

You have to click through several buttons and pages before completing a purchase.
No one is forcing you to purchase anything.

[Wolfgang]

That's a lot of words just to say that you don't want to buy games at launch.

[Zel]

Originally posted by Nx Machina:

Purchasing is voluntary not mandatory and we all get to choose if we do.

Thanks for your reply.
Just to clarify, the manifesto doesn’t question anyone’s freedom to buy or not buy a game. It’s mainly pointing out the abusive design practices used to push people into spending, often in subtle or manipulative ways – especially targeting younger audiences.

Saying “you have a choice” is a bit of an oversimplification in the face of a systemic issue, where games are deliberately engineered to exploit psychological triggers (dopamine loops, FOMO, loot boxes, etc.).

This isn’t about complaining — it’s about calling for more responsible game design that respects players.

I hope you’ll take a moment to actually read the full manifesto. The goal is to spark a healthier conversation, not shut it down.

[Tolkien Book Fan]

TL;DR: "I pledge to stop buying AAA games." Indie games, at least the ones I buy and the developers I follow, don't have these problems. Any DLC are financed through the sales of the base game. For city builders/colony sims, the developers will add new features as they think of them after the 1.0 release, usually for free unless they are really big additions. And they do this for YEARS.

AAA gaming is so short-term profit obsessed that the fact that successful studios get shut down right after games are released makes the mainstream news due to the jobs lost. We're never going to gain power over these corporations, not until we somehow get to the other side of this developing neo-feudalist privatisation of government. But we can turn our backs on them and buy games that are fun because the people who made them enjoy the process.

[Chika Ogiue]

TLDR: Someone else who wants to dictate how OTHER people spend THEIR money.

[Diogenes49]

I always wait for reviews before I buy a game

[Zel]

Originally posted by Tolkien Book Fan:

TL;DR: "I pledge to stop buying AAA games." Indie games, at least the ones I buy and the developers I follow, don't have these problems. Any DLC are financed through the sales of the base game. For city builders/colony sims, the developers will add new features as they think of them after the 1.0 release, usually for free unless they are really big additions. And they do this for YEARS.

AAA gaming is so short-term profit obsessed that the fact that successful studios get shut down right after games are released makes the mainstream news due to the jobs lost. We're never going to gain power over these corporations, not until we somehow get to the other side of this developing neo-feudalist privatisation of government. But we can turn our backs on them and buy games that are fun because the people who made them enjoy the process.

Thanks for your message — you really nailed the core issue.

We won’t change the AAA industry from within, especially as long as it's profitable despite shady practices.
But we can choose where our money goes, and support studios that create out of passion — not just profit.

Indie games are often more inventive, more honest, and way more respectful of their players.

This isn’t just a boycott — it’s a positive vote for another vision of gaming.

👉 Fewer preorders. Less manufactured hype. More perspective. More awareness.

Real player power starts here. Thanks for being part of it.

[Crazy Tiger]

I buy the games I enjoy. I don't see with what else I should concern myself.

[Chika Ogiue]

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

I buy the games I enjoy. I don't see with what else I should concern myself.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Gaming would be so much better if everyone else thought the same.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by Chika Ogiue:

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

I buy the games I enjoy. I don't see with what else I should concern myself.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Gaming would be so much better if everyone else thought the same.

Agreed. I don't get all that fabricated outrage over publishers, store cuts, DLC, MTX, pre-orders, horse armor and all that.

I've been gaming for 35+ years, perhaps it's time for Murtaugh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHhgllqSKro

[Tiberius]

which ai did you use to generate this?

[Zel]

I’m not trying to “campaign” — I just want to buy a game that’s complete, stable, and playable on day one.
Apparently, that’s become a revolutionary demand?

The manifesto isn’t telling anyone what to do. It’s simply an invitation to step back and think.
Everyone is free to choose — just with their eyes open.

This isn’t politics.
It’s just common gamer sense.
Knowing when to say no — and when to say this, I support.

[Nx Machina]

Originally posted by Zel:

Thanks for your reply.
Just to clarify, the manifesto doesn’t question anyone’s freedom to buy or not buy a game. It’s mainly pointing out the abusive design practices used to push people into spending, often in subtle or manipulative ways – especially targeting younger audiences.

In your personal opinion.

Originally posted by Zel:

Saying “you have a choice” is a bit of an oversimplification in the face of a systemic issue, where games are deliberately engineered to exploit psychological triggers (dopamine loops, FOMO, loot boxes, etc.).

You do have control more commonly known as restraint and the very simple fact no one is forced to add X to their cart and click confirm, it is a voluntary action, despite the "oh! the boogeyman made me do" narrative.

Originally posted by Zel:

This isn’t about complaining — it’s about calling for more responsible game design that respects players.

They do respect players by giving them choice.

Originally posted by Zel:

I hope you’ll take a moment to actually read the full manifesto.

I read your personal take on it.

Originally posted by Zel:

The goal is to spark a healthier conversation, not shut it down.

Healthier and not shut it down would be affirming your opinion which negates the purpose of the forum - discussion.