Re: Offline progression should not be monetized

I doubt anyone with any real pull at EA is going to see this. It's unlikely many in the community might stumble across this and give it a read and it's an even lower likelihood many who do take time to read this will agree with everything I have to say, but I appreciate the space provided to speak on the matter anyway. 

I'd like to acknowledge the quiet truth that the price of a video game hasn't increased by much over the decades. They certainly cost more to make and for the most part come out rather quickly considering the constant improvements in technology. It's understandable that companies must find ways to bring in revenue without facing backlash on the price at the point of sale. The current path forward is not the way to do it.

Gambling addiction is a real thing. The dopamine release in the human brain triggered by slot machines, video poker and other types of electronic gambling is the same process that triggers dopamine release in people who spam micro transactions in video games. This fraction of gamers isn't as large as it may seem, but the amount of money they impulsively spend after purchasing a game is staggering.

The SIM and Head to Head community are the majority of players and they typically purchase the game at the point of sale every year, occasionally dipping into select In-Game purchases. What College Football 27 shows us is that EA is counting on the SIM and Head to Head players purchasing elements of the core gameplay at a rate similar to those with gambling addictions just to simply play the game they were always accustomed to playing. This either results in compliance or a hard stop. The base game costs around $70. A Wi-Fi bill is around $100/monthly. A gaming subscription to enable the game to be played on a platform is an additional $10-$25/monthly. The last straw should be requiring consumers to pay additional money for access to the core features of the game we already had. 

Personally speaking, I wouldn't have an issue paying $100 for a complete, polished AAA game. It's quite the mark-up, but as I said earlier, everything has gotten more expensive while the price of a game has only modestly increased on the front end. Where the cost is made up for are these in-game purchases. Exchanging real world money for in-game currency to purchase extras, such as cosmetics or random upgrade packs. I think most tolerate these kinds of sales. What's happening now is dishonest.

I won't be purchasing College Football 27 under this business model. I will refrain from purchasing Madden 27 to see if I'm required to pay more money for the features I've always been able to enjoy as part of my original purchase. If so, I will also be done with buying Madden games. I recently read that EA has made the decision to apply this type of practice to all titles moving forward. I will remove myself from their customer base rather than continue purchasing the privilege of shopping in their digital play store in order to enjoy their titles.

I'm not calling for a boycott or to start some movement. I'm simply a lifelong customer to this point expressing where I'm at. My first EA title was NBA Live 2003. I've been purchasing Madden and NCAA games as well as others annually every year for the latest consoles ever since. I'm 38 years old with disposable income. I purchase new gaming consoles shortly after they become available and enjoy games on a day off work. I don't have an issue buying a game I want to play but I have an issue with buying a game, paying for the ability to play it, and then having to purchase the features of a game from within the game itself. 

I believe there are many people like me. I have friends and relatives who reached this point years ago. A customer base who began to feel like they were being farmed for their income as opposed to purchasing a product designed for them to enjoy using. I think what EA is going All-In on is the prospect of the vast majority of customers who have a negligible impact on their micro transactions gradually shifting into their customer base who have gambling addictions. What I think will actually happen is that a large number of customers will simply stop.

Most people who buy video games have jobs and responsibilities. We play for a few hours a week. Maybe it's an hour or two after work or like me, a few hours on the weekend. We're not going to keep paying just to enjoy the game we bought on our own time. We'll find something else to enjoy. Hedge your bets, EA. I'm not convinced this will go where you want it to.