I don’t mind giving a little extra to a studio that has already gone above and beyond with their core game, and they want to add some DLC for some extras. I would have gladly paid for the Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8 subclasses, but Larian felt the need to provide them as a free content update.

Ban the entire business model. Taking real money for imaginary things with zero marginal cost is a scam.

The abuse has become the norm. Blaming its targets accomplishes nothing, because consumers who embrace it are ten times more valuable than consumers who don’t. Half the industry’s revenue comes from that minority of users. Boycotts are powerless here. Only legislation will fix this.

And it does need fixing, because it’s making games objectively worse. Any annoying constraint is now pressure to make you fork over more money. Grind isn’t balanced for game length or player enjoyment, it’s inflated to frustrate you into paying more money. You are pressured to pay money to a game you already bought so you can play it less. And the longer you play, the more you are subject to addiction mechanics and the messaging that normalizes this extortion. The company needs you there - for multiplayer. If you aren’t paying them more money, you are their selling point for people who are.

Piracy can solve any problem.

You’re hanging out in the wrong circles.