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[Bumpers]

Preorder DLC for game content. I'm still immensily frustrated regarding the new Deus Ex game. Cosmetic DLC I can handle as I most likely would not have bought it to begin with, so I'm hoping nothing else is announced for XCOM 2.

No server browser/party features is an instant no-buy for PC games. Battlefront 3 is off my radar completly after being excited.

 

[hurricanes]

P2W and retail games with F2P element. Enough is enough.
Season pass where the season pass does not specific what it include, or leave out important contents. What's the point?
Amiibo, nice concept, horrible execution.
Region locked, I bought Wii U and 3ds for the games. But I won't for a possible locked NX because RegionFour taught me how important region free is.
Pedo games, burn them with fire.
Game developers and community with the ideology that "games are arts they are exempt from criticism!", yeah... How about NO?

Not exactly on principle, but paid online is devious if you can't provide excellent online experience: Yes, Sony, I am looking at you. Xbox one seems to fall short this generation too(though I don't have many experience with them)

 

[OriginofHysteria]

No not really.

I mean I do actively avoid micro transactions but that's really it.

 

[Militaratus]

I don't support the following things:

Pre-orders on Normal version of games
I find this practice entirely shady, especially ones where you have to pay a fee in advance. Having content cut or locked out for just the purpose of getting people to pre-order is putrid. And that latest mutation of this monstrosity that Mankind Divided brought to life is just sickening.

Though I don't have a problem with Pre-orders as a concept. I pre-order all the time, but I pre-order stuff that CAN run out or become very expensive to buy later on. Such as First Print Limited Edition, Collector's Edition, Pitboy Edition. These physical packages have the risk of being gone.

Voucher Only Content
This is an evil practice that demands people to buy the game new. And I'd get that, to thank people for buying the game and reward them with free content. But the problem is these codes have an expiration date, and it will be harder in the future to get a unused copy of the game - the chances become higher that future players will never get to experience your thank you reward, and it feels more like an FU to a person who could have become a fan of your games but you deliberately left a sour taste in their mouths.

Physical Bundles that don't include physical copies
If I buy a collection of something, whether it's a GOTY edition or a compilation of games, I demand everything to be on discs. Whether it's a separate disc containing the install files of Dlc, or bundled up in the game discuss,I care not.

What I do care is finding a voucher containing codes to download the games that was supposed to be included in the bundle. This is a double FU for both future owners of the bundle who want the full experience, and for people with poor Internet that bought the bundle to circumvent this problem.

 

[Sh1ner]

Preorder for DLC of discount of DLC even before game is out, fuck the pre-release reviews.
Season Pass of any sort
MGSV FOB motherbase coins
Pay2Win models

I don't mind paying for stuff such as I pay for skins for league of legends.

 

[YoungHav]

Removing shit from a game I bought and offering it as DLC.

Banning me from buying your 3rd DLC pack because I didn't shell out money for your 2 previous mediocre DLC cash scams.

 

[Flamesword]

- Micro-transactions in paid for games, F2P games I don't mind so much if the stuff is cosmetic e.g. DoTA 2

- EA. FIFA and it's Ultimate Team stuff plus the disaster that was BF4 means they are on my blacklist now so I won't buy a game they've published on general principal.

- Preordering and the associated special edition, bonus item circus in any shape or form. I might buy it the day before on Steam if it's something I'm going to buy for definite but that's solely so I can pre-install it.

- Publisher owned platforms aka UPlay/Origin. Just sell it on Steam or GoG.

- Youtubers and streamers who can't or don't disclose paid for promotional work.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

Fuck Amiibos.

Yeah, I know Nintendo fans can be very passionate, but doing that is just taking things a bit too far

 

[Magwik]

Probably just a season pass
The only one I ever bought was for Injustice and that was when it was on sale and all the DLC had been released and when I had like $300 of Xbox credit from a gamestop giveaway

 

[MrCunningham]

I stopped buying anything from EA. I have just fallen into that trap one too many time.

 

[LordRaiden]

- Cosmetic DLC (That'll be 5 bucks for a pink bra and panties/Make your gun truly yours by letting a rainbow puke on it, 3 bucks)
- Instant Access/ unlock DLC (used to be free and called CHEATS)
- Season pass
- In game currency/ tokens
- Pay 2 Win
- Pre ordering (bullshit anyway, used to be for highly anticipated titles during the cartridge era because they could run out easily)
-"Like this to get X" No, I won't be your monkey for a useless freebee.
- Buying games which, at or before launch, already have a massive DLC announced. Fooled me once......




That's it.

 

[double jump]

always online single player. It doesn't make sense to me. slightly hypocritical but I plan to buy the new need for speed used cause I don't want the devs to get any of that money. It's all ridiculous to me.

 

[Baron_Calamity]

Paid Multiplayer only games / raiding.

 

[Reset]

Yeah, I know Nintendo fans can be very passionate, but doing that is just taking things a bit too far

Yeah, this is why I can't support them or Nintendo. (((((((

 

[im_dany]

I refuse to support bad games.

If they make a good game it's ok to me. If I really like the game I see no problem in buying DLCs/SP.

If the game is good but broken I just wait, I don't feel forced to play a game at launch.

 

[mjontrix]

I have never bought a season pass. I realize the principle behind it, but so far there has never been a season pass for any game I owned that turned out to be worth the money.

And the DLC thats separate from the game.

Becajse of it I'm basically waiting for the entire game to come out first, then go on 75% or more on sale before I buy.

It's truly sad, and my main worry with KH3 is that they DLC parts of the game away - of course if it's just Final Mix then that's fine.

 

[Omegasquash]

Pay to win.

I'm struggling to see any value in Amiibo at all. I have three, and I'm wondering how they'll play out in continuing generations.

 

[nikos]

No. I play video games to have fun and relax not to plan boycotts around.

This exactly.

 

[Brofield]

The only games I ever feel safe pre-ordering are Nintendo games. It always concerns me seeing some great physical bonus when I think to myself "what if this money spent on procuring this statue was meant to polish the game and remove a few major bugs?"

That and I pride myself I haven't bought an EA game new since Rock Band, and a new Ubisoft game since Rayman Legends (I bought ZombiU dammit!). Battlefront/Mirror's Edge may be an exception, but I'll still wait for the price drop in a month.

 

[TGO]

Pay 2 win.
Season Passes that ask for the price of the game and don't have a games worth of content.
Full Price games that only has a MP component.
Sorry there are games with excellent crafted SP which is the main focus that devs spend years making and come fantastic mp as a bonus.
But slapping some maps on a disc with no base game and asking 60 quid for it is a joke.
If there was 60 quid worth of content then yeah maybe, but it's the same sort of content you get with a game that has Full campaign and mp.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

I have never bought a season pass. I realize the principle behind it, but so far there has never been a season pass for any game I owned that turned out to be worth the money.

This has basically been my policy, though I'll make exceptions for companies that a. are offering it at what I consider a reasonable price, and b. are telling you upfront (as CDPR did) what the season pass entails.

None of this "you get all DLC within 12 months" or "3 different major DLC packs!" nonsense. If they don't say what it includes, I won't buy it.

The one time I didn't follow this was when Dying Light's season pass was mispriced and resulted in getting the game *and* the pass for $20.

 

[poodaddy]

All free to play games, and yes I mean the good ones too. I want to pay an upfront price for a product and be done. I'm OCD by nature, and I think free to play games, by their very nature, prey on players who feel the need to always own a "complete" game. If I look at the DLC section for a game and keep seeing things that I don't own, it feels like I don't quite own all of this thing that I wish to think of as part of my collection. I know it's my fault for feeling that way, but I can't help it, and as such I refute the idea of ever playing any free to play games at all for any reason whatsoever.

 

[Aaron D.]

No.

My personal tastes steer me away from certain genres and such, but I wouldn't consider that making a stand or anything. Just not into everything out there.

Never had a problem with DLC, F2P, Season Passes, Pre-Orders and the like. There's a audience for all of these programs, so if I choose not to participate, it's not my job to judge those who do.

 

[zoukka]

Digital games mostly. They sell you shit without retail value and true ownership for the same price as physical

 

[Kama_1082]

Nah, it's hobby and it's not worth getting panties in a twist and "boycotting" shit like a fool.

 

[SweetJohnnyCage]

I have a script that blocks all GamerGate and FemFreq threads (it blocks any thread I set parameters to). These threads all devolve into the same bickering and get nowhere. Legit annoys me whenever I see them.

 

[Christhor]

Indie games that market themselves with "8-bit graphix" when it looks like complete shit compared to even NES standards. Get a job you useless hippies.

 

[JackAubrey]

I won't buy games that don't have a robust single player element. I'm just not that into playing online these days and I want a game I can enjoy and experience as an escape from the world, not one where I have to interact with screaming kids. That said I did buy Titanfall and did enjoy it - scratched my old Unreal Tournament itch. But modern Call of Duty and the like leave me cold.

Gamergate. If you support any of that stupid movement you won't get a penny from me.

Increasingly I avoid games that I'd have trouble explaining to my kids. Not that they see anything above their age rating, but I still feel I have an emotional and intellectual responsibility to be true to the things I say I believe. I couldn't explain Quiet from MGS to my daughter in any way other than it's dumb, stupid and anti-women - so I wouldn't buy the game.

 

[oni-link]

No. I play video games to have fun and relax not to plan boycotts around.

Not doing something out of principle isn't the same as planning a boycott

If you only drink fairtrade coffee that doesn't mean you're starting a grassroots campaign to bring down those who exploit 3rd world coffee farmers

I don't know why people use the "no I just play games for fun" comment whenever anyone brings up any serious issues with gaming

Granted this thread is more frivolous and personal, but you see that argument made in threads on gender representation and minority representation in games as well, or in any discussion where there can be a serious debate

"I don't care about anything that happens in the industry, no matter how negative it may be, as long as I get my super fun games" I mean, people are entitled to that opinion, but it's pretty depressing

 

[Gbraga]

Not really. I might not buy something because of some element, like having a shitton of DLC, but that's just me losing interest in the product for that reason. I wouldn't actively boycott a game I'm really interested in.

 

[OccamsLightsaber]

Any $60 game with ingame currency that can be bought with real money.

I don't care how fucking balanced it is. I'm not buying it on principle.

Driveclub is coming real close to my shitlist with the 2X fame boosts that can be bought. The only way to earn currency or exp should be with time and/or skill.

 

[pancakesandsex]

Kickstarter.

 

[bede-x]

There's lots of stuff that's difficult getting me to support, but I'm a gamer first and foremost, so eventually if something is important enough that I have to have played it, I will spend money on it. That could be years after release and at a very low price, if there was something I didn't like about the original release.

Typical things I'm against include heavy DRM (especially always online), microtransactions, pre-orders, season passes, F2P, yearly sequels and much more. I still support those things eventually if I want them enough. As an example I'll pre-order Tales of Zestiria a few hours before release if it seems Tales of Symphonia becomes a pre-order bonus on Steam or I'll buy online DRM games when they hit $1-3.

 

[JackAubrey]

I don't know why people use the "no I just play games for fun" comment whenever anyone brings up any serious issues with gaming

I find that depressing too. You see it in some discussions of any art form. Critical thought is looked down upon, as though thought is the enemy of relaxation. Dumb world.

 

[Vicetrailia]

NFL games because no more 2K series.

 

[FriedConsole]

I am not going to play a game made by anyone who's opinion I don't agree with.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

Region Locked Consoles: I made the mistake of buying a 2DS and Wii U even though they have region locks. I'll never support it ever again, even if that means missing out on a console.

That's pretty much it.

 

[Sleight of Jam]

The first and last season pass I bought was for gears 3 and I shortly realised what a waste of money it was after I got bored of the game once I finished the campaign.

I will always refuse to buy into micro-transactions. The fact that they already creeped into AAA games is disgusting imo. Some games do it tastefully, others not so much.

I've stopped pre-ordering games aswell due to publishers taking advantage of consumers.

 

[Kintaro]

Only rule for me really is that I will not pay full price for a game. I will use coupons, deals, or just plain wait and gladly be LTTP. $60 or more is simply too much money for a video game.

Outside of that, its pretty easy to avoid bad games or poor choices in game design (DLC, Pay to play, etc)

 

[baconcow]

While I buy DLC and sometimes small DLC (to support a developer; like Paradox Studios), I will not buy coins or points or diamonds or anything that encourages free-to-play whether it be in a single player game, multiplayer game, or F2P game. I would appreciate F2P games have Premium versions (like GemCraft 2) that allow the full experience, at a cost. Points/coins make full experiences of F2P games enormously expensive for what you get in return.

 

[Gardios]

F2P games with aggressive ads/slow progression that encourages microtransactions annoy the crap outta me. Other than that, nothing else really comes to mind.

 

[petran79]

Constant PC upgrades for games. It is not the 90s anymore.

Windows 10 Spyware edition
https://www.hackread.com/canada-looking-into-windows-10-spying/

A new PC will come with Windows 10 unfortunately, but I'll use it just for games and I'll install Linux distros for everything else.

Beware of Microsoft bearing gifts

 

[Tain]

I don't think there's any meaningful distinction between what's "pro-consumer"/"anti-consumer" and matters of game quality. If microtransactions are incorporated into a game to the point where it's completely jacked up and a slog, I'll avoid that game on the basis of it being a slog.

 

[AppleSeason]

The list of shit I won't tolerate tends to keep getting bigger and bigger. No wonder I play less and less modern games. and stick with retro if possible.


- DLC's, season passes, anything that means adding money to the initial game and does not classify as a true expansion, unless the game has been repackaged as a complete, goty or whatever complete edition. I still feel like an idiot for getting the Destiny Season pass, yet I blame it on an addiction issue. It has not happened ever again.

- Intrusive DRM's, specially when the game already is on Steam. I got pretty pissed off with having to create a Stardock account for Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity

- Uplay. If I had known that Valiant Hearts in Steam was going to force me to install that crap, I'd have downloaded a pirated version. Same goes for whatever shit EA has made (I can't even remember the name)

- Mobile games. Look, it was fun playing the java version of XIII on my Siemens C60 because at that moment I did not own a backlight GBA SP and I was bored on long distance night trip, but the situation now is not good.

- Forced motion controls and gimmicks. There is a reason I went nuts tracking a copy of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Gamecube on launch day. or having to screen in Phantom Hourglass. You know, I was playing in a train and had

And well, here comes the big one for me where I have always stayed adamant: Region lock in handheld consoles. This is pretty much the reason I switched in the last minute from getting a New 3DS to a Vita, even if I knew it was half dead. I've always had to mod consoles to play imports until PS3, but a portable system was a low punch, specially if I happen to be overseas and decide I want to buy a game because I have nothing to play at the moment.

 

[Aaron D.]

I find that depressing too. You see it in some discussions of any art form. Critical thought is looked down upon, as though thought is the enemy of relaxation. Dumb world.

Nah, you can actively engage in critical thought over all kinds of industry standards and still come to the conclusion that there's a game genre or practice that benefits every consumer, even if they're not all targeted or best suited to you.

 

[Special C]

I'm 100% ok with Micro transactions in full price MP games if they subsidize other free content. EA is really good with this a la Mass Effect 3 and PvZ Garden Warfare.

 

[entremet]

Too nuanced for me to have blanket boycotts.

 

[Tertullian]

Man, I would be cool with Amiibo if they didn't exist in the United States solely for the profit of scalpers, and if we hadn't already gotten to the point where entire major game modes are locked behind Amiibo. But as such, I am proud to say I have never bought one.

 

[poodaddy]

I have a script that blocks all GamerGate and FemFreq threads (it blocks any thread I set parameters to). These threads all devolve into the same bickering and get nowhere. Legit annoys me whenever I see them.

I would pay for a tutorial in how to use that script.

 

[fredrancour]

I just realized that I've unintentionally been following a policy of "never buy a digital download game at full price." It's all been steam sales, free giveaways, or Nintendo eshop cards on discount at best buy (often then combined with eshop sales).

I think I like this policy. I definitely see digital distribution's opportunities for exploitation a drastically outweighing the convenience factor. I might do an Indie game at or near full price but idk if I'll ever do a release from a major publisher digitally at anywhere close to it again.