It is virtually impossible to support this.
A former video game executive suggests that gamers, who already give an arm and a leg for top expensive titles, are then taking excessive tips to the virtual world – paying a tip of up to 30% more.
Mike Ybarra, the former president of major gaming company Blizzard Entertainment, pioneered the concept “most won’t like it” last week on. He explained that this is about supporting game developers who are already well paid, even if the costs of their products are “already high” for gamers.
“When I finish a game, there are some that leave me in awe of the incredible experience,” he posted, referring to some titles that deserved a tip, like “Red Dead Redemption 2.”
“At the end of the game, I often said to myself, ‘I wish I could give these people another 10 or 20 dollars because it was worth more than my initial 70 dollars, and they didn’t try to rough me up. test every second. ‘ “
For context, a 20% tip on a $70 meal equals $14.
Meanwhile, the average game development salary is $108,471, according to ZipRecruiter.
Aside from the potentially admirable sentiment, the message may be tone-deaf as customers continually pay extra fees to fully enjoy their games. The days of just running to GameStop, buying a disc, and playing through to the end are long gone.
Games now sell the bells and whistles separately by pushing players to purchase recurring items, special features, deeper access, and cosmetic additions not included in the base price.
In 2022, “Fortnite” creator Epic Games settled a $520 million lawsuit for designing the beloved teen game in a way that encouraged kids to make additional purchases.
Gamers are even handing out triple figures for special cross-platform versions of games where Xbox and PlayStation users can meet online.
For example, the price of standard “NHL 24” is currently $24.99, while its crossplay counterpart is $99.99.
Ybarra didn’t even suggest how tipping would work and, as he predicted, many players want to disconnect from his entire concept.
“Let’s give charity to big companies to support “developers”. Let’s always put the onus on the customers. What a fantastic idea,” one user responded with a Bronx cheer.
“I often play a game and am disappointed. Can I get my money back? wrote another.
“Let’s not start this trend,” added a third.
Techspot’s Rob Thurbon also asked a pertinent question: “Will all the money go to the right people, and could companies use tipping to lower wages?”
Another X user had a simple solution as to what the gaming giants should do.
“You could share more profits with developers instead of asking more from the consumer.”
New York Post
