On Tue, 11 Feb 2025 11:26:09 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
[snip]
Which, I think, is welcome news to pretty much every PC gamer, who
looks at the offerings on Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store
and shudders with disgust. It's not the sort of thing we want
infecting our games, and kudos to Valve for taking the stand against
it. Admittedly, it is a stand they can only make because they have
such overwhelming control of PC gaming, and because they're already
raking in so much cash that they can ignore the additional profits
allowing such games would allow, but still, I take these victories
where I can get them.
Epic has made no comments on whether it intends to follow suit.**
I don't understand how this is a victory for the consumer? Just clearly
label the games as "in-game ads" or "ad based" and sell them. If it
clutters the catalog, give users an option to block ad-based games from
their searches.
I'd probably enjoy a full-screen version of WWF2. This is a corollary to
the Number, in my book. More games please!*
But it's a good move for Valve, as they take a cut of the purchase price
and the purchase price for these games is (nominally) "free."** So Valve
would have to negotiate a cut of the ad revenue. They'd also have to
negotiate promotional concerns such as product placement, as these apps multiply like rabbits and would glut the catalog. Since, as you say, they
are raking in the money, they don't need the agita, additional software development costs, nor legal fees.
Valve is deciding on Valve's needs alone. Their answer appears to be "We
make enough money, thank you." Any perceived benefit to the consumer is projection, IMO.
I have a very few of these games on my phone, and I try to pay for
ad-free so long as it isn't sold as a monthly sub. I got in on the ground
floor (one payment, no ads forever) with my Wordle app and Yahtzee. Both
have since moved to subs. Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity with
WWF. In WWF, "close the ad as soon as possible" is a game in and of
itself. They know it, too. They change the processes for closing ads
quarterly.
What's worse is I don't remember anything that's advertised, other than
there are ads for "free-to-play" games which I can't remember nor
identify by name, so I don't get the point.*** However, as a
communications professional, I have some interest in monitoring how
marketers are trying to reach young people. So it becomes research. Maybe that's why I don't mind it.
--
Zag
This is csipg.rpg - reality is off topic. ...G. Quinn ('08) `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
* Increasing your individual Number through free-to-play games is a sin. Apocryphal. You will be shunned if you try to count them. It is fraud.
** Some restrictions apply, if you consider your time to be money.
*** Oh yeah, bras. I remember they were advertising bras once. All the
hawt cleavage was memorable. Couldn't tell you the brand. I am literally sitting here trying to remember the brand, to see if it was effective messaging, and all I can remember is the skin show. The score is
"attention capture: 10, brand awareness: 0."
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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