ANALYSIS. There have been rumours that Microsoft were going to make Xbox live free for all, instead of the current system where a base service is free and the feature packed Gold service is charged for. But why should Microsoft make it free?
CWA members are staking their claim for a better, fairer video game industry.
'They're playing games. It's just that their attention and needs are changing,' says Astrid Entertainment CEO Sharon Tal Yguado.
It’s not that Gen Z isn’t interested in AAA or story driven games, a lot of them simply don’t have the financial freedom to explore. When you’re budgeting, you stick to games that give the most value for the least cost, which is why ecosystems like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft dominate. What looks like a preference is often just economic constraint.
US age ratings body has no plans to change it system, as video game regulation looms
This really doesn't mean anything, when you can pirate PC games with a mature or AO rating. 😂 You can pirate without any age restriction bullshit.
wtf are you talking about? they are talking about raising the age in EU for games that have loot boxes etc. in them. This is for online games mostly you absolute maroon.
Controversial take but maybe parents could start parenting and be more attentive and involved in their kids life? Then maybe other adults can buy whatever they'd like without worrying about "the children" that aren't in the slightest a concern to em, cause…they're not their children? Also we don't need to stop letting out of touch boomers in government from deciding what is and what isn't "good" for people in the US. There is a surprising amount of things that are banned in this country that in multiple other countries are more of a net positive, yet for some reason they aren't allowed here.
this doesn't look all that bad maybe you should read it first. daily login, battle passes, loot boxes etc. will affect the rating although this only affects games that are going to be released from june onward, for now at least. they are looking at addictive design which are not good and online games are filled with them. though im not sure this will do much anyways so you're fine.
^ because the PSN is free and it isnt far behind XBL's features and eventually that will be a major selling point and an advantage for sony especially with HOME and Playstation Lyfe Style and LBP right around the corner ya know.
P.S this was meant for the GamerZone..... o well....
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Why should MS make it free? Simply because everyone else allows online gaming free. If your come back is that Live offers more services than the others that is incorrect, Games for Windows offers the same and that was recently changed to a free service (mainly because PC gamers said no to the subscription).
Also, not everyone requires all of these features, some just want the ability to play their games online with their friends, if that is all you want I dont see how £50 a year is justified (even though I pay it).
From my point of view, I bought the console, bought the game, bought my internet subscription etc this in my eyes should be enough.
it should be free, what does xbl offer that you can't get for free on other platforms?
if all the movie downloads and music video downloads were included it would be good.
but to charge £40 a year and having nothing included for free is a rip off
Why would anyone be complaining about £50 a year when you can get it for £25? O_o
Anyone that compains about that should really get a headcheck.
I think I've said this many times before.
For myself, the cost is not neccessarily the only issue. One of my issues is that they charge similar prices in different regions where the services provided in each region is clearly different.
One prime example is the video store. It is not available in all regions, yet I am still expected to pay relatively the same price as our American neighbours. Even if the service is provided, Australia's internet infrastructure is far from great, and I wouldn't be able to download those large files and enjoy those features.
Microsoft need to scale their prices for each region based on what services is available, and based on the conversion. 50$ US may seem small, but in many countries it is a big deal. Don't take for granted that there are some families that are able to make 50$ last a month in some countries.
Naturally, I am talking about extremes of the spectrum here.