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Considering how many GaaS games actively encourage compulsive behaviour (and some go as far as pushing seasonal content as necessary to keep up with the Joneses), I'm not convinced that concerns about gaming addiction is just another moral panic. I know too many gamers who spend hours on these titles as a form of excessive escapism. I get getting into a game. But this feels different. These are not games in the classic sense. They are more like slot machines.

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You're correct, of course, to compare many of these games to slot machines. My question is whether we'll actually be able to do something about it, or simply move onto the next thing.

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I don't think we can do anything about it. As appalling as GaaS can be, it is lucrative, and it does give large studios a reliable revenue stream at a time when triple-A development is very expensive. The fact that GTA Online has all but engulfed Rockstar just shows the power of the model.

I consider GaaS a snake eating its own tail, but unless consumers get bored of GaaS and its addictive behaviours, I don't expect it to go away. At least the double-A and indie scenes are thriving, so it's not a zero-sum outcome.

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