Gaming companies ruining the beauty of endlessly moddable abandonware by “remastering” it, then pumping it full of unnecessary updates, just to open up micro transaction shops under the guise of “mod marketplaces” isn’t all that surprising, as it isn’t their first attempt at shifting industry practices in the interest of profits.
Still pretty upsetting to watch however, bc these types games were supposed to be an escape from the $60-$80, lootbox and season pass laden, always online experiences that had poisoned the industry in recent years, but such hasn’t been the case of late.
Idk how, or why, or who’s at fault, but there was a weakness in this seemingly impenetrable wall, and the companies found it, and have every interest in exploiting it, and that kinda sucks, bc it really felt like the last thing that was truly pure in an industry they’d already squeezed a lot of the fun out of.
Gaming is a hobby for me, but like many other hobbies it’s definitely gotten to a point where it feels as if I’m being priced out of it. I’m happy some of y’all found a way to monetize it, even if just to keep priced in, and honestly who wouldn’t wanna get paid doing what they want to do rather than what they have to do, esp in this economy, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I believe some parts of gaming should just be kept sacred from the involvement of money.
Reviving old, abandoned games through modding wasn’t just a hobby for some, it was protest against what the gaming industry had become, it was community, it was an opportunity for people to offer not only content, but also skills and information that would have otherwise cost them money to attain.
It was freedom, but once freedom stops being free of cost for one, even if well meaning, unfortunately that will affect everyone else in that ecosystem, and I’m sad to say it’s been affected for a while.
What’s sad is I’m not nearly as upset about this marketplace thing as I am about this possibly being the end of what The Sims 4 retirement could’ve been.
Free from the clutches of EA support, and given back to the players.
It really would’ve been amazing seeing it go through the modding community renaissance the previous ones had, not just for the benefit of the game itself, but also for the people in the community as well, but an eternity locked in user agreement jail it is, ig.
