They're referring to Sony's stance that all their PC releases should require you to have and sign-in to a PSN account. That's separate to PS+, you don't need to pay a sub.
A lot of publishers include this requirement on their PC releases, regardless of whether they're single-player or multiplayer, and I think a lot of people are fed up with having to have so many different accounts.
That probably would be a better solution. Particularly since the rating system is pretty easy to ignore. And if they do start slapping the R18+ rating on games that don't really warrant it like Mario Party, people will be more likely to simply dismiss the entire system.
I would hope that the government and ratings board wouldn't be that stupid, but look at how long it took to give us an R rating for video games in the first place.
I think the government could definitely be doing more, but I don't think it's a bad thing to force companies to clearly disclose the nature of their products so consumers can make informed choices.
I think the major difference between the two is that in video games, the cost of the loot boxes is deliberately obfuscated through the use of whatever single-use currency the publisher has dreamed up, and made worse by the fact that the currency is only purchasable in select denominations, meaning you're always spending more than you're going to use.
You're not wrong that there are plenty of examples of physical "loot boxes" marketed at children, but at least with those you know exactly how much it costs straight up.
I wish our government would look into the actual predatory practices that these publishers are using in these games, but this is a good first step. At least the EU is looking into it.
Just want to point out that it might not be OP's fault. The ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, not the one folks in the US will be used to) has a habit of switching the headline depending on whether you're viewing on mobile or web. I wish they wouldn't, the clickbait headlines can be a bit of a distraction from otherwise generally high-quality articles.
It's 662% higher vs 7.62 times. So if x is the amount that big tech is reporting, the actual number is x + 662% or x * 7.62, both gives the same result.
Just make sure your family has a way to access your account. I very much doubt that Valve or most publishers will care that your kids have access to decades-old games after you're gone. Although I could see Ubisoft trying to take action out of spite, but that's only if they're still around by then, they're on pretty shakey ground at the moment.
Better option if this is an important issue for you is to only buy DRM-free. You'll have to wait for most AAA games, but most AAA games these days are increasingly not worth it anyway.
I'd love that link too if that's alright. Last time I tried to read Konsi in order, I kept getting sidetracked and reading all your other comics. Not saying that's a bad thing, but it's not what I set out to do.
That "worst case scenario" really doesn't seem that bad to me. Exactly what would happen to any busy that overextends themselves and runs out of money. What, exactly, makes Star so special that they feel they deserve relief from the government?
This is my thought with every single one of these. I was pleasantly surprised to see them on the new Ayaneo Kun, making it the only alternative to the Steam Deck I would consider. The lack of trackpads is too much of a limitation for PC gaming.
She's really killed Harry Potter for me. I'm envious of the people who are able to separate the art from the artist, because I would love to play this game but I just can't enjoy anything from that universe anymore without thinking about the horrible person JK Rowling has turned out to be.
I don't think that's their goal at all. Otherwise we wouldn't see any sequels released on PC, that would be a much better strategy for converting players to console. The only reason publishers require their own logins in games, at least for single-player titles, is data collection. Data is very valuable.