Subscription service such as Xbox live or PlayStation plus.
I’m not much of a console gamer but when I first got a PS4 I tried out PS Plus for a few months and it lead me to trying out Stranded Deep which at the time was the first realistic survival style game I played.(I had only played Minecraft previously) and I loved it! It’s janky for sure but I loved the island survival and having to make a raft to find new places and complete the main quest. I didn’t utilize the plus membership enough to justify keeping it but I’m happy it lead me to one of my favorite survival games.

So, what games have you been able to try through a subscription or demo that lead you to a new favorite?

For me back in 2010 one of my best friends and I used to play the FIFA World Cup game based on the South Africa Tournament and we had a rivalry playing against each other, sure but the best parts were taking a scrappy US team and playing co-op to take on global football super powers. We developed a personal rivalry with Norway (this is well before Haaland) and took the L's personally and triumphed together in the victories.

Now please share one of your fond game moments

As a 35 year old gamer seems like everyday there's a new story about the industry that just breaks my heart.

Game prices increasing.

Console prices increasing.

PC parts increasing in price.

Games/Content being removed.

More live service games.

More battle passes.

More FOMO.

More Gacha games/mechanics.

Games being announced years before release.

Games being CANCELLED before they are released.

Studios announcing new games to be shut down a week later.

Studio layoffs.

Studio closures.

Massive push by executives for A.I..

Games removing content and charging a premium for the "ultimate edition".

Government lobbyists going after user made content claiming its illegal.

Microtransactions running wild.

Early access games being abandoned.

AAA Games being broken or unplayable.

The removal of physical games which kills 2nd hand markets and just lending games to friends while also allowing Sony/Microsoft to control the price forever or even remove said game from your library.

And so many other things like uninspired games with 300 million dollar budgets. Or every game just being a copy/paste of a better one. And they are pricing people out of enjoying games in general. It's not implausible to think the next generation of consoles will be $1000+. And yet there are still people defending these corporations! It blows my mind. I'm excited about GTA 6 as much as the next guy but what Rockstar/TakeTwo are doing is very anti consumer and just shitty.

I just hate how these greedy corporations have ruined another thing that brings people joy.

EDIT- Apparently a lot of people in the comments seem to think I'm saying gaming sucks. Not the case. I'm more referring to the industry as a whole. Probably my bad wording. My bad.

But I've also seen a fair amount of comments dismissing the concerns because they "don't effect them". I want games to be good for me AND future generations. I think it's a great art form that is capable of eliciting feelings that are not possible in other mediums.

And Yes Indie and AA games are doing well. You need the AAA though. They reach the most people and will be the ones that inspire the next generation of developers. Star Wars is a great example. I think most would agree modern Star Wars things aren't great. (Andor being the exception.) But the OG trilogy literally inspired a lot of modern film makers. And the same with any art form. If all the AAA games are just live service/gacha/FOMO junk who will they inspire? These are not issues I will probably directly have to deal with but I have younger people in my family that will.

And seeing something you love that brings you joy getting slowly ruined by corporate greed is sad.

Ever since the EA buyout was announced, I’ve been boycotting the Sims, my all time favourite game series. I uninstalled the EA app and all of the games. I really miss playing the games, and am struggling to stick to my principles. How “bad” would it be to play the games without buying any new packs? Since you have to use the EA app to play the games, I don’t want my activity to be used to aid the buyout. Is this a completely unrealistic standard to hold myself to? Does my strict boycott even matter, or is it “enough” to keep playing the game without buying new packs?

Ultimate edition is $100 and pre-orders start June 25th. What do you think about the new price point and single-player only?