Modern AAA games have become a joke compared to their counterparts years ago. Game developers today are selling an incomplete game at the full AAA price of $60. This meme best describes the current situation:
Heck, the sesame seeds would be a special purchase.
I remember when I first got my hands on Sims 3. Within a few minutes, I became disappointed that most of the items that were included in the main game in prior installments of the game were now locked under paid DLCs. You literally have to pay extra to get a hot tub. And that trend grew worse in Sims 4:
The sad part is Sims is not alone in this disgusting practice. Several developers in recent years have sold uncomplete games at the full market price. One of the most controversial games as of late is Destiny 2. A $60 game that was a sequel to the highly successful Destiny. The problem was that you could finish the game in just 2 days. You paid $30 a day.
To add insult to injury, after just 3 months they released a 2 paid DLCs at $15 each. Just 3 months after they made you pay $60 for a supposedly full game, they make you pay $30 to keep playing their game. They even locked content you have already previously paid for behind that DLC. In other words, they prevented you from playing elements of the game you already had access to unless you purchase their new DLC.
Another growing norm in AAA games that is ruining the gaming industry is paid loot boxes. Loot boxes are purchasable items that give you random loot. This means that you might have to purchase it several dozen times until you get what you want. Imagine visiting a car retail shop and paying $500,000 where you would be given a random item ranging from a Ferrari or a car freshener.
Image of a gamer fed up with lootboxes
These types of microtransactions have consumed the gaming industry. Even 2K18 was infected. They turned a simple basketball game into a cash grab. Every mundane thing like a haircut required you to play hundreds of hours in order to afford. What would a player without enough time do? That's right, pay real money to have a virtual haircut. This predatory practice is feeding off people's lack of patience and self-control.
Nba 2K18's pay to win model
You know what's even more insulting? It's that mainstream media is insulting everyone by continuously placing these games in "Best games of 2017" lists. Like this bullcrap article(euphemism for paid ad) from Gaming Journalist(euphemism for paid puppet) Marc Saltzman of USA Today:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/saltzman/2017/12/17/best-video-games-2017/959198001/
PS: Remember to use ad block before you visit that site.