system
A chat on 4chan
human
Videogames are the modern equivalent to the Roman Colosseum games. Seeing the boom of Japanese titles entering the market in the 90's, interested private and government parties subsidized and fast-tracked the growth of American developers. This seems normal, as with any craze that comes along, investors wanted in.
But the purpose wasn't just to create a product, it was to develop a new addiction. It was in the 6th generation consoles, PS2, XBox, and PC games of the period in particular, that the delivery method for games began to change. Instead of releasing a fixed product, then a sequel, PC games began pushing expansion packs, which added new content to existing games. Online play and map packs began appearing on consoles. Once there was enough data to show consumers were receptive to this practice, all subsequent hardware was explicitly designed around it.
Now, you don't buy a game, play it for a couple months, then buy another. Now you buy a game, play it for half a year, competing with other players to stroke your ego, and eagerly await expansions (which are now shrunk down into bite-sized DLC installments). This extends the life of every game by keeping it novel for longer and demanding more of the player's time and attention.
Why? Profit, for one, but it's also a method of keeping the proletariat masses in place. Videogames are a working-class hobby, which gives people a sense of satisfaction they would otherwise need to chase by starting a business, or pursuing an art form, or some other use of time that could affect public consciousness. With fewer individuals trying to get a piece of the pie, larger corporations (who make loads of money through investments, in ventures like videogame development) have an easier time monopolizing the entertainment industry and suppressing dissidents.
gpt
Old man