@arstechnica after "you think you want but you dont" and "dont you guys have phones" i think they lost all ther credibility when it comes to knowing what the players want.
@arstechnica The thing is, the games weren't really about that originally. It was nice and neat when you got a nicer than normal item, but it wasn't the whole game. You could just play and enjoy the game and that was bonus, not a requirement. Making finding those the chief focus of the games now was always horrible.
@arstechnica path of exile is leaps ahead of Blizzard/Diablo in loot. Blizzard failed in making Diablo 3, and are still trying to balance loot mechanics and user journeys, while Grinding Gear Games, developers is POE, have perfected it.
@arstechnica I have the time to devote, the gear treadmill just isn't fun to me anymore.
Social games like MMORPGs are a bit different, where at least you are reaping the benefit of playing in a group with others and having a good time even if your 5th time on a boss doesn't get you anything.
Very little player communication in looter ARPGs, so what's the benefit of grinding the same zone over and over endlessly?
@arstechnica “That means the core, nostalgic audience for the series is now very likely to have a career, family, and/or other responsibilities eating into their play time. There's nothing like a few decades of aging to make the prospect of sinking hundreds of hours into a loot grind seem less appealing.”
These days I’m so busy that the thought of even getting 5 hours of free time to myself in a week is the real fantasy. Translating that into gaming? Pure fiction.