[meristohm]

I got hooked on Diablo, and the memory of anticipating Diablo II (for which I built a computer) is almost tangible. WoW was the next drug/escape, and Hearthstone my last Blizzard slot-machine until I became a parent. I never thought I’d move away from games, and now I don’t miss them, turning instead to gardening and exploring with my kid. I still have a lot of emotion bound up in that game time, and perhaps they were useful in the absence of a counselor (in person or through books) who could help me cultivate a sense of purpose.

I still play a couple games (Hell Let Loose as a 3-person tank crew is great) but only as a way to spend time with distant friends.

[bpiche]

One thing about the non-rts Blizzard games, is they're basically all loot piñatas. Diablo 1/2/3, WoW, even Hearthstone to some extent are basically loot piñatas that prey on addictive behaviors in very much the same way that loot boxes and freemium mobile games do. Personally, I prefer a well crafted single player story over that sort of 'game'. And if you have your ear to the ground it's clear that they're going to make Diablo 4 a real Genshin Impact loot box nightmare as well. I don't know what demographic they think they're selling to anymore but it's sad.

[foobarian]

I just discovered Genshin Impact and enjoying the story line and combat system quite a bit. The artwork and voice acting is some of the prettiest I've ever seen in a game. What makes it a loot box nightmare? TBH Diablo 2 was a lot worse, the rarest boss drops had the ability to give a player orders of magnitude more power. GI loot scattered around the world is completely unremarkable kind of like the coins dropped by regular mobs.

I know about the wishing system but that seems to be a completely optional mechanic that allows people to gamble with money, which seems fair for a F2P game. But can be skipped and is not essential to the gameplay.

[sdwr]

Don't know where the downvotes are coming from. People don't want to acknowledge life without gaming?