[surfsvammel]

What ever happened to just playing a game, without having to install deamon programs on your PC, without having to consent to them tracking you, without having to create fifteen new accounts, without having to endure in game ads, without having to constantly be reminded that I don’t have the special in game currency that is the only way to get that pink hat?

Of course I understand what has happened. But it’s kind of taken the fun out of gaming. Or maybe I’m just old, grumpy and nostalgic.

[phreack]

Nowadays I've just taken a hard stance against all of this crap. Any game I see where the previews let you immediately understand there's going to be a bunch of these dark patterns to hide the fact they're just gambling aimed at kids, I don't ever look at again. Luckily, beyond mobile apps there's still a thriving market of Just Games, particularly indies, and they're better than ever.