This thread is inspired by another: view original post
I and my money are leaving Destiny on the 9th.
Sure, Bungie showed us Etheric Light and how we could use it to upgrade whatever weapons/armors we wanted in order to finally (after 9 months of the game being out...) build the Guardian that we wanted.
Problem is; I would have skipped the House of Disappointment entirely had they bothered to mention that said Etheric Light would only be available to the hardcore community of twelve-year-old kids who can grind out 12+ hours per day during summer break.
I have a gorgeous wife, two great kids, a job I like, and other responsibilities that all come together to make up a great life. For the person like me who has other responsibilities, Bungie has made the Etheric Light nigh impossible to get.
On top of that, they've made it even more difficult to find people to play with as the elitism and alienation they are supporting. By designing the PoE and ToO as they have; no one on the LFG groups wants a 33 on their team, even if that 33 does have a fully maxed 365 Gjallarhorn on all three characters. They only want 34's, but one cannot get to 34 without going through the PoE toughest two settings. But then we're back to the reality that one needs to find a team to even attempt the bullet-sponge-hell that is the 34 & 35, but then it cycles to... you get the idea.
Never before in over thirty years (30+!!!) of gaming have I seen one company put so many roadblocks to progression in front of such a large majority of their players.
Does Bungie think somehow, that the miniscule army of twelve year old kids who make up the "hardcore" wing of the Destiny population will really keep their game afloat? Does Bungie even remotely recognize the simple fact that over 90% of their players fall into the "casual" range?
So they make this Etheric Light for the described purpose, then institute walls that keep most of the player base from ever getting it.
Not only have similar practices been proven to destroy companies, it has been proven in study after study to actually drive people away from products that have done the same thing.
As it is going to do to me on Tuesday. As it has been doing to be for months now.
Come the 9th, my Destiny play time slows to a trickle. I will grind out the Iron Banner for this weekend to get one of my Warlocks to 34, and will have one more piece of Light to get my beloved Vision of Confluence to 365. After that, my other two Warlocks are being deleted. I simply do not have anywhere near the time to grind out enough Light to keep up three Warlocks at max level. Just thinking about the sheer number of hours [b]per day[/b] that I'd have to pump into Destiny to achieve that... I'd have to quit my job amongst a whole host of other actions just to free up the time to make sure I could get that much Light.
Bungie wants to say that Destiny is "ambitious". But how ambitious of an idea is it really when the vast majority of your players are all but locked out of content simply because you wanted to make a [b]crafting material[/b] so difficult to get that it drives people away?
Nope. Not me. These business practices are a direct insult to the people who have lives/jobs/families outside of this game. Funny though; those people you are alienating are also the people who make the money that those squealing brats have to beg for to purchase your products, Bungie. Without the responsible people purchasing you game for themselves and for the kids, who is left to purchase your products?
The "casual" gamers make up most of your profits/sales, Bungie; yet you institute dedicated design like this to lock out those same people by making a [b]crafting material[/b] so difficult to get that most have no hope of ever getting it?
See you on Tuesday, Bungie. No, actually, no I won't... for the fist time since the game launched, I won't be in Destiny for the reset. There's too many great games coming out to spend that much time on these failed business practices.
The Elder Scrolls Online
The Witcher 3
Fallout 4
I'm not saying that these games will "kill" Destiny. But what's the point of coming into Destiny when those three examples above are much better at rewarding both casual and hardcore gamers? Developers who actually listen and interact with their gamers?
In the end, I have to extend a hand of congratulations, Bungie.
Truly you have done a remarkable job of chasing away the main sources of your company's revenue. The people with jobs.
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Face it. The game isnt marketed to you or me, we are an older generation of gamers with less time on our hands. Games are produced and pushed toward teens and kids, not the old men and women with jobs wives and lives