A lot of good games are made under the shadow of capitalism and it's weird to think about sometimes.

Like the whole concept of coin-operated arcade games. The extra life and continue mechanics seen in console games came from a cash incentive to make the player lose.

Or the fact that RPGs almost always charge the player for items. I'm not saying that it doesn't make sense as a mechanic, but I always wondered why people weren't given more healing potions.

The way IP laws work, I'm really curious how games would change once those are gone.

One way I see games changing with the destruction of capitalism:

I think online multiplayer games would be a lot more bearable. There wouldn't be the stratification between people who could afford putting more time or resources into a game and those who can't. Microtransactions and addictive gameplay mechanics wouldn't exist.

  • Dirt_Owl [comrade/them, they/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    The indie, fan game and mod scene are actually a great example of how gaming thrives without a profit motive.

    Also, you can easily make games that don't revolve around capitalist mechinics. Even AAA studios do this sometimes. One of the core mechanics of Pokemon games is free healthcare ffs.