The spongebob game wasnt so bad. It had like a login bonus but it didnt seem to be too bad But once we got into the lego star wars game the f2p bullshit started. And oh god. This game clearly designed for kids had all the f2p bullshit. Login bonuses. Gridnyness. Multiple in game currencies. The daily/weekly ect missions. The unlockables
But god the racing game was even worse. 100000 things to unlock and basically nothing is by default basically. Sooooooooooo absurdly grindy. And most harrowing of all... i swear to god... 5 seperate in game currencies.
I want to reach out and scream to him "games werent always like this maaaaan"
When a character (either from the start, or over time) is designed to pander to the (usually cishet male) consumer's gaze and push their buttons in both a titillation and wish fulfillment fantasy way. Not always directly sexually, but still in a cynically pandering way that often gets more blatant over time.
Not exactly academic rigor on my part there, I know.