The Sickening Truth Behind Cosmetic Gaming Microtransactions
6. Cosmetic DLC Is Inherently Predatory
If the central pro-cosmetics argument is that they don't give those buying-in an advantage over those who don't, that's to ignore a far uglier side of the coin - that the MTX system is, in all its forms, designed to re-wire players' brains.
As much as we all laughed at the absurdity of Bethesda introducing grossly overpriced horse armour for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in 2006, almost 15 years on this sort of pricing model is in no way ridiculous.
More to the point, much like pay-to-win mechanics, paid cosmetic DLC encourages a culture which exploits some of the most vulnerable people in society: those with pathological addictions, and children.
While it wouldn't be fair to call all cosmetic MTX overpriced, much of it is priced to effectively treat players like ATMs hooked up to an IV, from which money can be habitually siphoned.
Take Mortal Kombat 11, which featured more than $6,000 worth of cosmetics, or the countless games which dole out cosmetics by way of loot boxes, in turn disconcertingly blurring the line between video games and digital gambling houses.
While there are many of us who simply choose not to participate in the cosmetics circus, there are many others who are susceptible to publishers' aggressive manipulation tactics, and who are then mercilessly preyed upon by these vampiric, money-hungry companies.
This psychological pressure is surely most disturbingly felt in MTX-riddled games marketed to children...