So I dumped hours of my life into playing a mobile game-- Sakura Taisen: The Legend Begins. Unlocked everything, got all the rewards...
...And then the game got unceremoniously shut down...
Cue my outrage.
I mean, all right, it's a free-to-play game and infrastructure costs money. I get it. But when these games shut down, you lose what little you gained-- in this case, nice artworks of the characters. There's no opportunity to save them-- just "Sorry mate, it's all gone now."
This is why I prefer to own rather than rent. Let's say five years from now, for whatever reason, I want to look back with fondness (not bloody likely now) on this game. I can't.
Everything about it is gone.
Just some cold, sterile words are all that remain of a fun-- if repetitive game. There's no offline mode so you can look at your gallery.
This is how I see the future.
Right now I can boot up a PC from the early 2000's and get to work, albeit a bit slowly. Photoshop works. Office 2007 works. No internet needed, just fire up the machine and go,.
Today? If, say, the internet died...
Office and Photoshop are on Subscription. Failing to authenticate, they will eventually stop working. Me from thirty years on will probably not be able to use them, despite pouring money into them each month. While you can still by standalone versions of them for now, who knows how long that will last. One-time purchases don't give people revenue streams. They are bad for companies but great for consumers. Which is why, these days, everyone is getting into the rent-seeking game.
"You need to subscribe to this product to keep using it."
"You need to buy supplies only from us, the approved vendor" - See Lexmark, Keurig, Juicero, Gillette, etc.
And on and on. This little game just serves as a microcosm of the bleak future that awaits us if Corporations get their way.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go off and cry and try to rip all the art assets out of the app I can, because I'm an areshole and will try to preserve what I can of this thing if possible.
A hater of Active voice, Lady Peinforte is titled nobility of the nation of Sealand. Having successfully invaded both America and Canada from her home base in Windsor, she has become horribly corrupted by the world, and is dedicated to "creating the greatest 'Ship of them all". She ponders horribly terrible, idiotic things for your amusement.