It's just a game!

[jonemil24]

Game developers will often talk about compulsion loops.

How do I keep the player playing?

How do I keep them from coming back?

How do I keep them paying?

Source

Stephen Barnes, the man who spent $2M on a mobile game. Source
A Japanese guy who spent $70k on a mobile game. Source
Big Jim: the “Whale” who spent over $30K on We Heroes. Source

You think it's a free-to-play game? Think again.
Ooh, they're* also talking about "whale".

Damn this digital era for giving birth to these so called "digital whales".

EDIT:
Spelling*

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[mikeywith]

 2M$ to somebody can be as 20$ to somebody else.

you spend 10$ on a beer while a dozen of poor kids starving in Africa "who need only 25 cents to be fed for a whole day " are dying from hunger.

5000$ is enough to build wells that can supply a small villages in Africa of 200-300 people with clean water for the trust rest of their lives, while you spend it on a few gifts for your girlfriend/wife.

Starving kids in Afirica look at us the way we look at those "whales" who spend a fortune on games.

we are all playing the same GAME.

[NavI_027]

<snip>

I understand what you are feeling right now, actually even me think that it was very insane to spend lots of money just for a game. We all might realize that it's very impractical for investing so much in virtual stuffs which gives you nothing but fun. However, we don't have the right to judge those kind of people and even force them to do what we think is right simply because that's their own life. We don't have the power to control their lives because we are absolutely unauthorized. If they choose to spend their money for games, vices or other luxuries instead of helping others then so be it; if they choose to become self-centered instead of becoming tender-hearted individuals to their fellow man then we can't do anything about it. Yup! We can advice them to change their personality but in the end of the day it still depends on them.

Life is unfair, it was sad but true .

[jonemil24]

-Africa-Africa-Afirica

I'm still wondering what's wrong with Africa. Been hearing about it since I was a kid.

Sometimes, I think it's just a political game. The leaders might be thinking what will they gain if they help.
During the New Year's celebration, I asked some of my relatives if they have spent some money on mobile/online games, majority of them did. And they have a problem with their kids too. One of my nephew have spent 100% of his allowance only in games. The game he downloaded is free, but it requires money if he wants something to show off.

These game developers are scary sometimes. They will study how to stimulate our brain making us forget our worldly problems.

[cabalism13]

-Africa-Africa-Afirica

I'm still wondering what's wrong with Africa.

You may ask the president of that country if you can't find some time searching it with your friend Google.

Sometimes, I think it's just a political game.

Yes it is. Those politicians keep feeding their own mouths while their countrymen get starved to death.

The leaders might be thinking what will they gain if they help.

Nothing really,.. as they are contented that their country are famous by its rare animals and not by humans. Politicians are really the ones whose at fault not the country ( Well every country has the same problem)

These game developers are scary sometimes. They will study how to stimulate our brain making us forget our worldly problems.

This is what they do to survive. If they're just going to create a game and all of the items are for free they will also and surely starved to death like those african-natives.

[r1s2g3]

We all might realize that it's very impractical for investing so much in virtual stuffs which gives you nothing but fun.

I do not know these online games are giving fun. I guess they are just giving us more anxiety and stress. You spend more because you are worried about that virtual world. It instantly become 24 hour addiction and you keep burning money.

I myself have hard time to get out from Game of war addiction.

[3acaga]

And why is online games bad?
I won’t put a problem in this: if a person gets satisfaction from a game, everybody has to learn every game. If a person has extra money to spend in games, who can forbid him this.
P.S. from banning online games, Africa will not live better ... this is not a panacea!

[BestSSS]

The meaning of all the "Free" games is just to get first in the free game as many users as possible, and then start to suck money out of them for the privileges and weapons that are available in the game for a fee.
For someone 20 000 dollars-an unaffordable amount, and someone easily part with such money for pleasure.
Everyone has different measures of happiness, it is a different level of life of each person.

[Tramirostronix]

The meaning of all the "Free" games is just to get first in the free game as many users as possible, and then start to suck money out of them for the privileges and weapons that are available in the game for a fee.
For someone 20 000 dollars-an unaffordable amount, and someone easily part with such money for pleasure.
Everyone has different measures of happiness, it is a different level of life of each person.

Yes exactly, even if we don't understand them, I think when you have TOO much money (and if you win it or because of your family) you don't understand how much money you spend.
if one day they are poor, they will think about it and realize 

[UserU]

I have to admit that I spent way more than a huge library of triple-A titles over the years.

That feeling of FOMO :/

[joniboini]

And why is online games bad?
I won’t put a problem in this: if a person gets satisfaction from a game, everybody has to learn every game. If a person has extra money to spend in games, who can forbid him this.
P.S. from banning online games, Africa will not live better ... this is not a panacea!

Well, I think the point is, if people can spend their money better, the world would have been a better place. There's no one who forbids you to spend $4M on a game (or whatever it is), but when you have the options to use it to help others, is it wrong for people to questions your decisions?

[Tramirostronix]

And why is online games bad?
I won’t put a problem in this: if a person gets satisfaction from a game, everybody has to learn every game. If a person has extra money to spend in games, who can forbid him this.
P.S. from banning online games, Africa will not live better ... this is not a panacea!

Well, I think the point is, if people can spend their money better, the world would have been a better place. There's no one who forbids you to spend $4M on a game (or whatever it is), but when you have the options to use it to help others, is it wrong for people to questions your decisions?

no it's not, but  a lot of people will say, it's your money, you earned it (maybe ? ) so you have the right to do whatever you want with it....
but that's a stupid way to close the problem for me

[CristianOff]

Counter Strike Global Offensive:
MANY players spent ~ $100/each for skins.
25 guys spending $30k = $750k
7,500 spending $100 = $750k

The second is more likely, and remember we don't take in consideration the big guys spending a lot in csgo skins.
How much does fortnite earn from skins?
These games are not games, they have been real business for years
Clash of Clans earned around $1 million a day in revenue at its peak

[MoonCrypt]

2M$ to somebody can be as 20$ to somebody else.

you spend 10$ on a beer while a dozen of poor kids starving in Africa "who need only 25 cents to be fed for a whole day " are dying from hunger.

5000$ is enough to build wells that can supply a small villages in Africa of 200-300 people with clean water for the trust rest of their lives, while you spend it on a few gifts for your girlfriend/wife.

Starving kids in Afirica look at us the way we look at those "whales" who spend a fortune on games.

we are all playing the same GAME.

it all balls down to the saying life is not a fair game, everyone chooses the way he will Play it. so of those kids you talk about never choose what predicament or situation life offered them, but there they are and some fortunate ones might have never dreamt of it but whatever they got 2million USD to play around with.. it is just life, same way UN have solved poverty for years in Africa with billions of USD but it still remains Rocket science but some regions in Europe spent less to become a great nation!!

so its the Game we all are in!! what will be the next card? Guess USA existing Army from some regions? Prediction of ISIS rising again!! whatever it may be !! Choose your battles or not, battles will always surface, its the world we live in!! big Circus

[mikeywith]

same way UN have solved poverty for years in Africa with billions of USD but it still remains Rocket science but some regions in Europe spent less to become a great nation!!

UN is fake as fuck, name those regions on Europe who spent less than the average African country? they are non , simply put

European countries mainly France, Italy and Britain colonized Africa for ages, stole their resources, slave them to help build Europe.

in fact up to this moment, without the need of forces on ground, many African countries are still occupied, some European countries still work day and night to ensure the situation remains the same in Africa, up to this point France and Italy are fighting over Libya's resource both refusing to let go, keeping the country in a fucked up situation  for 8 years now.

whatever the deputy PM of Italy said about France was 100% correct, while he indeed does not give fuck a about Africa ,those statements are correct.

feel free to debate, but I live right at where the game is being played, i unlike most people don't get these facts from TV, i wake up every morning to witness it right at my door.

[BitBustah]

Old video games were a lot better, when you purchased the game that was it.  Now developers are purposing leaving out content that must be purchased as DLC.  Even Nintendo has gotten in on this and they are becoming as bad as Microsoft.

[Mr Airdrops]

No.it is not a game.
value came from things we do love.we need quality games to have fun and the developpers need money to live.

[glendall]

playing games is not just limited to playing,
but this is a pleasure problem that is obtained,
and it's not something that is wrong if it's only for games but spending up to millions of dollars,
and I'm sure only one thing to look for, which is pleasure,
and pleasure cannot be compared to the amount of money we spend.
because I also feel that

[markstivn98]

They seem to have a lot of money and so little for them.
I think it is enough for two or more years as an expense.
I wish it had been spent on the poor, the victims of the war or on projects to develop the country..

[MakeMoneyBtc]

They promote their games as free to play but they are designed in such a way to make the player get addicted and then entranced by it. But the cases you presented are totally different since we are talking about thousands of dollars spent and up to 2 million dollars wich is just unbelievable. I just don't see how could someone spend that much money on something virtual, unless they are billionaires and really don't know how to spend their money but I don't think we are talking about that here. That 59 year old man probably took all his life savings and used it to be the greatest players of that game. He probably did that because he is expecting to die soon or he is just to bored of his life that he doesn't care about money anymore.