FMecha (u/FMecha) - Readit News

FMecha commented on Popular Japanese smartphone games have introduced external payment systems english.kyodonews.net/art... · Posted by u/anigbrowl

autoexec · 9 days ago

If only those games weren't infested with micro/macro transactions to manipulate players out of their money in the first place. Mobile gaming is a cesspool of ads, gambling, greed, data collection, and bullshit all of which has been slowly spreading like a cancer to gaming on every other platform for decades. I'm not happy about Apple and Google demanding a cut of the action either, screw them too, but making these tactics even more profitable for shitty mobile game devs isn't going to benefit players.

FMecha · 8 days ago

You forgot the fanatical parasocial relationships that are formed with East Asian mobile games in general. They are comparable to idol culture.

FMecha commented on Popular Japanese smartphone games have introduced external payment systems english.kyodonews.net/art... · Posted by u/anigbrowl

strogonoff · 9 days ago

Is there anything wrong with walled gardens hypothetically taxing the shady microtransaction-infested unregulated-gambling games and data-mining apps 5x and using that to correspondingly reduce fees for honest indie developers?

(Setting aside the issue of defining who are the goodies and who are the baddies in a way that does not enable the baddies to purely technically comply with the goodie guidelines while remaining baddies.)

FMecha · 8 days ago

This sounds more like a government thing.

FMecha commented on Popular Japanese smartphone games have introduced external payment systems english.kyodonews.net/art... · Posted by u/anigbrowl

kilpikaarna · 9 days ago

> Early iOS games were more game-like. Apps like SNES remakes, flappy birds and music games, were more common, but they all converged down and down into porn territory.

Game devs discovered pretty quickly that, Apple having set the initial expectation that an iOS game should cost $0.99, the only viable way to run a business on a mobile platform was a f2p/exploitation/casino model.

FMecha · 8 days ago

Even back in pre-iPhone days, actually getting a mobile game required one to subscribe to a text message subscription service that may or may not be hard to unsubscribe.

FMecha commented on Kodak says it might have to cease operations [updated] cnn.com/2025/08/12/busine... · Posted by u/mastry

nixass · 18 days ago

Maybe they should pivot into human robots, self-driving and robo-taxis next. I heard it pays out well regardless of whether your product being sub-par or non existing at all

FMecha · 18 days ago

Might as well mention generative AI as well.

FMecha commented on U.S. alcohol consumption drops to a 90-year low, new poll finds sfchronicle.com/food/wine... · Posted by u/littlexsparkee

mrtksn · 18 days ago

Such a sad development, Young people need to drink more and socialize. No wonder the virginity rates are skyrocketing. You don't get into situations by getting stoned at home.

Sure it is bad for your body but when used in moderation the benefits are much much more than that risk. What a scam the weed culture is. Maybe we should ban it again together with the social media to save the birth rates and the society in general.

FMecha · 18 days ago

>No wonder the virginity rates are skyrocketing.

This makes me wonder if society being taught importance of soberity in (sexual) consent is also a factor as well. Knowing that, they might as well avoid alcohol as well.

(Dicslosure: I grew up in place where alcohol use is not the norm. I don't drink either.)

FMecha commented on U.S. alcohol consumption drops to a 90-year low, new poll finds sfchronicle.com/food/wine... · Posted by u/littlexsparkee

dadrian · 18 days ago

It's because GenZ is addicted to nicotine and millennials are all using legal weed. We've just replaced one substance with some others, rather than started abstaining.

FMecha · 18 days ago

>It's because GenZ is addicted to nicotine

Which IMO speaks into failure of tobacco control and why "tobacco harm reduction" is a lie (dogwhistle, even) designed to sell and even invent more neo-nicotine products (vape and pouches, among others) while distorting smoking statistics (and statements - people saying they "quit" by switching to neo-nicotine products, while in reality they just switch their addiction intake).

FMecha commented on F-Droid build servers can't build modern Android apps due to outdated CPUs · Posted by u/nativeforks

Dr4kn · 19 days ago

The EU governments should gradually start switching to open source solutions. New software projects should be open source by default and only closed if there is a real reason for it.

The EU is already home to many OS contributors and companies. I like the Red Hat approach where you are profitable, but with open source solutions. It's great for governments because you get support, but it's much easier to compete, which reduces prices.

Smaller companies also give more of their money to open source. Bigger companies can always fork it and develop it internally and can therefore pressure devs to do work for less. Smaller companies have to rely on the projects to keep going and doing it all in house would be way too expensive for most.

FMecha · 19 days ago

idk if you meant this, but I thought of F-Droid and other major open source projects being publicly funded by EU.

FMecha commented on Physical Media Is Cool Again. Streaming Services Have Themselves to Blame rollingstone.com/culture/... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

m463 · 22 days ago

Didn't disney do that? Decades ago they would have various movies available on DVD only at certain times, then they would be pulled.

FMecha · 22 days ago

I didn't have Disney Vault thing in mind when I came up with that. LRG's (and similar companies) schtick was that they're semi-upfront about pandering to collectors, especially with the extra goodies (sometimes of varying quality when they finally delivered).

EDIT: Especially for physical releases of streaming-only shows/films, since these companies mainly do that for digital-only games.

FMecha commented on Physical Media Is Cool Again. Streaming Services Have Themselves to Blame rollingstone.com/culture/... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

FMecha · 22 days ago

Odds of Limited Run Games-style "exploitation" of this trend? That was already concerning for games.

FMecha commented on Ready or not, age verification is rolling out across the internet theverge.com/analysis/715... · Posted by u/GSSmarin

profstasiak · a month ago

I love this. I don't think children should be seeing what they can see on the Internet (we limit what movies or games they can buy, but hey - you can go online and watch hardcore porn, or people getting killed on video even when you are 12).

I also love that EU is working on a digital wallet that can facilitate that age check - I would for someone to make a social media with only verified people living in EU. Why do I need to browse russian generated posts that try to pretend they are citizens of my country?

I understand Internet has ideological foundations that are deeply entrenched in Sillicon Valley / American culture, but I don't but those anymore.

FMecha · a month ago

How is that digital wallet even going, though? Last time I heard the Digital Euro proposal still faces several hurdles - including privacy.

u/FMecha

KarmaCake day129March 11, 2024View Original