KH-Vids Podcast Episode #105: Ethical Consumption in Global Capitalism

Discussion in 'Community News & Projects' started by Misty, Sep 9, 2015.

  1. Misty gimme kiss

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    This week on the KH-Vids Podcast @Misty, @libregkd, and @Calxiyn are joined by @Princess ♥ to discuss the corporate structure of the video game industry! Inspired by the release of Metal Gear Solid V, we cover the drama surrounding its release and the Konami/Hideo Kojima breakup, and how gamers can choose not to support certain business practices by not purchasing games. We extend the conversation to anti-consumer DLC and preorder practices within the video game industry, and the break that indie games offer from that system.

    As per usual, we answer user-submitted questions! @Graxe taunts @Misty with a Final Fantasy XIII themed question and
    @Kingdom Hearts530 wants to know about our favorite anime and manga. For our Table Topics, everyone's inner murderer comes to light and we appreciate our worldly possessions.

    It's a fun-filled episode of the KH-Vids Podcast for gamers across the globe!

    Please support and participate in the KH-Vids Podcast by leaving us a comment, answering our user-submitted questions, submitting to be a guest, or sending in questions of your own!

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    Download Episode #105 (MP3)
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    Interested in being a member guest on the podcast? Fill out our form here and we'll be in touch. Ask us a question by visiting this page or sending an email to podcast@kh-vids.net!
     
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Discussion in 'Community News & Projects' started by Misty, Sep 9, 2015.

    1. Heart ❤
      Heart ❤
      Woo Woo!~ My question got answered (should have just called me Heart though :P)

      *sends in more questions*
    2. Patman
      Patman
      I' ll wait for second hand copies of MGS5 to be available but that' s just me sticking to my moral code, I don' t delude myself into thinking I' ll have any significant impact.

      Same goes for DLCs, I bought a grand total of 2 in my entire life and waited for a significant price drop.

      As for pre-orders, while I didn' t think of them badly before I' m starting to get cautious. But hey, my usual shop usually gives me the pre-orders gifts whether I pre-ordered the games or not, so I might as well wait for the reviews to come up from now on.
    3. Explode
      Explode
      If you're interested in slighting Konami, buying a used copy is the best way to do it. Kojima was payed a salary during development, so you aren't hurting him by not purchasing. That's what I would have done, but at this point, I don't like buying physical copies anymore. PS4 requires a full download anyway, so it's just a less convenient version (and more expensive due to tax). I care more about my own ease of use than depriving a multi-million dollar company of $60.

      If I felt like it would make a big difference though, I would have done that. Konami is going to read into the sales figures however they want to. Let's throw out a number and say they're losing 5-10% of sales from boycott. Having somewhat lower than anticipated sales is only going to justify them firing Kojima in their minds. There would need to be an organized movement/protest ahead of time for it to have a chance of being effective.

      That said, the first Kojima-less Metal Gear game, yeah, boycott the s*** out of that.
    4. Hayabusa
      Hayabusa
      Once again, terribly sorry complications arose at the worst time for my inclusion. Elevator Expo was real ._.


      Now for the actual discussions, I've seen plenty of games that did DLC well, and terribly. Here are some examples that spring to my mind that you guys didn't mention:

      Good:
      • Skullgirls (new characters free for limited time and sold for good prices afterword, tons of extra character colors in a cheap package, low retail price, no microtransactions)
      • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (tons of free DLC, very well priced expansion pack that adds dozens of hours of content and is being released long after the game's release, no microtransactions)
      • Mario Kart 8 (tons of content for what little you pay that includes new characters, vehicles, and tracks)
      Bad:
      • Dead or Alive 5 (costume pack season pass COSTS MORE THAN THE GAME, ridiculously overpriced DLC, absolutely botched PC port of Last Round that focuses more on making money on DLC than implementing content from the PS4/Xbox One version)
      • Batman: Arkham Knight ($40 season pass and retailer exclusive preorder costumes....I was "lucky" I got the game with the season pass for $54, but the botched PC launch ensures this will be my last WB Games new purchase)
      • Mortal Kombat X (microtransactions for Koins and easy Fatalities, overpriced season pass with Jason (1/4 of the new characters) being a huge letdown)
      • Evolve (they literally announced plans for DLC before showing the game...I could go on about how bad this game is at DLC)
      Basically every game WB publishes has crappy DLC practices.


      As for preorders, I think how good they are depends on how well the customer researches the game and how well the publishers disperse information about the release. If I see a game I'm interested in get good reviews published well before the release date (for the platform I want to buy it on,) and I can get the game discounted with a preorder, I'll preorder. This is exactly what I did with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Got it for around $46.

      Speaking of Phantom Pain, I knew I was going to get this game. MGS has been part of my life for more than a decade, and I hold a lot of respect for Hideo Kojima and his production studio. I know this will be the last time I purchase a Konami game for the foreseeable future.

      By the way, the game is absolutely plastered with Kojima's name before and after every single mission, along with the rest of the higher-up crew. No worries about Kojima not getting his credit.

      Unfortunately, Konami's filthy hands got into the game, as it contains microtransactions that can actually affect players' abilities to do well in the SINGLE PLAYER CAMPAIGN...man, FucKonami.


      I'll just put two of my favorite anime as well: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Neon Genesis Evangelion (Kill la Kill is great too, I gotchu Misty.) I also think Attack on Titan has fantastic action scenes and that Naruto ended up being pretty decent especially when Shippuden started (I didn't watch/read most of it though.)

      Kill la Kill was short at least in part because Trigger works with a damn shoestring budget and thus has to rush often to release episodes (I remember how crazy things got with the finale...) Very apparent in the animation of some episodes.
    5. Scarred Nobody
      Scarred Nobody
      I'm listening to this right now, and bringing up the conditions at Konami really reminds me of the whole Harper Lee thing that happened earlier this year. I had a good number of friends who were conflicted about buying Go Set A Watchman, mostly because of the stories coming out about Lee being abused by her nurses and caregivers, plus some shady stuff with the publisher.
    6. Misty
      Misty
      This has happened to me also! I'm pretty sure it was when 1.5 came out. I didn't preorder it because why but they gave me the Limited Edition anyway, I guess because I bought it the day it came out, but I thought it was meant to be a preorder-only bonus. I don't think the average Gamestop employee cares that much if it's not a more expensive package.
      I'm hoping to do an episode on the physical vs digital debate one day! I'm wary about buying only digital copies myself.
      I'm actually surprised @libregkd didn't bring up Skullgirls because I know he's a big fan lol
      lbr there's a lot of bad things about Evolve lmao
      I read a little about the microtransactions in the game before this episode but didn't feel there was enough to bring it up in this episode. The way I understood it they're not very intrusive or unfair, but I'd love to hear your experiences with them (I'm pretty sure I was reading on Kotaku).
      I only noticed janky animation in Kill la KIll sometimes but I know a lot of people dump on it for it (which is unfair given Trigger's budget and time issues). I actually think the animation, even when it's bad/weird, is part of the charm of the series. At the very least it's not Sailor Moon Crystal level.
      Ooooh boy I have a lot of feelings about this. I feel like I might have ranted about it briefly on a podcast during user-submitted questions? If this wasn't a gaming oriented site I'd have loved to do an episode on it, though. I'm not into To Kill a Mockingbird so much that I was going to rush out to the store to get its sequel / another book by Harper Lee, but I'd have considered reading it eventually if it wasn't for the **** surrounding its release (mainly if Harper Lee had ****ing decided to publish it for herself).
    7. Hayabusa
      Hayabusa
      My friends have complained about this already, but at some point in The Phantom Pain, you establish FOB's (Forward Operating Bases.) You only get one for free, and can only establish more via currency that must be purchased with actual cash. These FOB's operate autonomously, even if you're not connected to the internet or playing the game. Think playing Dark Souls online, except you can't quit being online.

      This means you could be at school or work or wherever else, and people can invade your FOB, kill your soldiers, steal your resources, and cripple your ability to progress if you're not prepared. Cheaters have already been spotted.

      To spoil this even further, it was initially said that this mode would be completely optional. It isn't.
    8. Misty
      Misty
      Damn, that's rough then. And just having one base doesn't cut it I'm guessing? There's no way to earn in-game currency by playing?
    9. Hayabusa
      Hayabusa
      I haven't been able to play long enough to even get FOB's yet, but as far as I can tell, there is no way to earn MB Coins except as daily login rewards, and you only get maybe 15-30 (and it isn't even every day), when an extra FOB costs around 1,000. You can pay $10 for a little over that amount in the respective digital stores, of course.