The Highs and Lows of E3, part 1: the lows
Lows
Less-than impressive start by Ubisoft
Ubisoft spending its debut day re-hashing old games and discussing movies left an ashy taste on E3 viewers coming to this year’s video game trade event.
The companies actions left viewers feeling even more sour as many felt some of their lackluster interviews were trying to cover for Workplace Harassment scandals that saw news coverage in 2020.
Good for the Company, bad for the gamers
Xbox released tons of exclusives for its new device. While that is an excellent move company-wise (it lets the device compete with others on the market that also have exclusive games) it leaves most gamers behind. The latest Xbox goes for around $500, which is a significant chunk of change, and games for it go up to $80 as well, leaving those who love games but can’t shell out a minimum of almost $600 for a new console and a single game out of the loop.
Doing this also limits how many people can buy or even play the game, regardless of the people who are interested in doing so.
Morally and Ethically Dubious NFT Game aimed at kids
With Cryptocurrency on the rise, it’s no surprise that the latest kind (NFTs) are now being incorporated into videogames. For E3, Mythical Games launched an MMO dedicated to the creation and selling of NFTs, with minigames as a side.
The problem lies in both the game being aimed at children, and in the environmental impact of maintaining and mining any kind of bitcoin.
Most kids might not understand that the game requires actual money, or even the idea that they’re essentially selling artwork. Bitcoin is notorious for using up extreme amounts of electricity.