Look guys, I don't understand why this sort of thing set in, but I want it to stop. Stop with the bullshit pricing lies, and tell people how things are. When PS+ went up, with the encouraged deal that it was a value of under $5 for a whole year, I remember it sounded amazing. For just a chip out of your pay, you could have all these extra savings and freebies. Except... it's not so easy, because it wound up being $50 at the checkout. It always has been. So what's with this bullshit about it being $5 a month now? And even weirder, why the hell are other consumers talking about it this way all the time? This especially sparked up in a conversation with a journalist when discussing PS+'s value...
"The amount of entitlement people have from paying a few dollars per month is astounding. Somehow they expect 100s of dollars in free games every month for the $5 they put in."Riiiiight....look dude, it's a lot easier to pretend a bunch of people are "entitled" when you're using a phony sales pitch to discuss what they're actually paying for. Do you get free PS+ in with your review copies of games as well? Because it's like you're not actually making the actual payments. It cost $60, and that's an important distinction. Saying it's $5 a month is just sugar-coating it, trying to make you feel better about how far the value goes, or even trying to make the argument (like here) that you're complaining your $5 doesn't transform into the best possible mileage. Really, we paid $60, and like anything you burn $60, I'd like to enjoy it. You know what else also happens to work this way, where you pay some giant sum at first for a bunch of things you don't know about until it's here? That's the season pass gamble, and last I checked, people were critical as hell of that and didn't try to spin some bullshit about how Battlefront's pass was just like paying "$5 a month". The only difference is, season passes last forever.
There is a real difference present. Not only can you no longer sugar-coat your arguments about how "entitled" all the paying customers are for voicing their opinions, but you also have to consider actual math and savings, and embrace the fact that PS+ is actually gambling. You'll be faced with the questions like:
- Can I afford to put down $60 for fun and games at the moment?
- Do I want to use that $60 on a service that does not directly add anything at this moment?
- If I buy PS+, can I still afford to spend money on this new game I've been excited for?
- How far can $60 go, and what is the best route for me?
It actually becomes a lot easier and humanizing to see that these "entitled" gamers might actually find better value elsewhere. $60 up front can get you a year worth of possible savings, deals, freebies that are amazing, or you might be looking at a loss of games you directly know you wanted. If somebody just put $60 in my pocket, I know up front I could make a decision between buying Dark Souls 2 remastered, that new Tooth and Claw game I want, and the Uncharted trilogy remastered I've been thinking about. That's five games I know I want, which is about how many PS+ games I've probably loved and found true value in, except for better or worse I'm actually doing the picking here. That is the difference! The upfront payment of $60 is what lead me to actually drop PS+. It was the final straw, the thing that made me say "No, I'm not paying that much for what I can't see. Maybe another day when I'm better paid." So let's drop this bullshit that it's $5 a month. I would love it if that were true, and Sony should put out the option, but instead you're paying $60 for a year of gambles that end in an expiration, where they come searching for another $60 they rip out up-front. That is the reality, stop pretending otherwise.
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