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Has Destiny 2 Really Become ‘Microtransaction Hell’?

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Destiny 2 streamer and YouTuber Aztecross published a video yesterday that’s really resonating with the community, racking up nearly half a million views in under a day.

It’s called “Destiny 2 has become a Microtransaction Hell” and is actually ascending the trending list for gaming. 7,500 comments, thousands of likes and retweets. It’s made a splash. I spent some time livetweeeting my thoughts on the 35 minute video yesterday, but I wanted to give it a feature, and expand on my tweets I made along the way.

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First, you can watch the video here, and follow along with my thoughts underneath, as they’re in rough order of what gets covered in the video:

Confusing Bundles – This is what I would consider the biggest problem Destiny has right now. The game is shattered into a million, sold-separately pieces to the point where it’s practically impossible to know what to recommend to new players, even as an avid player yourself. Content vaulting erasing the base campaign created a weird “where do you start” situation, and instead of slowly making very old expansions free, they have kept them paid, or done weird stuff like vaulting half of Forsaken and still selling a “pack” of old weapons and the endgame activities.

This extends to things like seasons as well. The new dungeon key system, where two yearly dungeons are sold separately compared to everything else, felt bad to being with, but now feels very bad when the dungeons are often the best part of every new seasons, yet not included with it, despite being very, very clearly linked thematically and being almost essential to the seasonal storyline. It’s a poor practice, and yet another way to fracture the playerbase.

Seasonal Pricing – I do think that Destiny seasons raising the price from $10 to $12 is fine at baseline. It’s been years of $10, and for the amount of content, $12 is just fine. What is not fine is that this seems to be a mobile games-like concept of then forcing people to overspend on Silver to buy individual seasons. While you could buy $10 of Silver, you cannot buy $12, so you have to buy $15 instead, and have some left over. And on some platforms you can’t even get a $15 bundle. It’s a cheap trick and should be adjusted to reflect the new seasonal pricing.

Events and Event Cards – I sort of just shrug at this one. Event Cards are a bad microtransaction not because it’s gouging, but because they’re just…bad, barely including anything worth getting and mostly able to be ignored. Yes, events themselves are mostly about cosmetics (though you can buy the armor with Bright Dust all at once), but I think they’ve improved a bit in time in terms of gameplay. They mostly exist to fill dead space at the end of seasons, and I don’t really expect them to be too elaborate.

Armor Pricing – Here, Aztecross employs an argument I’m not really a fan of, the idea that with a recent price increase, collab armor sets at $20 now cost as much a Destiny 1 being on sale. That’s just…microtransactions in general. You can point to any game and go “4-6 of these cosmetics cost as much as a whole AAA game??” These things are never going to be sold for $2-3 in 2023. If the prices are too high, people will not buy them. Diablo’s $25 armor sets are priced idiotically high and not worth it, therefore I am not buying them. Not sure it’s much more complicated than that.

Ornament Purchases – Not really on board with this one either. Ornaments being purchasable from the Ornament application screen may be “reducing friction” to buy them, but it’s logical, and process of unlocking ornaments after buying them from Eververse has like eight steps and is super goofy. I also don’t think Bungie not allowing you to preview shaders on armor ornaments is a scam, I think it’s just a technical thing. If anything I think it would sell more ornaments if you could see that they shade in a cool way, which most of the modern ones do.

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Bright Engrams – Just 100% useless. I think in six years I’ve gotten maybe 4-5 exotic ornaments for these and maybe one that’s actually cool. Just no point in these existing at all as it’s just constant disappointment. Just give out Dust alone or something that could be moderately useful like an exotic.

Shaw Han Quest – Had no idea this existed until this video because it only appears for New Lights. Shaw Han, the New Light guide, has an exotic quest for a weapon that you can only do if you buy the most recent expansion. This time around, he’s hiding Arbalest, one of the best PvE exotics in the game, behind that wall, when it should be in the general loot pool. That sucks.

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Battle Pass Progression – You can now buy the full 100 ranks of the battle pass from day one. While sure, you get some exotics and materials I…don’t care about this. If you buy a full battle pass for $100 you are stupid and throwing away money. The benefit here is just paltry.

Deepsight Activation – Ohhhkay now this is one battle pass thing that I am declaring bad. As of this season, Deepsight Activation currency is only found in the battle pass, 3 in the free track, 3 in the paid track. No, absolutely not. This is actually one of the few locations where Destiny is literally selling power, and this should be something that is purely earnable outside of the battle pass itself.

Paid Transmog – When you’re selling ornaments, transmog for in-game armor sets should be free. I’m also sick of the transmog grind where you feel “behind” if you don’t max 10 of them per character every season. Just end this nonsense already.

Bungie Focus – Splitting the difference here. It is not true Bungie now has less resources on Destiny overall compared to how things used to be. Bungie has increased in size over the years has hugely staffed up their PvE team since the split from Activision now that they no longer have support studios. Compare current seasons to ones 2-3 years ago, post-Activision. It’s not close. However, yes, absolutely, Bungie is almost completely abandoned Destiny PvP, which hundreds of thousands of people still play daily, sinking most of that talent directly into Marathon instead, and if Marathon is a hit, it will likely only get worse. This is probably one of Destiny’s biggest problems at this point. One new PvP map a year is insane.

Those are the main points. It’s a great, well-produced video, even if I don’t agree with every point. But no, I do not like the way things are trending on the microtransaction side of Destiny at this point.

 

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The Internet is Littered in ‘Educated Guesses’ Without the ‘Education’

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Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.

The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.

Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.

The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.

Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.

On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.

The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.

More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.

Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:

  • You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
  • This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
  • In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!

Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.

Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.

There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.

Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.

Successful people tend to be secretive.

Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.

Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.

Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.

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Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s

on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

 

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Tight deadlines on software projects can put safety at risk: survey

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TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.

Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.

The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.

The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.

The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.

Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.

“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.

The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.

“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”

The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.

However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.

That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.

“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.

“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”

The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.

About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.

“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.

Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BB)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Beware of scams during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sales event: cybersecurity firm

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As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.

In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.

The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”

“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.

“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”

Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.

Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.

In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.

The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.

Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.

“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.

“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.

Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.

Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.

“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.

“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”

Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.

As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.

But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.

Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.

The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

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