Tobold's Blog
Sunday, June 05, 2022
 
Pay a subscription to avoid monetization?

While looking for something to watch on Netflix I noticed that Netflix now is offering games. Well, kind of. You can't just click on the game in your Netflix app and start playing, and many devices like smart TVs that can stream Netflix won't be able to play the games. But you can go to your Google Play or Apple Store and download one of apparently currently 23 games, and use your Netflix credentials to play it.

I saw only 2 games that had an obvious relation to Netflix, 2 different "Stranger Things" games. I saw at least one game, Moonlighter, which was available on mobile devices before, got removed from the stores, only to now reappear as "Netflix Moonlighter". In the case of Exploding Kittens they didn't even bother removing the original from the store, so you can now either buy the original for $1.99 or play the Netflix version for free. And then there are a bunch of other, rather generic games, for example Townsmen (a generic village builder) or Dungeon Dwarves (a generic idle game).

None of the games I saw or tested stand out. So why should anybody play them? Well, if you get another generic village building game or generic idle game from Google Play or the Apple Store, it is probably going to be "free", and will have relentless monetization constantly shoved into your face. By paying a subscription to Netflix, you can avoid the monetization of the games that don't need a subscription to play. Doesn't sound like much of an argument to me. Nor does it sound like a business venture likely to get Netflix out of the hole they are currently in. Well, you know what they say: If you are in a hole, you should stop using idle dwarves to continue digging!

Comments:
That passed me completely by and it sounds like I haven't missed much. If Netflix and Google are going to co-operate with on gaming though I am surprised that they aren't looking at streaming. I hear that the technology behind Google Stadia is pretty good even if the games and business model are something of a flop.
 
I guess it may have some value for people who hate monetisation and just want a few games without any for them and their kids.
 
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