Came to mind because Mortal Kombat 1 is one of the greediest fighting games I’ve ever seen, with the recent announcement of a $12 Halloween fatality plus all characters + DLC adding up to $118, so I’m assuming it’s because Warner Bros/Netherrealm Studios just wants more bonus money, so I’m genuinely curious how that whole thought process came to be, and if there’s any way for society as a whole to counteract that, or is it simply built into capitalism and we’re stuck with this forever.
Edit: I didn’t buy MK1, just know people who did because I go to tournaments
A roommate of mine once won a state championship in highschool by investing in Playboy, toilet paper, and Pens. These were stocks that paid off well, but didn't rise or shrink that much. What we see a lot of is people wanting to see rise and sell before it drops. That's basically gambling.
If you really want to get I to financial problems it's risky vs reward. Videogames were basically money laundering for decades because no one thought it would be worth enough to actually invest in. We have no real way to invest in the next big tech except through laundering fronts and porn.
There's a great book by the director of Troma films, who talked directly about getting financing. It's one of the only times I have seen someone actually talk about it. Stuff like Hollywood and videogames refuse. So, I think that's an answer, if a bit toxic and cannibalistic.