I wasn’t aware that people let their days be ruined by other people buying bundles in games. Let me start by saying that no amount of organizing, boycotting, or calling people names for buying bundles in Call of Duty will change Microsoft or Activision’s approach toward microtransactions. Give it up. It’s not happening. This column doesn’t favor purchasing them but rather aimed at highlighting why your campaign against it is just setting you up for massive disappointment.
I recently had someone get on my case because I bought the duck bundle in Call of Duty. The simple fact that I had a duck outfit on meant that their entire life had lost meaning, the world was headed straight for an apocalypse, and it was my money that kept this evil organization in power. Never mind the fact that they were playing the game, too. It was me that ruined it. My duck outfit ruined the most successful game on the planet and now I will have to wear that shame for the remainder of my days.
This recent abuse people have been hurling on those who would dare to buy a bundle or two seems mostly driven by the notion that it’s the bundles that have changed Call of Duty from a truly wonderful game worth playing to a piece of crap that always glitches and focuses its priorities on money over consumer experience. While I don’t know of a single business that doesn’t prioritize money, I’m not sure it’s the bundles that are ruining the game. It could be the yearly schedule. It may be the fact that different titles are helmed by different studios with different assets. Hell, it might even be the fact that it prioritizes the free experience over the paid one, but I genuinely do not think the bundles are causing as much harm as people think.
I do want to be fair here. One of the main criticisms I see for the bundles isn’t so much that they’re in the game, but rather the little or no effort they put into making these bundles. In some instances, it’s nothing more than recoloring or slightly altering the mask from an old bundle. This is a very reasonable and fair complaint. Given the fact that bundles are now much more expensive than they used to be, recycling old stuff and giving it a new paint job really does reek of laziness.
There are also some pretty good-looking bundles that Activision puts out and if people want to spend their money on those bundles, it’s really not my place to tell them how to spend it. I saw someone on Reddit (r/DoNotGoSilently) say “I think in general unless you see a deposit in your bank account under some kind of heading entitled ‘financial consultation,’ assume nobody wants your unsolicited advice on how they spend their money.”
I think this comment is so spot on that I saved it and have begun making it my standard reply to people whenever they comment on how other people spend their money. I don’t know a single thing about this person other than this amazing quote that will now be repeated until my dying days. I think it’s spot on and really gets to the root of the problem. At the end of the day, entertainment is just that and people are going to entertain themselves according to their own desires. If said entertainment means running around looking at a duck in Call of Duty, then who the hell are you to tell them they are horrible people for doing so?
I get it; nobody wants to see low-effort rewarded. People want to see Activision and Microsoft put in the effort that the player, through their time, effort, and money spent on the game, gives to the company. I just think that attacking people for how they choose to personalize their games might be putting the cart before the horse. Now it’s you prioritizing money over the personal experience. Just a thought.