GameSpot pulled some of the most important quotes out of a recent Phil Spencer interview where he said that he understands that their Game Pass service isn’t for everyone. And I don’t see that as a big deal. It’s a pretty true statement. I mean look at this:
“It’s not for everybody. If you play one or two games a year, Game Pass probably isn’t the right business model for you, you should just buy those two games, and that would make total sense.”
I have no issues with what the xbox big boss said and i’m not sure why anyone would, but there is one THING.
He’s right. Game Pass is just an option. Purchasing games is still very much a thing even in the Xbox ecosystem. However, when you’re pushing the idea the whole “This is an Xbox” idea and making it known you want everything to be that Game Pass becomes more than an option. It becomes the option. And this is where my problem with Game Pass has always been.
I’ve had these conversations with friends in the past and gotten pushback for what they would consider to be a bit of extreme thought. I’ve always believed that Game Pass was bad for gaming as a whole. It’s bad enough that digital entertainment is taking over with streaming movies and music, gaming is the place it absolutely should not be. Gaming should never be a Netlfix-like subscription.
And now we’re seeing companies like Ubisoft telling you that you should be ok with not owning your games. That certainly wasn’t the case before, so what changed? Xbox’s per-month subscription that allowed you to access a massive catalogue of games and some brand-new ones on the day of release. But you know what you can’t do with it? Take a game out of the damn console and replace it with a new one at your leisure. Because you don’t own any of it.
Go back to buying physical games
So, on their face, those comments aren’t bad at all. But the larger problem is that they’re true. The further we push gaming away from a physical gaming experience, the less connected we actually become to it. There needs to be a serious re-evaluation of how these things actually exist. No more games that can be shut down with a push of a button. Especially not on a disc. We bought and paid for something. And walked out of the store with something tangible in our hands, it’s ours. That’s how it needs to be. So no, Xbox’s Game Pass isn’t for everyone. But owning your games should be.
The post Phil Spencer Said Xbox Game Pass is “Not for Everybody”. Which Brings Me to a Point I’ve Long Held appeared first on VICE.
