The entire point of gaming is having fun + escaping reality. Whether it be alone, with friends and/or people you never met before. And said strangers may very well become your besties, one day. The subscription era now feels like the people making products don’t even understand what they’re selling anymore.

All these companies pushing subscriptions are edging more and more towards the thermocline principal: “In large bodies of water, the temperature drops slowly the deeper you dive, while remaining acceptable. Yet, at a certain point, the water temperature drops sharply. Meet he thermocline: a near-physical barrier where warm water meets cold. The shift is sudden and dramatic.” In business, this translates to users accepting gradual changes, without protesting too much. Then comes the last price hike/tweak, and all of a sudden sales collapse. This usually is near by impossible to reverse. Trust is broken, and alternatives are adopted.

Theaters cost over 100€ for the four of us… Am not Paying 15€ for a bag of candy. Its so stupid. And then you have people on their phones during the screening.

We bought a decent TV 3weeks before the latest model dropped in store, meaning we saved 40% of the price tag. Homemade popcorn is practically free, you can pause the movie anytime to go take a piss. I don’t see myself going back.

Side note: we have been doing the seasonal store discounts whenever we need stuff. Outdoor furniture 50-70% off, etc. Its the IRL equivalent of the Steam Summer sales :D. We bookmark stuff and wait.

This has been a blessing in disguise in some ways. I now make most of our food from scratch. Canned foods, bread, no more soda and instead I make Kefir (which is healthy, too). I bought tools and do the gardening. Same with home repairs. Dumped streaming and will buy second hand DVDs/blurays. It takes a lot of my time, but it’s also so fun, gives this feel good vibe. Ended up in way better shape, less pollution, cleaner food, reconnected with nature. Gaming/movie nights/etc took a big hit, but then again, time well spent with the family.