You're a sociologist. Good for you. I'm an economist. And just so we know exactly what we're talking about, I'm going to open the accounts.
You missed the point. It was not about the money, I don't share your opinion on that but we'll get to it later. If it was just about the money I wouldn't have said anything like I didn't before, since I don't think there is a clear right/wrong in that. I don't think it's wrong for you to charge more or less for your products. Unfortunately, we live in a capitalist world and until we finally reach a world of post-scarcism money is the name of the game. I know.
The point was the grandstanding. Talking about benevolence and malevolence. This is a porn forum for porn games, comics and animations. There are no such things as acting benevolent or malevolent here for any side, there are no heroics to do or villaneous actions to develop. We can do small good things like sharing content with others or small bad things like insulting others (which I apologize for, by the way, you are correct with your criticism of those words) but in the end no grand positions or actions can be done on this place, issue and topic.
So stating such things only makes the gap between the discussing parties grow, and with that, makes it more difficult to actually reach a place in which understandings and solutions can be found. Or, if those are unavailable, at least common mutual understanding.
Do you know how much I charge for a subscription? 2€.
[...]everything he wanted. A €2 subscription!
Those are still economic considerations. I know you only want to charge enough to cover your expenses. It's a choice just as many others. But in a capitalistic world, hobbies are usually something you pay for, not do to cover expenses. You want to play GTA VI, well, either you pay for it or you pirate it, that's how it is, because they're not doing it for the hobby but for economic reasons. You are offering us the same choice, either get a subscription or pirate it. I agree your subscription price is really cheap and affordable, and I agree that you are doing this to cover those expenses. But it still is an economic action: it happens on the market, it has a price, economical institutions (banks) are involved...
At most, I detect a certain disdainful dislike ("I didn't play your game, I won't now that it's been abandoned, and I don't care personally in any way. I'm just amazed at the level of your delusions"). I'll put that down to our different points of view...
No, no dislike at all. I actually had downloaded the game from here since it looked interesting. I never got to play it and won't do so because I don't play games that are abandoned because I hate getting to a point in which I don't know how the story ends. I actually bothered with reading the thread because I initially found the discussion really interesting, then it became a bit frustrating and then it went off the rails. But there is no dislike, there have been no things here to give me like or dislike personally.
It's a good thing that you're amazed at the level of my illusions. It has prompted your reflection and reaction. That's something: the debate is taking place.
I agree with this.
What I can't stand, however, is this insistence on the venal nature of my approach. It's crazy that a guy who refuses to be ripped off is automatically a cheapskate who's only out to make a buck... I'll say it again, it's not true!
But it's so much easier to ignore that aspect of things.
As I said before, not the point of my comment.
Let's come to the last paragraph, your work as a sociologist. Do you do it for free or are you retired? Do you earn nothing from your publications (either directly: being paid, or indirectly: the fact of being published - which counts for a lot for some people)? And above all, what are your expenses? Because that's what I'm talking about, and nothing else. Please don't use the words profits, or worse, greed.
I get paid a little less than 400 € for my classes in the university... which is about half the amount I need to pay each month for my house's flat. I would do it for free if such a possibility existed and I could allow myself for that, but since it doesn't exist and I actually need to live somewhere, get food and so on, well, I take that money. That means that, even as much as I love teaching, it is an economic relation with the university and the students, it's my job.
As for publications, as an economist you should know that scientific journals don't pay for the articles they publish, even though they often charge for accessing them. One of the biggest scams in the world, but that's a topic for another day. So I do get the benefits of publicating because people can read my work but it's not an economic benefit since there is no money involved since I publish in papers that don't charge people for access. And I do have to cover my expenses for statistic program licenses and things like that, with my own money. I also pay with my own money the hosting of my blogs, which is about 10 € a month plus an extra yearly for the domain.
So, all in all, as it must be obvious, my economical numbers are deeply in the red. Fortunately I have my family to support me until I get a decent work in the university, but for now I'm heavily indebted to them. But the things I do for the hobby of it, like writing my short stories, are shared with anyone who wants to read them, no charge expected. I know people who gather those stories in books and publish them on places like Amazon, charging for it, and especially porn/erotic stories actually have a market there for them. Not me, mine are offered freely because it's just my hobby to write them.
Last but not least, I'd just like to stress two values: freedom and respect.
The freedom to give or not to give. And respect for others.
If you and I disagree, and I decide that I don't want to give away the fruits of my labour, what belongs to me, do you have the right to take it away from me? What you are defending is that right...
I would not take anything from you, nor do I have the means to do so. You can choose to do with your games whatever you like, it's your freedom and your decision. I'm not commenting on those things since those are your personal choices and are as valid as any other. My comment was on the reasoning and justification of those choices, some of those reasons are pretty valid, others are more questionable. But the grandstanding of talking about benevolence, malevolence and such is way beyond being appropriate to the issue at hand.
The world will not be saved by the game remaining only in your patreon. The terrible villains lurking inside F95 don't exist. And so on. And under that retoric you were hiding the fact that you are "damaging" (a big word for this, would probably need a softer one but can't think of one right now) people both in this community and your own. An old philosophical maxim from the XVIIIth century illustration said something along the like of
"our duty is to create the maximum amount of happiness to the maximum amount of people". Unfortunately, your actions are going in the opposite direction, which is something that makes me a bit sad. But it's your choice, so that's that.
