> The problem is that there is some kind evolutionary pressure to create increasingly more addictive game as every new game is in competition with every other game.
This is a sweeping statement that doesn't apply to many games, Factorio included.
A game like Factorio being addictive gives little back to the developers, as there are no microtransactions; after the game is bought, the transaction is over. If one would like to be cynical about it, games like this only have to trick people into buying a copy (and playing just for long enough for a refund to not be possible).
In the case of games with microtransactions, GTA V being the most profitable example in history, then yes, addictiveness does bring more cash to the company who owns the game.
Now, this opinion you held was incomplete and thus, wrong. What else are you wrong about in your mental model about videogames?
This is a sweeping statement that doesn't apply to many games, Factorio included.
A game like Factorio being addictive gives little back to the developers, as there are no microtransactions; after the game is bought, the transaction is over. If one would like to be cynical about it, games like this only have to trick people into buying a copy (and playing just for long enough for a refund to not be possible).
In the case of games with microtransactions, GTA V being the most profitable example in history, then yes, addictiveness does bring more cash to the company who owns the game.
Now, this opinion you held was incomplete and thus, wrong. What else are you wrong about in your mental model about videogames?