Season Finale: Maybe We Got It Wrong? [S01E10]

Al, Tim, and Ian reflect on 10 episodes of grumpy gaming discourse, confronting their own hypocrisy about EA subscriptions, debating whether they’re edgy contrarians or legitimate critics, and reluctantly admitting gaming might actually be pretty good now.

https://gog.fm/listen

This season finale episode revisits the core question from episode one—is gaming shit now?—after 10 weeks of examining industry practices, nostalgia, and modern gaming. The discussion exposes the hosts’ hypocrisy as EA Plus subscribers who hate EA, explores the City Skylines 2 developer betrayal, celebrates the EU’s Stop Killing Games initiative, and debates whether cross-platform play and consumer protections outweigh microtransactions and live service models. Three grumpy gamers reluctantly conclude gaming isn’t shit after all—the benefits far outweigh the negatives—before a post-credits rant about Black Ops 7’s catastrophic launch and Valve’s console dominance strategy.

Grumpy Old Gamer Podcast – Episode 10 Show Notes

Episode Title: Season 1 Finale: Is Gaming Still Shit?
Hosts: Al (host), Tim, Ian
Episode Length: ~60 Minutes
Special Note: Final episode of Season 1; Season 2 returns in 6 weeks

Episode Summary

In the tenth and final episode of Grumpy Old Gamer season one, Al leads Tim and Ian through a comprehensive reflection on whether gaming truly is shit after 10 episodes of critical analysis. Starting with the uncomfortable revelation that both Al and Tim pay EA for services despite hating the publisher, they examine their own hypocrisy as consumers, debate whether hating corporations is performative edginess, and explore positive developments like cross-platform play and EU consumer protection laws. The conversation covers City Skylines 2’s developer betrayal, the Stop Killing Games initiative, early access’s legitimate uses, and whether day one patches represent progress or decline. The hosts reluctantly conclude that despite predatory practices, gaming’s benefits—choice, accessibility, protections—far outweigh negatives, admitting they lied in episode one about gaming being shit.

Key Topics Discussed

The Core Hypocrisy: We Pay EA

The Uncomfortable Truth:

• Both Al and Tim subscribe to EA Plus/Pro
• Despite spending season criticizing EA
• “Are we hypocrites?”
• Paying company they claim to hate

The Justifications:

Tim’s Defense:

• Treats it like “buying a demo”
• £15 for month-long trial
• Test game, buy if want it
• Cancel if don’t
• “Kind of hypocritical but…”

The Reality:

• Playing FIFA on EA Pass
• Didn’t expect to enjoy it
• More engagement than anticipated
• Exactly what EA wants

The Subscription Trap:

• People forget they’re subscribed
• “That’s where their money just comes in”
• Passive revenue stream
• Predatory by design

Price Manipulation Theory:

• Base games increased in price
• Premium editions now £100-120
• 20 years ago prices were for full games
• Pushing people toward subscriptions
• “Maybe the reason why there’s a price increase is to push people towards the streaming services”
• Ian: “Oh, 100%”

Monetization Experiments:

• Exploring different revenue streams
• Does live service work?
• How much polish needed before backlash?
• “Industry is learning and getting experience”
• Repeating some mistakes unavoidably
• “Overall we’re moving it forward and evolving in a good fashion”

The Developer vs Publisher Distinction

Tim’s Attempt at Separation:

• “I do not like EA as a publisher”
• DICE makes good games
• Just under EA umbrella
• “Not the developers’ fault”

Al’s Challenge:

• They’ve “always been with EA”
• Since Battlefield 1942
• DICE owned by EA
• “They are EA”
• No meaningful distinction

The Small Guy Defense:

• Feel bad for developers
• Corporate shills at top
• Directors with no gaming knowledge
• E3 presenters disconnected from product
• “We are paying them”

FIFA Example:

• Who makes FIFA?
• Can’t name studio
• EA Vancouver and EA Romania
• Published by EA Sports
• “Wholly owned by Electronic Arts”
• No independence whatsoever

The City Skylines 2 Betrayal

The Story:

• Colossal Order made Cities Skylines 1 & 2
• Publisher: Paradox Interactive
• Recent “mutual decision” announcement
• Colossal Order ending involvement

The Reality:

• “Wasn’t mutual. They’ve been forced out”
• Replaced by Ice Flake Studios
• Ice Flake made fishing game and pool game
• Now handling Cities Skylines 2

The Monopoly Move:

• Ice Flake Studios wholly owned by Paradox
• Taken from independent studio
• Given to publisher’s own studio
• “Stolen it”
• Keeping everything in-house

The Launch Context:

• Cities Skylines 2 launched poorly
• Publisher pressure for release date
• “Bit crap when it came out”
• Shareholder demands
• “Forced out because of shareholding”

Why It Matters:

• “Cutting out independent studios”
• “Keeping everything in house”
• Huge conglomerates controlling development
• Decision makers care about bottom line
• Not quality or community

Al’s Indie Support:

• “Huge supporter and proponent of indie games”
• “That’s the future”
• Everything else tied to profit-focused decisions
• Quality secondary to shareholders

Are We Just Edgy Contrarians?

The Core Question:

• Is it cool to hate things?
• “Slaves to the behemoth which is capitalism”
• Do we really hate EA/Ubisoft?
• Or just being edgy?

The “Fuck Ubisoft” Slogan:

• Official Grumpy Old Gamer position
• But what’s the distinction?
• Why one worse than other?
• Do we actually mean it?

Tim’s Honest Assessment:

• “Bit of column A and column B”
• Hate the idea of them
• But they make games we want
• “Still going to play the games”
• “Complaining the entire time”

The Sellout Reality:

• “Are we sellouts?”
• “Does seem very hypocritical”
• Pay subscriptions to companies we hate
• Claim opposition while funding them
• “Secretly or not so secretly pay to support”

Ian’s Pragmatism:

• EA hasn’t done anything unforgivable
• “Not actively sacrificing children to the devil”
• Releasing video games
• Damage limited to game releases
• Some good in it despite predatory practices

Live Service: The Battlefield 6 Contradiction

The Setup:

• Both Al and Tim bought EA Pass for Battlefield 6
• Previously cynical about live service
• Called it cash grabs, shit behavior
• Now playing live service game

Is Battlefield 6 Live Service?:

• Tim: “Not as much as Call of Duty”
• “Treading on that. Yes”
• Same as Battlefield 2042
• Has monetization, season passes
• Definitely qualifies

The Silver Lining:

• Don’t need to buy season pass
• “Just skins at the end of the day”
• Expansions sold separately as actual expansions
• Similar to Battlefield 2 model

The Trend:

• Don’t like season passes
• “What FPS doesn’t have a season pass these days?”
• Industry standard now
• Unavoidable reality

The Defense Mechanism:

• Tim very defensive immediately
• “Very defensive”
• Recognizing own hypocrisy
• Justifying contradiction

The Stop Killing Games Initiative

What It Is:

• EU initiative
• Passed required signatures
• Going to European Parliament
• Will be voted into law

The Law:

• Publishers/developers required to ensure ownership
• Once someone owns game, always have access
• Can’t shut down servers (or provide offline version)
• Consumer protection

The Precedent:

• Similar to Valve refund policy
• That came from EU law too
• US benefits from EU regulations
• “Everybody benefits when the EU makes these laws”

Historical Context:

• Never happened before
• “One thing which never happened before”
• “Good thing about modern gaming”

Other EU Wins:

• Loot box regulations
• France: can’t open cases without knowing contents
• Anti-gambling laws
• Portugal bingo raid story (Al’s 71-year-old mom)

Ubisoft’s Opposition:

• CEO said players should get used to not owning games
• Given license, not ownership
• Stop Killing Games direct challenge
• “Major publishers rallying against consumers”

Broken Launches and Day One Patches

The Complaint:

• Games released in “shit states”
• “Broken buggy messes”
• Never happened before
• PlayStation 2 era: no day one patches

The PS2 Reality:

• Dial-up internet
• “47 years to download the patch”
• Memory cards 16 megabytes
• Patches were expansion packs
• “That’s the way we liked it”

The Nostalgia Bias:

• Games “worked typically” on release
• Accepted bugs as part of game
• No ability to patch
• “If you bought a PS2 game, that’s what you got”

The Modern Reality:

• Million people find bugs
• No matter how much playtesting
• Can’t catch everything
• Back then: no way to fix bugs
• Now: patches fix problems

The Benefit:

• “Is that not a benefit of gaming now?”
• Can fix problems never could before
• Console patching capability
• Progress, not decline

The Day One Patch Problem:

Tim’s Position:

• “Gets abused”
• “We’ll fix in the day one patch”
• Major developers abuse it
• Becomes excuse for incomplete games

Al’s Position:

• “Terrible practice”
• Console gamers especially affected
• Buy disc, want to play immediately
• “Updating. What are you updating? I’ve just bought the game”
• “Travesty that we accept that”

The Capcom Example:

• Latest Street Fighter
• DLC on physical disc
• Had to buy DLC to unlock from disc you own
• “Paying to unlock something you’ve already paid for”
• “Next level taking the piss”

Early Access Revisited

Ian’s Interruption:

• “Early access isn’t always a bad thing”
• Stole Al’s thunder
• Was about to make same point
• “Thank you for completely ruining my point”
• Mock rage

The AAA vs Indie Distinction:

• AAA studios shouldn’t use early access
• Indie studios: crucial development tool
• Get feedback, keep studio running
• Finish game properly

The Forgiveness Factor:

• Early access: “much more forgiving”
• Can say “need to fix this”
• 1.0 release: “better have your shit together”
• Expectations different

The Price Question:

• Don’t expect full price for early access
• “Red flag” if charging full price
• Not full game, why full price?
• Incentive to charge extra at 1.0

Manalords Example:

• “Great example of how to do early access correctly”
• Doesn’t feel like early access
• Also not £60
• Made by one guy (Slavic Magic)
• Solo developer achievement

The Benefits of Patches:

• Back then: bugs permanent
• Accepted as part of game
• No fixing possible
• Now: bugs fixable via patches
• Even consoles can patch
• “Benefit of gaming now”

The Release Philosophy:

• “Release it in a state where it’s playable off the bat”
• Worst case: Street Fighter DLC on disc
• Physical copy has content
• Must buy DLC to unlock
• “Capcom” responsible

The Major Positives: Cross-Platform Play

The Console Exclusivity Episode:

• Episode about death of consoles
• Microsoft releases games everywhere
• PlayStation making exclusives available
• Only Nintendo keeping things siloed

The Revolution:

• Ian has Xbox, Tim has PlayStation
• Both own Space Marine 2
• Can play together
• Al on PC can join them
• Three platforms, one game

The Timeline:

• “Never would have happened 10 years ago”
• “Even 5 years ago”
• “Maybe even two years ago”
• Recent development

Should We Celebrate?:

• Accessibility achievement
• Cross-platform gaming
• “Something we should celebrate”
• “Modern gaming is actually really really good now”

Call of Duty Example:

• Has crossplay “for quite a while”
• Friend on Xbox
• “Doesn’t want to be a man and get a PC”
• Message through Activision system
• Straight into server
• “Kind of cool”

10-15 Years Ago:

• Everyone trying to silo users
• “Use our service”
• Competing platforms
• No interoperability

The Same Console Problem:

• Space Marine 2 on Xbox and PlayStation
• Couldn’t play together before
• “Locked down to the network”
• PSN vs Xbox Live separation
• Now unified

FIFA Crossplay:

• Tim playing FIFA
• “Play with console wankers all the time”
• Never possible 10 years ago
• Ease of access
• Cross-platform standard

The Final Verdict

The Question Revisited:

• Episode one: Gaming is shit now, right?
• Not yes or no question
• Nuanced answer required

Tim’s Answer:

• Don’t like what higher-ups do
• Enjoying games coming out this year
• More than most years
• “Better than how it was in 2020”

Ian’s Answer:

• “Never had as many games to play”
• Never had as many ways to play
• Crossplay everywhere
• Customization of experience
• Difficulty options, features
• “Play your way”

The First World Problem:

• “Proper first world issues”
• “Too much to play”
• 700 games on Steam
• 500 free games on Epic
• “We’ve kind of got it easy”

Higher-Ups Still Suck:

• “Bunch of fucking wankers”
• Excuse French
• Ease of access incredible
• “Got it pretty easy these days”

Overall Positive:

• Shitty practices exist
• Also really good things
• Cross-platform cooperation
• Companies making products better
• Better consumer interaction
• “Great thing”

The Three Major Positives:

1. More Choice: Never had more games available
2. More Opportunities: Play the way you want to play
3. More Protections: EU laws, refund policies, consumer rights

Can We Forgive The Bad Stuff?:

• Accept microtransactions?
• Accept live service?
• Accept day one patches?
• “Benefits far outweigh the negatives”
• Tim: “Perfect way of putting it”

The Final Acceptance:

• Microtransactions are norm
• Season passes standard
• Don’t have to buy them
• “Unfortunately” the norm now
• Overall: yes, acceptable

The Conclusion:

• “Gaming isn’t actually shit”
• “We were lying to you 20 weeks ago”
• Grumpy Old Gamers admit defeat
• After 10 episodes, gaming is good
• Benefits outweigh negatives

Season Reflection

Al’s Gratitude:

• “Don’t want to get all emotional”
• Appreciates time invested
• Values thoughts and enthusiasm
• “Fucking awesome” podcast partners
• Thanks for embracing his idea

Ian’s Response:

• “Does it mean you’re going to pay me back that $5 you owe me?”
• “No. That’s gone.”
• Friendship confirmed

Season 2 Announcement:

• Back in 6 weeks
• “Should be interesting”
• Website: gog.fm
• “Until Good Old Games comes and takes it off us”
• Social media (unused)
• Discord access

The Final Thanks:

• “All 10 of you or however many”
• Appreciation for listeners
• End of Season 1
• Clap clap clap clap clap

Post-Credits Discussion

Black Ops 7 Catastrophe

The Dumpster Fire:

• “What a dumpster fire”
• Looks and plays worse than Black Ops 6
• YouTubers confirm
• Campaign “complete travesty”

The Military Sim Contradiction:

• Claims military simulator authenticity
• Beyoncé (or equivalent) in-game week one
• “Ridiculously out of character”
• “I told you so”

The Launch Disaster:

• Lowest rated Call of Duty launch on Steam
• Only 80,000 concurrent players
• “Pathetic”
• Mostly negative reviews

The Pre-Launch Hype:

• People saying “Black Ops 7 is going to absolutely destroy Battlefield”
• Arc Raiders also released
• Reality: complete failure
• Clear winner: Battlefield 6

The Developer Tragedy:

• Must be devastating
• “Soul destroying”
• Blood, sweat, tears invested
• Released thinking it’s excellent
• Gets trashed
• “Very dark stories” of developer reactions

Activision vs EA:

• “What’s the lesser of two evils?”
• Fair question
• Both problematic
• Battlefield 6 clearly superior

The Steam Console (Gabe Cube)

The Announcement:

• New Steam console system
• “Steam 2.0”
• “Gabe Cube”
• Less powerful than PlayStation 5
• Well over half the price

The Specs:

• 16GB RAM
• Equivalent to 4060 GPU
• Intel chip
• Not just for streaming
• Actual PC/console hybrid

The Distinction from Steam Link:

• Not just streaming from gaming PC
• Not old Steam Link model
• Actual games console
• Proper PC

The Value Proposition:

• Half PlayStation 5 price
• “Packs a punch”
• Access to entire Steam library
• Years of investment portable
• Why buy PlayStation/Xbox?

The Living Room Gaming:

• Al considering console gaming
• Move from office to social space
• Big TV experience
• Get kids involved
• Full Steam library access

The Ecosystem:

• Open OS
• EA services available
• “Computer for downstairs”
• Complete PC functionality

Valve’s Market Dominance:

The Portfolio:

• Steam Deck (superior handheld)
• New Steam controller (awesome reviews)
• Hybrid of Xbox and PlayStation
• Original controller was awful (mousepad instead of D-pad)

Steam Lens:

• VR headset
• Not just VR
• Play ordinary games
• Monitor filling entire vision

The Strategy:

• Getting Xbox games
• Getting PlayStation games
• All in Steam library
• Downstairs in Steam computer
• “They’re the powerhouse”

The Casual Dominance:

• Gabe Newell’s approach
• “Nintendo’s taking over handheld? We should do something”
• Created Steam Deck
• “Consoles doing this? We should do something”
• Responding to market

The Future:

• “The future’s bright”
• “The future is Valve”
• “Not orange anymore”
• Valve positioned perfectly
• Complete ecosystem

Notable Quotes

On Hypocrisy:

• “Are we hypocrites?”
• “Does seem very hypocritical if you put it that way. Yes, it does, doesn’t it?”
• “We said that gaming is shit now, right? Here we are embracing it. So is it really shit or is gaming actually really good?”
• “Are we sellouts?”

On EA Subscriptions:

• “I treat it like buying a demo. PC Gamer like £10 and you get the demo disc for the month”
• “People who forget about it, that’s where their money just comes in”
• “Oh, 100%” – on price increases pushing subscriptions

On Developer vs Publisher:

• “I do not like EA as a publisher”
• “They are EA. I just don’t see the distinction”
• “If you are an internal developer under EA’s umbrella, then you are part of what we claim to hate”

On City Skylines 2:

• “Wasn’t mutual. They’ve been forced out”
• “Stolen it and given it to their own studio”
• “Cutting out independent studios and keeping everything in-house”
• “Huge supporter and proponent of indie games because that’s the future”

On Being Contrarians:

• “Is it cool to hate things?”
• “Slaves to the behemoth which is capitalism”
• “Bit of column A and column B. We hate the idea of them, but they make games”
• “Still going to play the games and we’re going to be complaining the entire time”

On Live Service:

• “Very defensive” – about Battlefield 6
• “What FPS doesn’t have a season pass these days?”
• “Don’t need to buy the season pass. Just skins at the end of the day”

On Stop Killing Games:

• “One thing which never happened before, good thing about modern gaming”
• “Everybody benefits when the EU makes these laws”
• “Major publishers rallying against consumers”

On Day One Patches:

• “Terrible practice, especially for console gamers”
• “Updating. What are you updating? I’ve just bought the game?”
• “Travesty that we accept that”
• “Can fix problems that you never could before”

On Early Access:

• “Thank you for completely ruining my point. I quit. I’m not coming back for season two”
• “Fuck you. Fuck you guys”
• “Great example of how to do early access correctly” – Manalords
• “Made by one guy. Wow. Okay. I did not know that”

On Cross-Platform:

• “Something we should celebrate about modern gaming”
• “Never would have happened 10 years ago, even 5 years ago, maybe even two years ago”
• “Kind of cool. Would never imagined that”
• “Play with console wankers all the time. Would never have been able to do that 10 years ago”

On First World Problems:

• “Proper first world issues. We’ve got too much to play”
• “700 games on Steam, 500 games on Epic paid nothing”
• “We’ve kind of got it easy in all honesty”

On The Final Verdict:

• “Better than how it was in 2020”
• “Play your way. Play the way that you want to play”
• “Benefits far outweigh the negatives here”
• “Gaming isn’t actually shit and we were lying to you 20 weeks ago”

On Gratitude:

• “Don’t want to get all emotional, but it’s been absolutely on”
• “Really appreciate your thoughts and enthusiasm”
• “Fucking awesome as you’ve both been”
• “Does it mean you’re going to pay me back that $5 you owe me? No. That’s gone.”

On Black Ops 7:

• “What a dumpster fire”
• “Made it look and play worse than Black Ops 6”
• “Lowest rated launch of Call of Duty on Steam”
• “Only got to 80,000 concurrent players which is pathetic”
• “Must be soul destroying”

On Steam Console:

• “Why do I want to buy a PlayStation 5 when I can just get a console which will give me full access to my entire Steam library?”
• “Computer for downstairs”
• “They’re the powerhouse”
• “The future’s bright. The future is Valve. Not orange anymore”

Memorable Moments

The Opening Insults:

• “Shitlord Tim”
• “Shakelord Ian”
• Five minutes gone of YouTube
• Setting affectionate tone

The Hypocrisy Reveal:

• Both pay EA subscriptions
• Spent season hating EA
• Uncomfortable realization
• Self-awareness moment

Al’s Ground Rules:

• “Without you interrupting me”
• “Or trying to move me on”
• “Or trying to belittle me”
• Ian: “Okay. I’ll fuck off”

The FIFA Confession:

• Tim playing more FIFA than Battlefield
• Unexpected engagement
• EA’s plan working perfectly
• Got him

Al’s Mom’s Bingo Raid:

• Portugal police raid
• 71-year-old mom forced to stop bingo
• Gambling law tangent
• Wholesome story

The City Skylines Rant:

• “Cringing reading this”
• Ice Flake Studios revelation
• Made fishing and pool games
• Now handling Cities Skylines 2
• Monopoly exposed

Ian Steals Thunder:

• Early access point
• Al about to make it
• Ian interrupts
• “Thank you for completely ruining my point”
• Mock rage intensifies

The Fake Quit:

• “I quit. I’m not coming back for season two”
• “Fuck you. Fuck you guys”
• “Taking my ball and I’m going home”
• “I finished after this episode. I’m done”
• Obviously joking

The Manalords Reveal:

• “Made by one guy”
• “Wow. Okay. I didn’t know that”
• Solo developer achievement
• Puts AAA shame

The Emotional Gratitude:

• Al getting sentimental
• “Don’t want to get all emotional”
• Genuine appreciation
• “$5 joke” deflects

The 10 Listener Joke:

• “Thank you very much for listening”
• “All 10 of you or however many it might be”
• Self-deprecating humor
• End of season

The Post-Credits Surprise:

• “I know we said end of the season, but who gives a fuck”
• Bonus content
• Black Ops 7 rant
• Steam console discussion

The Black Ops 7 Schadenfreude:

• Mostly negative reviews
• 80,000 concurrent players
• “Pathetic”
• Battlefield wins

The Gabe Cube:

• “Gabe Cube” name
• Perfect branding
• Steam’s market dominance
• The future is Valve

Technical Details and References

Subscription Services Discussed:

• EA Plus (standard tier)
• EA Plus Pro (launch day access)
• Game Pass (30-day trials)
• Monthly pricing models
• Passive revenue traps

Games/Franchises Referenced:

• Battlefield 6 (season focus)
• FIFA/EA Sports FC
• Cities Skylines 1 & 2
• Space Marine 2 (crossplay example)
• Call of Duty series
• Black Ops 6 & 7
• Street Fighter (DLC on disc)
• Manalords (solo dev early access)
• Arc Raiders

Developers/Publishers:

• Electronic Arts (EA)
• Ubisoft (“Fuck Ubisoft”)
• DICE (Battlefield developer, EA owned)
• EA Vancouver & EA Romania (FIFA)
• Colossal Order (Cities Skylines)
• Paradox Interactive (Cities publisher)
• Ice Flake Studios (Paradox owned)
• Slavic Magic (Manalords solo dev)
• Activision (Call of Duty)
• Capcom (Street Fighter DLC scandal)

Hardware/Platforms:

• PlayStation 2 (nostalgia reference)
• PlayStation 5 (current gen)
• Xbox Series S & X
• Steam/PC gaming
• Steam Deck (handheld)
• Steam Console/”Gabe Cube” (upcoming)
• Steam Lens (VR headset)
• Steam Controller (new version)

EU Legislation:

• Stop Killing Games initiative
• Passed signature requirement
• European Parliament vote pending
• Ensures game ownership
• Server shutdown protections
• Valve refund policy precedent
• Loot box regulations
• France: case opening transparency
• Portugal: gambling restrictions

Industry Practices:

• Live service models
• Season passes
• Microtransactions
• Day one patches
• Early access (AAA vs indie)
• Cross-platform play
• Digital-only distribution
• DRM (always online)
• Price manipulation strategies

Season 1 Episode Callbacks:

• Episode 1: Gaming is shit now
• HalfLife 2 vs GTA debate
• Couch co-op episode
• FPS evolution
• Console exclusivity death
• Early access discussion
• Multiple episode themes

Season 1 Retrospective

What They Learned:

• Gaming not actually shit
• Benefits outweigh negatives
• Hypocrisy as consumers
• Industry evolving positively
• Modern protections valuable
• Cross-platform revolutionary

What Didn’t Change:

• Still hate corporate practices
• Still support indie developers
• Still grumpy about some things
• Still playing despite complaints

Unexpected Conclusions:

• EA subscriptions worth it
• Live service acceptable
• Day one patches progress
• First world problems acknowledged

Future Teases

Season 2 (6 Weeks):

• Return announcement
• “Bigger and better than ever”
• Valve ecosystem deep dive likely
• More industry analysis
• Continued grumpy commentary

Potential Topics:

• Steam monopoly revisited
• HalfLife 3 discussion
• VR gaming (Steam Lens)
• Console market shifts
• Valve’s market strategy

Contact & Community

Listen: Spotify | Apple | Amazon | YouTube
Follow / Community: Discord | Twitch | Steam | Curator | Facebook | Twitter | Bluesky | Instagram | Threads
Contact: Website | grumpyoldgamer[at]gog.fm

Special Note:

• Season 2 returns in 6 weeks
• Discord for community discussion
• Social media channels (unused but available)
• Show notes at gog.fm

Episode Verdict

The hosts conclude their grumpiest season with the least grumpy revelation: gaming isn’t shit. After 10 episodes examining predatory practices, nostalgia bias, and industry evolution, they reluctantly admit modern gaming’s benefits—unprecedented choice, cross-platform accessibility, and consumer protections—far outweigh microtransactions and live service models.

The discussion exposed their fundamental hypocrisy as EA Plus subscribers who spent a season criticizing EA, but this self-awareness became the episode’s strength. By confronting their contradictions—paying companies they claim to hate, enjoying live service games they condemned, accepting practices they criticized—they demonstrated gaming’s complexity defies binary “good/shit” judgments.

Three major positives emerged: (1) More choice than ever (700+ Steam libraries, subscription access), (2) More ways to play (cross-platform, difficulty modes, accessibility), and (3) More protections (EU’s Stop Killing Games, refund policies, consumer rights). These advances represent genuine progress despite corporate consolidation and predatory monetization.

The City Skylines 2 developer betrayal and Black Ops 7’s catastrophic launch proved bad actors still exist, but the indie scene (Manalords’ solo developer), consumer advocacy (EU legislation), and platform evolution (Valve’s ecosystem) demonstrate the industry’s self-correcting capacity. Cross-platform play—unimaginable 5 years ago—epitomizes how quickly gaming improves when competition forces innovation.

Season 1’s journey from “gaming is shit” to “benefits outweigh negatives” reflected honest evolution rather than abandoning principles. The hosts still hate corporate practices, still champion indie developers, still critique predatory behavior—but acknowledge these criticisms occur within an overall positive gaming landscape. Their grumpiness shifted from blanket condemnation to targeted criticism, recognizing what deserves praise alongside what merits scorn.

Key Takeaway: Gaming isn’t shit; we were wrong in episode one. Despite corporate consolidation, predatory monetization, and day one patches, modern gaming offers unprecedented choice, accessibility, and consumer protections. The benefits—cross-platform play, difficulty options, EU regulations, indie innovation—far outweigh negatives. Our hypocrisy as EA subscribers who hate EA proves gaming’s complexity: you can simultaneously criticize industry practices while enjoying the products, because the good genuinely outweighs the bad.

The Bottom Line: After 10 episodes of grumpy analysis, three middle-aged gamers admitted the uncomfortable truth: gaming is pretty fucking good now, and we’ve got it easy. The first world problems of having 700 unplayed Steam games and too many subscription services to track pale beside the revolutionary reality that your friend on Xbox, your mate on PlayStation, and you on PC can all shoot orcs together while playing games your way—something unimaginable a decade ago. The future’s bright. The future is Valve. And gaming’s future is cross-platform, accessible, and protected by EU laws corporations can’t escape.

Bonus Verdict – Black Ops 7: Catastrophic failure with lowest Steam launch in franchise history (80,000 concurrent players, mostly negative reviews) proves even billion-dollar franchises can spectacularly fail, making Battlefield 6 the clear 2025 FPS winner. Developers’ soul-destroying rejection despite massive investment reminds us gaming is hard—but that doesn’t excuse shipping garbage.