An Open Letter on the Open Gaming License, to Wizards of the Coast
I don&#x27;t understand how gamers (non-videogame gamers in this case) put up with ruthless monetization and lock-in attempts by the biggest companies.<p>RPGs is a particularly bizarre case. You really don&#x27;t need <i>anything</i> but a group of friends, your imagination and some rules to play roleplaying games. Ok, so you want merchandise -- player screens and mats and minis -- all of that&#x27;s optional, there&#x27;s no RPG police that can prevent you making your own or buying from third parties. So you have adventure modules... I made my own adventures back when I was a teenager, but I can sort of see not everyone has the imagination to make their own, plus being able to &quot;share&quot; a world with other gaming groups so you can say you defeated the Temple of Elemental Evil or whatnot is sort of cool; not my thing, but I can see it.<p>But now apparently Wizards of the Coast is not content with all the stuff they already sell, so they are starting to build a virtual world (+ app, of course) where you can customize your character, buy DLC, etc. Of course, all tidily locked-in, because what better way to keep a tight reign than owning the app?<p>I can&#x27;t wrap my head around this. An app? DLC? Custom items? For a game that <i>happens inside your head</i>, and that most people choose to play to do something other than <i>staring at a screen</i>? Has the world gone crazy?<p>You only needed some friends, dice and an imagination...