note apr 28 2026: somewhat rephrased post and added 2026 betting examples for good measure

The first widely recognized video game "microtransaction" was a horse armor DLC for Bethesda's Oblivion in 2006. Since then, anyone familiar with modern AAA titles knows how that's influenced the industry. What I believe is unfair is that the blame seems to be overly directed at the 'greed' of companies without proportional share from consumer spending habits that enable this practice--are FOMO mechanics really that twistedly manipulative or are players overzealous about consumption? Real life casinos, CS skin cases, and now prediction markets and the spreading sports betting apps are too far, but there should be a collective assumption of responsibility at some point prior to that.