Thank Grog It’s Firday!
I admit it. My head is a bit broken. I’ve tried to curb my viewing of “current events,” but have failed miserably. So, it was a welcome surprise, and a nice diversion when EA came across with an early (kinda) Black Friday/Thanksgiving mini-update.
I say “kinda” early, because the fact is, it mostly happened the same time as last year, and the year before. It’s Thanksgiving that is late this year. How DARE they make Thanksgiving and the REAL Black Friday so late in the month, and so close to Christmas???
Anyway, there was plenty to unpack for this event, and I’m sure most of you are very excited about the chance to get a ton of stuff that had been offered, at discount prices, as long as you were willing to spend real money.
Wait. What??? They are doing THIS again? Forcing us to spend REAL MONEY (instead of farmed donuts) to get some of the stuff being offered????
Well…there IS A SOLUTION THIS PROBLEM!! I’ll Tell You how to get real value out of your real dollars spent!
I’ll get to the solution in a minute…
But, first…you had to know that this was going to happen. There was going to be some content that was going to be held ransom, for real money. They haven’t done this in a long time…but you had to know that it was coming! After all…this is the most important quarter for profit every year. Q4 is where the American buying public, sets aside common sense, and blows every dollar they have (and a ton they don’t) on gifts, deals, and “discounts” that help drive the overall GDP into the “plus column” every year. Many say it’s impossible to increase every year…that it is not sustainable. And yet…by triggering the buying frenzy that is the holiday season every year (and earlier and earlier), they do it. But, I digress…
Let’s break this down into the “Must have” column and the “I don’t really need this” column. It’s the only real common sense way to shop for anything.
In the “Must Have” column, I have...Nothing.
There are so many reasons for this. First, the FREE content that we get for just performing the quest-line, is by far the best content of the update. I don’t need to spend money, or donuts, to get it. That’s a good thing.
The rest? Not so much. Especially as it pertains to the vaunted “Gold Box” content that requires the gold coins, which require you to spend real money (after the free coin you get at the beginning of this event).
So…this is what I was offered in the “GOLD BOX!!” All of it. A bunch of stuff I passed on in other events…that I could have gotten with donuts before. I admit, I am confused as to why EA thinks I would pay actual money for these things. But, I was happy to take a “Free Something” from the Gold Box, with the free gold coin they gave me.
Looking at the list of stuff…the only one that made me laugh, was the Radish Station. And BOOM! I got it with my free coin! Woot?
It was cool…until I went to place it…and once again, was reminded that I was at my HARD ITEM LIMIT. Argh!!. So…I stored a handful of Wailing Walls (as I wailed my disdain for Item Limits).
So…when it is presented to me, that I should spend REAL MONEY in order to win a variety of random buildings, that I CAN’T PLACE…I am not so inclined.
I just don’t care about this stuff. Sorry. More buildings. Unrelated to anything. Just buildings I can’t place.
So…….yes….that makes the “MUST HAVE column” a big blank vortex…sucking away my desire to care about the Black Friday Deals that are offered in the rest of the update. If I have to store something, to get something that I didn’t want in the first place (when it was originally offered), I would have to be really, really, really bored, or desperate to buy something. Which I am not.
I get it. There is a ton of content in the different Boxes being offered. And yes…as always, if you want to roll the dice with donuts (farmed or otherwise) that you will get the item your heart desires, have at it.
I also understand that there are loads of newer players who have missed out on some of this content, and can now catch up through these offerings.
But, I have to ask…how is this really any different than the Yearbook Mystery Boxes that have been with us almost the entire year? If you haven’t farmed, and plundered the boxes by now, the Black Friday Mystery boxes have to be loaded with things you have likely seen all year…and passed on.
AND WAIT!! It looks like a lot of the SAME STUFF being offered at a HIGHER PRICE??? Come on!!!
Case in point… I saw the Ghost Pirate Ship being offered in the “Men’s Mystery Box” for 80 donuts a whack…
Meanwhile…in my regular Yearbook offering…I cycle through and BEHOLD…
The SAME Ghost Pirate Combo being offered for 30 donuts a whack.
Do they think we are stupid???? Wait. Don’t answer that. Of COURSE they think we’re stupid. After all…we have proven over decades of mass consumption this time of year, that all they have to do is label something as being ON SALE!! and we will rush to partake. Man. It makes me ashamed of all of the years I spent owning an ad agency, before I got into Internet Broadcast Services. It has turned me into a very reluctant “sale shopper.”
The “All American Auction” is the only place that I saw any content that I really wanted…but even there, it was pretty much old content, with the new addition of the Storage Locker and CJ Pro Bidder which I grabbed right away (using farmed donuts).
OH…WAIT! What about my promise of telling you how to get Real Value out of the money you spend??
Spend some on something that matters.
It is time once again to begin raising funds for our School in Buyijja. Winter term starts in January, and the holidays are coming soon. So, we are starting our campaign early. Changing the lives of children, or buying a digital nothing that you can’t remember in a month? I’ll let you decide.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE!
Alissa said it best about this update…”Well…at least EA is still giving us content.”
Yes. But, at what price? I’m happy that we have more content, and the game is still alive. I’ll leave it at that.