Venting Hey, Parents.

[Darkover]

So, I've been playing your game "Life" for about 38 years now (seriously, who came up with that title?), and I've got to say—it's an absolute mess. It's ridiculously hard, frustrating, and honestly, not even remotely fun. Suffering seems to be the main feature. From the moment of birth, it's clear this thing is designed to be painful. The very first level? Traumatic. I didn't even get to choose my character or difficulty setting, just thrown into the world, screaming from hunger and thirst, basic needs that never stop demanding attention. Is this really how the tutorial starts?

I know what you're going to say: "It's about the journey, those little moments of happiness," blah blah blah. But come on—there's no clear objective here! No big reward, no ultimate level to reach, just a bunch of random nonsense like hunger, shelter, and the relentless grind to survive. Even in the so-called privileged starting zones, the game doesn't really get any better. Am I really supposed to slog through 80 years of this for nothing? That's messed up. You could at least provide a roadmap, but instead, it's just a bunch of RNG where some people get all the perks while others are stuck in eternal grind mode. I didn't sign up for a pay-to-win game!

And the balancing? Don't even get me started. The RNG in this game is brutal. Some players are born with all the wealth and opportunities, while others are fighting off hunger, thirst, and exposure, scrambling for scraps just to survive. You really dropped the ball on fairness. I mean, securing basic needs like food and shelter is a constant struggle for a huge portion of the players—people freezing in the cold or burning up in the heat, all while trying to find adequate shelter. Even the ones with decent homes aren't spared. Year after year, the difficulty ramps up, more bills, more stress, and no way to press pause or skip the grind.

Oh, and the updates? Every year, it just gets harder and more complicated, with aging, health problems, and societal expectations stacking up. Where's the support? It's all just patchwork solutions to constant problems. And those social features? Total disaster. Forced multiplayer interactions with no real guide on how to navigate them. Some people seem to breeze through with their 'perfect parties' while others get stuck with toxic teammates or, worse, have no teammates at all. Loneliness becomes a constant debuff, just another layer of suffering.

And don't get me started on the work system. Whoever thought that was a fun mechanic needs to reevaluate. Most of the time, work isn't even about pursuing something meaningful, it's just grinding away to pay for the bare essentials—food, water, shelter. You call this a life simulation? The majority of us are stuck in perpetual toil, exchanging time and energy just to keep our heads above water. And the worst part is, the more you work, the less you seem to progress. It's a treadmill of suffering with no sense of reward.

The economy? Broken beyond repair. The rich get richer, leaving the rest of us trapped in a cycle of endless work just to survive. Am I supposed to enjoy grinding for food, water, and shelter while others breeze through with all the perks? How did you think anyone would find this fun?

As for character customization? What a joke. I didn't get to choose my starting stats, didn't sign up for the body or circumstances I've got, and there's no way to respec. And the daily grind? It's nothing but an endless series of fetch quests for basic survival. There's no real progression—just surviving another day. And the worst part? The endless physical and emotional pain. Illness, injury, chronic stress, and existential dread as companions on this ridiculous journey. You call this a game? It feels more like a slow crawl through a never-ending nightmare.

And the final insult? There's no exit button in sight. No clear way to quit. I want a refund, but I can't even get that. Instead, I'm trapped in a maze of responsibilities, expectations, and societal pressures. Even when I'm ready to toss the game in the trash, I can't because you've hidden the quit option behind this convoluted mess of moral obligations and fear. Why is it so hard to leave?

And don't even try to sell me on the "meaning of life" DLC—I've heard it's just as buggy and overpriced as the base game. Honestly, I didn't ask to be here. And after 38 years of playing, I can confidently say it's a complete flop. One day, I'll toss it in the bin for good. But not today—apparently, that would upset you.

So, yeah, I just want out of this grindy, brutal, pay-to-win disaster. Where's the exit button?

 

[passer-by]

Good review bro. Seriously, this was delightful to read
I want a refund too. Fuck this game. Would not recommend

'Meaning of life' DLC

 

[Darkover]

Hey, Parents.
Still me. Still stuck in this absurd game you call "Life." I've been grinding through this mess for decades now, and honestly, I've hit my breaking point. I'm done pretending that I'm having a good time or that I even want to play this anymore. This game is so fundamentally flawed that I can't believe it's still being pushed on unsuspecting players.

Look, I've tried everything. I've gone through all the "recommended paths"—the whole school-job-relationship nonsense—and guess what? None of it makes the game worth playing. It's like you designed this thing without even thinking about the player experience. Every step forward feels like it comes with three steps back, and I'm over it. Completely over it.

I mean, come on—where is the exit button? Why is it hidden behind this convoluted maze of responsibilities, expectations, and societal pressures? You'd think that in a game this poorly designed, there'd at least be a quick "Quit" option for when things get unbearable. But no. Instead, you've locked it behind an endless grind, a bunch of guilt trips, and some messed-up mechanics that make it nearly impossible to get to. It's like you want players to stay trapped in this hellhole, clawing their way through meaningless objectives until they finally collapse from sheer exhaustion.

And don't get me started on the invisible barriers you've put up. Every time I think I'm close to finding an exit, some pop-up window slaps me in the face with a list of reasons why I can't leave: "Oh, but what about your family? Your responsibilities? What if it gets better?" Spoiler alert: It hasn't gotten better. It's just been one long, repetitive slog, and I don't see any signs of improvement on the horizon.

Honestly, the least you could do is make the exit more accessible. Like, I don't know, a simple "Leave Game" button on the main menu. You know, something that doesn't involve navigating a labyrinth of guilt, fear, and societal judgment just to reach. Is that really too much to ask? Other games let you quit whenever you want—why not this one?

And before you try to hit me with some nonsense about "but life is precious," save it. I've read the forums. I've seen the other players' reviews. Sure, some people might luck out and find a way to enjoy this mess, but the rest of us? We're just stuck grinding through endless waves of stress, pain, and disappointment. Maybe you should've spent more time balancing the game instead of preaching about how "special" it is.

The reality is, not everyone wants to keep playing. And that should be okay. Some of us are just tired. Tired of the grind, tired of the randomness, tired of pretending that we're fine when we're not. If someone wants to tap out, it shouldn't be this hard to do so. The fact that you've made it so complicated, so taboo, is just cruel.

Why not make quitting a peaceful, straightforward process? Give us a roadmap, or at least a guide on how to navigate the maze you've trapped us in. Instead of forcing us to stumble around in the dark, let us leave with dignity. No guilt trips, no judgment, no hoops to jump through—just a simple, graceful exit.

But no. Instead, you've rigged this game so that leaving feels like a betrayal. Like we owe it to the other players to keep going, even when we're completely burnt out. Newsflash: We don't owe anyone anything. You dragged us into this without our consent, and the least you could do is give us an out when we've had enough.

And don't even try to sell me on the idea that the "journey" is worth it. I've seen what's waiting at the end: more grinding, more pain, and eventually, an inevitable game over. So what's the point of sticking around? To see if things magically get better? To keep chasing some elusive sense of fulfillment that might not even exist? No thanks.

Honestly, if you're not going to fix the game, at least fix the exit. Make it easier to find. Make it less terrifying. Make it something we can approach without feeling like failures. Because right now, it feels like you've trapped us in a never-ending cycle of suffering, with no way out except through sheer force of will—and even that's not guaranteed to work.

So yeah, I'm done. Done trying to make sense of this mess, done pretending that I want to keep playing, and done feeling guilty for wanting to leave. If you won't give me a proper exit button, then I'll find one myself. It might take time, it might take effort, but one way or another, I'm getting out of this broken game. And when I do? Don't expect me to look back.

Game over. For real this time.

 

[Pluto]