we did it. we've perfected the skinner box. an ouroboros of dopamine, but the snake doesn't have to be conquered. shiny lights, minimal exertion on the player's part, and infinite dopamine to be distributed. not a terrible game, i mean they got me to play it for almost an hour when i have to go to work in 6 hours (it's 3 am lol). but that just it: it's satisfying to play with nothing else to gain. other roguelikes and lites have intricate mechanics. other action rpgs have engaging cross-interaction between items and skills. other games have story, lore, and interesting level design. vampire survivors is designed to just have you click around for as long as it can get you to. a literal timewaster, and theres nothing wrong with that. its just, i mean, there's not much to the game lol. im not sure how to put into words what i feel here. this game is designed for consumption and nothing more, a decision that doesnt really sit well with me considering how more games and online content is streamlining towards mindless dawdling. of course, art with intention wont ever die, but for this game to be as much of a success as it is almost spawns disappointment and sorrow within me. and i think thats stupid because its just a dumb lil game that doesnt present itself beyond being a timekiller. idk, i just think there are better games to play out there if you need to spend an hour or two. it's nothing crazy gameplay-wise, but in the scope of the medium, i fear its consequences.

unemployed behavior. i must clock into the oil rig, NOW

Bad sign when people's selling point of a game is that you see, actually, this is the rare game without microtransactions. What benevolence! Semantic debate on whether the game's multiple paid DLC packs constitute microtransactions aside, this comes off to me as tacit admission that Vampire Survivors has the dirty vibe of the sort of hyperaddictive barely-game explicitly designed to extract money from its playerbase. And while it has enough sense to steer clear of all that stuff, do you not value your time?