I won’t bury the lead here: it’s possible that there’s an ad-supported version of Xbox Game Pass in our future. According to Windows Central, Microsoft CFO Tim Stuart recently talked about users might be able to watch ads in order to gain access to Game Pass at some point in the future. There also already seems to be some preliminary code in place on the Xbox Series X|S to allow for this, so the idea isn’t so far-fetched. While cheaper games are nice for the player, I really don’t think I like the sound of this.

In the past, I’ve praised Game Pass for the amount of games that it grants access to. I’ve also praised the variety of what’s available and that I can get access to both old and new games through it. Recently though, I’ve found that I really don’t like using Game Pass. It’s not that the user experience is bad or anything, but rather that I don’t actually value the experiences I get from the games on it. They all just feel so…disposable.

Like, I’ll start one, nibble at it for a bit and then just move onto whatever strikes my fancy next. There’s no sense of investment, no need to try and enjoy what I’m playing. It’s honestly left a sour taste in my mouth and I’m now kind of staying away from it (and free PSN games for the most part too). And that’s with having to pay a monthly fee for the privilege. Take that away, and I feel as though the games will become essentially worthless to someone like myself.

Besides that, do we really need more ads shoved in our faces? It’s not enough that we’re assaulted by them night and day from any and every possible corner? Everywhere you look, everything you hear is just ads, ads, ads! It’s nonstop, and I’m convinced that only reason that they haven’t collectively driven us all mad is that we’ve learned how to ignore them. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to do is pump more ads into my brain; I don’t care how man free video games you offer!

What’s your take on this? Would you eb down for free games in exchange for watching more ads? How do you feel about game services in general?

Image is promotional artwork