I was “coping” undiagnosed pre-Covid. Then as that all dragged on I no longer had the energy to mask/ work around it, and all of my symptoms became significantly more disruptive.

So… yeah. Hard to have big hopes of them “finding” that as a potential cause in increased demand.

I was a much slower writer than everyone else at my school (?dyspraxia, LONG before any AuDHD diagnosis). I was physically limited by the number of words I could write out in the allowed time.

I guess I never passed any thresholds for intervention, but if felt like a “could do better” factor.

Like, I don’t expect free upgrades forever when I buy a piece of software.

But I would prefer to buy upgrades on my schedule/ needs, and continue to use the software inbetween.

The company would apparently prefer a predictable monthly income at the expense of bad will and diminishing user base.

I have a Mac stuck at a certain OS because I stopped paying a monthly fee to support a piece of software I’d already bought.

The annual “support” fee was greater than just leasing it month by month.

The audio world appears to have way more brand options, and maybe that’s keeping things civil.

Not only that, but there are a huge number of plugins that will let you download older versions with earlier OS compatibility and use your new licence with the old version. And they let you know how to do it on their site! It’s not a thing you need to find a community to ask about!

A particular pet peeve is when you get the “Because you liked [tv series] row” before being able to find THAT EXACT SERIES in the “continue watching” row.

Even the “Great question!” stuff in the screenshots I’ve been seeing recently makes me feel a little queasy.

It’s simultaneously meaningless (because that appears to be the default opener), and giving the impression of trying SO HARD.

My 76 year-old mother has been trying to make sense of all the “you’ve overpaid/underpaid” letters HMRC have been sending her. This currently requires Government Gateway, which needs a current passport or photo driving licence.

She no longer has either - she has no use for them. So no login.

… which part of this process are they actually enjoying?

(Oh god, it’s the bit where someone says something nice about the thing they still think they created, isn’t it?)

I used to think it was a useful shortcut - of COURSE the player engages with the character(s) they’re playing; they have control over them and shared experiences.

But the balance between that sense of agency and also following the narrative of the story is where greatness can lie.

Yes, it’s different. Yes, it can be frustrating when you’re just not very good at games (companies have gotten WAY better at adding difficulty settings for people more interested in the story than combat)… but when it’s done right (by some very skilled game makers), it’s an incomparable experience.

I have a bunch of “AI” audio plugins- mostly for noise reduction. Really wish they’d just stuck with “advanced algorithms” for processes like that… every time I use one it knocks against my brain and sets up the expectation I’m going to have half a Spice Girls track randomly inserted.

… reach the ending, and how that affects their relationships, and how much of their humanity they lose along the way.

And that’s really special.

We’ve since had a lot of games with hugely branching narratives based on player choice (e.g. Detroit: Become Human), and modern discussion appears to expect the “choices matter” tag to always incorporate multiple objective endings.

This game doesn’t do that. Choices affect the WAY the characters…