It's a charge. It's neither a product nor a service. The game is a product. Connectivity is a service. Charging an actual dollar for imaginary gems is a scam.

Stop using this industry-wide problem as an excuse for personal insults.

PoE is mainly financed by purely cosmetic supporter packs and whales.

And what? Oh right, the victims being taken for thousands of dollars, each, for a game that's allegedly free. Mostly over the thing people insist nobody is interested in, so it's fine if each thing costs as much as a whole-ass indie game, and there's ten thousand.

Withholding that is frustration. You are made to want it. Once upon a time, choosing how you looked in a video game was just part of the fucking game.

Withholding quality-of-life is obviously frustration. There is a better version of the game, dangled in front of you, constantly. The entire rest of the game exists to nudge you against that grindstone.

CS is a hilarious example because of how insane the market is for shit you helpfully point out has no gameplay value. It's almost like there's other levers for influencing player desires! Jealousy, fear of missing out, basic peacocking - all of these things are exploited to maximum effect. Tweaking people's brains is how games work, and this business model is slapping a price tag on that direct manipulation.