I'm not disputing your main point, I just think it's interesting that you chose Germany as an example, which, as I wrote, is one of the top contributors, even adjusted for GDP.
In my experience with SD, getting images that aren't obviously "wrong" in some way takes multiple iterations with quite some time spent tuning prompts and parameters.
Voting for a sandwich without peanut butter will result in other people deciding what sandwich you get, and the only realistic options are those with peanut butter.
GGG has been actively developing and supporting PoE for more than a decade post launch. Other studios develop 3-4 full scale games during that time frame. If they wanted to price all of this into a one time cost, PoE would have cost 150-200€ at release, a price no one would be willing to pay for a new game of a new studio with no track record. The game just wouldn't exist.
And yet you're claiming that them financing development primarily via optional cosmetic micro transactions is abuse. People have spent thousands of hours in this game without spending more than like 50 bucks on quality of life stuff. Your comment tells me you know nothing about PoE or GGG. That's why I'm calling it a trash take.
I'm not disputing your main point, I just think it's interesting that you chose Germany as an example, which, as I wrote, is one of the top contributors, even adjusted for GDP.