Do you ever stop complaining? Like, ever? I mean I wouldn't mind so much if you actually offered any kind of fresh perspective, but you don't. First, as some have already said, half the things in here really aren't 'gimmicks', but more 'things that I don't like that I'm going to call gimmicks because it makes my opinions sound more valid' (which, ironically, is itself a gimmick often used by people wishing to rail against things); and second, everything you've said here has already been said, several times, and much more effectively, by other people. Continuing to go on about it will eventually only serve to annoy people so much that they stop listening.
Ok, so I'll bite, even though I'm probably going to regret it...
1.) Ok, maybe it is a little weird that we have these inequalities in censorship, but gaming is still very young as a medium. It's got very big very quickly, and it's had some major victories against the Jack Thompsonites as of late, but it's going to take more than a few months for the industry to really start feeling secure in its position. Give it time. Just like film had time, just like theater had time, and just like every medium before it had time to grow and mature properly. The last thing the industry needs is people demanding that it somehow makes decades worth of progress overnight, and that has nothing to do with them being "chickenshit".
Also, yes, it may be unrealistic, even immersion breaking for some, but if you're seriously going to get this irate about not being able to murder kids in Skyrim, I don't think you've got much cause to lecture anyone about their priorities.
2.) I haven't actually seen many, if any, developers trying to claim that the sort of example that you present is equivalent to being "the author of my character's destiny". So either you are using hyperbole to an extent where it becomes counter-productive to your own argument, or I just don't follow marketing as closely as you do. In which case, it's marketing for crying out loud! Of course they are going to stretch things to the limit when advertising their game, because they need their game to sell and to do that they need people to be paying attention. That doesn't excuse outright lying, but such occurrences are rare.
Over-zealous marketing happens everywhere, not just in AAA gaming (Hell, have you ever noticed how many 'motion picture events of the year' there are every year in the film industry?). Best solution is to just be aware when someone is trying to sell you something, and take what they say with a pinch of salt. Buying into it only to rage later doesn't help anybody, least of all you.
3.) This one I have no issue with. DRM stinks and needs to go away. It's really not a 'gimmick' though.
4.) So the sort of DLC that seems to really piss you off here, is the cheap, superficial stuff that doesn't take anything of substance away from your experience if you don't buy...
I see. In that case just don't buy it then! They're just a quick and easy way for people to make some quick and easy revenue from the people who are actually willing to shell out what little these optional extras cost. I really don't see how you or anyone else is being hurt by any of this right now. If you don't want it, don't buy it, and neither you, nor any other consumer will have lost anything of value.
5.) See above (mostly). Nobody's mugging you here. You don't want 'Tired Sequel 6: The Stagnation', then nobody is forcing you to buy it. If, however, enough people still do want it to justify it getting made then I really don't see what business it is of yours. If we want the industry to serve the consumer, then no one consumer should have the right to deny millions of others a game they want, just because that one consumer doesn't want it.
6.) Oh, for God's sake. See Above... Again.
7.) I agree with you here; and this one really is a gimmick this time, and a particularly stupid and outdated one at that.
8.) Again, I agree. Though this time with the caveat that I've played some really good games that have cliffhanger endings, as well as some really good sequels that were jumping off their previous installment's cliffhanger ending. But yeah, more often than not this is just annoying and I wish it didn't happen quite so often.
9.) See my response for point #2. It's marketing, deal with it.
