With the recent addition of Station Cash by SOE for EverQuest and EverQuest 2 most fans are split into two groups. Those that HATE IT and those that are fine with it. After observing the kind of flame wars between these two on the forums of websites such as MMORPG.com I can't help but wonder..
What's with the rage?
A large number of the MMORPG community*not the website, but overall* are passionate one way or the other about these two types of systems. A large portion of subscription based players*Those that pay a monthly fee to play their game* detest and positively hate the idea of a Micro-Transaction model.*Game is free, but you pay real cash for fluff items, gear, and other such thing* Why do they hate it?
Most players find that it takes away from the game. With a game where the only enjoyment is what achievements you can achieve, having a system that lets you achieve the same thing with their wallet ruins the game for them. Even if the items gain in the MT are nothing but fluff items for unique graphics for armor/weapons/etc a good chunk of them will still protest. Why? Perhaps due to the "rich" kid having access to something they do not, despite it being nothing but aesthetics? You see it all the time in real life. Jealousy over someone having a sports car when you have an average car. Even though they both function the same and the advantage is only aesthetics, it's generally the same principle.
There is also the stereotype that F2P and MT games have a lot more children or people with child-like mindsets as their player populations. "If you play this cutesy game you must obviously not be hardcore like me for playing Warhammer" kind of attitude. I disagree with this attitude completely. In my experiences I've seen more immature attitudes in subscription based MMORPGs than MT/F2P. This could be due to an admittedly lower player population, but I think there are a lot more adults/mature people playing these games than people realize.
I made a small post about SOE's Station Cash(You can view it here ) a few days ago. Yet from then to now the total venom people have toward any payment method other than subscription has me in awe at their vehemence. There was also the recent incident with Star Wars: The Old Republic(You can view it here ). Another example of players going in an uproar over the thought of a MT system.
So how do YOU feel about either system? Leave a comment, lets discuss this.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I personally play games with both models. I would agree with people who say that cash shop (micro transactions) sometime provide paying player with an unfair advantage, sometimes known as "I win" equips, providing perhaps double the armor of any normally obtained armors. Pay to play games are nice because it provides a better barrier against idiots. Free to play games do normally have a bigger player base, since anyone can just pick it up and play at anytime. I would say over all I like the Free to play systems that include micro payments better, so long as the cash shop is free of godly equips.
ReplyDeleteI also play games that include both models. However i prefer to subscribe to games I really enjoy and the micro pay for games I dont really care to continue playing long term.
ReplyDeleteJust to be clear; I dont have a problem to pay to compete or even pay subscription for game that I enjoy. I dont even care if people get to max level before me. I also have no problem with people being better then I am as long as the victory is based on skill.
With games that are based on micro pay models for most 3rd person games it is almost never the case.