Micro Transactions/Pay 2 Play
This subject is coming up more and more recently, as more developers grasp onto the concept of charging after the initial sale of their game, for extra content, vanity features and various purchases ingames for virtual items, currencies and boosts.
It is something that I feel very conflicted over, mainly due to my career choice, as I work in the videogames industry myself, and see how these transactions are viewed, as well as their affect on both the consumer and the employee. On the one hand, people have usually already paid for this content in their initial retail purchase of the game, but on the other hand, development isn't free, and if a game is good enough, the devs as well as the customer will want it to continue.
There are 2 main headings for these fee's:
- Pay 2 Play
- Free 2 Play
and within each are various different ways of hoovering those extra few coins out of the consumers pockets. When it comes to Pay 2 Play models, I am usually at peace with them. A monthly fee for a video game is acceptable, as there are costs to consider, such as server maintenance (Pay 2 Play tend to be online games), customer support wages to be paid, ongoing patch development, and various other little neccessities that allow content to constantly roll in. My problem with the Pay 2 Play model is when micro transactions begin to step over the line, giving players an advantage ingame. There is little problem charging a few coins for a vanity item, if people want it they can choose to buy it, but there is an issue charging €3 for the "Sword of Amazing DPS" that bumps your characters performance up.
It is something that I feel very conflicted over, mainly due to my career choice, as I work in the videogames industry myself, and see how these transactions are viewed, as well as their affect on both the consumer and the employee. On the one hand, people have usually already paid for this content in their initial retail purchase of the game, but on the other hand, development isn't free, and if a game is good enough, the devs as well as the customer will want it to continue.
There are 2 main headings for these fee's:
- Pay 2 Play
- Free 2 Play
and within each are various different ways of hoovering those extra few coins out of the consumers pockets. When it comes to Pay 2 Play models, I am usually at peace with them. A monthly fee for a video game is acceptable, as there are costs to consider, such as server maintenance (Pay 2 Play tend to be online games), customer support wages to be paid, ongoing patch development, and various other little neccessities that allow content to constantly roll in. My problem with the Pay 2 Play model is when micro transactions begin to step over the line, giving players an advantage ingame. There is little problem charging a few coins for a vanity item, if people want it they can choose to buy it, but there is an issue charging €3 for the "Sword of Amazing DPS" that bumps your characters performance up.
Transfers, Trinkets and Trillions, Oh my!
A micro transaction is usually one of the following:
- Moving a character from one realm to another
- Changing the looks and sex of a character
- Changing the name of a character
- Unlocking additional storage space/inventory slots
- Unlocking more character creation slots
- Priority access to ingame queued functions (instanced content)
- Vanity items that offer no advantage
- Non vanity items that offer an advantage
- Ability to traverse further through the world or unlock new zones
- Expansion pack
- Extra levels
There are others too, but these are the common ones you will come across as either ingame purchases or DLC on various console platforms.
- Moving a character from one realm to another
- Changing the looks and sex of a character
- Changing the name of a character
- Unlocking additional storage space/inventory slots
- Unlocking more character creation slots
- Priority access to ingame queued functions (instanced content)
- Vanity items that offer no advantage
- Non vanity items that offer an advantage
- Ability to traverse further through the world or unlock new zones
- Expansion pack
- Extra levels
There are others too, but these are the common ones you will come across as either ingame purchases or DLC on various console platforms.
Massively Multiplayer Money Machines
The main culprits for the use of micro transactions are Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG's/MMo's) as they have a constantly progressing world, with thousands of people all playing to get the best items and gear, and take down that next impossible boss. The World of Warcraft offers a good example here, being as it has both a monthly subscription, and a broad selection of micro transactions. The game is the single most successful MMo out there, and as such garners a large sum from players each month, just from the recurring subscription, however over recent years, the micro transactions have crept in and now it is possible to move a character and guild from realm to realm, switch factions, change your entire skinned looks, character name, guild name, and even buy mounts and mini pets to have fun with.
World of Warcraft has this balanced at the moment, and I have little issue with the level of micro transactions available in that game, as they are currently all optional and not key to gameplay, but there are games that offer a monthly fee and also the ability to buy ingame items that boost your characters, which to me is sand in the face of the subscribers.
Korean MMo's and DOTA style games thrive on Free-to-Play models, which are built on a foundation that you can play casually for a little bit, without ever dipping into your wallet, but if you want to enjoy the core game content, you need to show the colour of your money. The gPotato games are a perfect example of this, having a premium store for things like mounts, ingame abilities, and armor sets/weapons. This works really well for our eastern friends, as their internet usage is strictly limited by law each day, so a subscription means they wouldn't get the full use of the game, as oppose to us who could login at any time. Instead they opt for grindy F2P titles, or games that allow hourly or even minutely based gametime purchases, much like you would buy a prepaid top up card for your mobile phone.
MMo's, even unsuccessful ones still reap a tonne of cash from these transactions, making them some of the most lucrative options for a games company to run, as it generates technically free money daily, and are the most common places you would see paid services.
World of Warcraft has this balanced at the moment, and I have little issue with the level of micro transactions available in that game, as they are currently all optional and not key to gameplay, but there are games that offer a monthly fee and also the ability to buy ingame items that boost your characters, which to me is sand in the face of the subscribers.
Korean MMo's and DOTA style games thrive on Free-to-Play models, which are built on a foundation that you can play casually for a little bit, without ever dipping into your wallet, but if you want to enjoy the core game content, you need to show the colour of your money. The gPotato games are a perfect example of this, having a premium store for things like mounts, ingame abilities, and armor sets/weapons. This works really well for our eastern friends, as their internet usage is strictly limited by law each day, so a subscription means they wouldn't get the full use of the game, as oppose to us who could login at any time. Instead they opt for grindy F2P titles, or games that allow hourly or even minutely based gametime purchases, much like you would buy a prepaid top up card for your mobile phone.
MMo's, even unsuccessful ones still reap a tonne of cash from these transactions, making them some of the most lucrative options for a games company to run, as it generates technically free money daily, and are the most common places you would see paid services.
Xbox Live!, PlayStation Network, Wii Channel and more!
Console gaming is, and will be for a long time, the most popular gaming source around the world, due to the simplicity and accessibility of the medium. Mothers around the world jumped on the Wii on release, due to it's promotion of fitness in videogames, and low price tag, it became the christmas present of choice, and that years Buzz Lightyear doll. Teen gamers swayed towards the Xbox, for it's Call of Duty series, Halo, and the Live! service, giving them access to hundreds of downloadable arcade games, at the cost of a few coins. Older and richer gamers gravitated into the PS3 territory for it's far more mature approach to the medium, offering exclusive titles such as Uncharted, and the Ratchet and Clank series, and along with the Wii, offering a free online service, instead of the Xbox's choice to go for an annual subscription.
All 3 consoles have their various differences, but all share a paid service option too, in that you can buy game, content, and avatar clothing/accessories for a small fee. The Wii has the balance right, in that you buy Wii credits, and spend it on some very good quality retro games, as well as new releases, but the console only has a tiny HDD so storage is a constant problem. The PS3 offers the same content, but the HDD as standard is huge, and can be upgraded, meaning you can download a lot more content. The Xbox has the same functionality as the PS3 in this respect.
The Xbox Avatar store stands out as one of the more money hungry out of the 3 services, as it had literally thousands of different clothing options, but aside from a few free basic options, cost a nominal, and quite expensive fee. One of the key features advertised on released was how you would be able to unlock myriads of items and gear for your little onscreen buddy, however somewhere along the line, this stopped, and now all gear is only available (with a few very rare exceptions) for cash. Honestly, as you are already paying an annual fee, there is no excuse for this, in any way. You should not have to pay to dress up an avatar for your gaming hub of choice, but sadly it is a lucrative market and something we are forced into now.
Alongside the avatar store is the game marketplace where you buy games, and DLC (Downloadable Content) which comes in 2 flavors, "day 1 DLC" and "post release expansion content".
Day 1 DLC is the worst of all the DLC out there, as it usually involves a premium charge for content ALREADY on your game disc, such as extra costumes, items, music and additional area unlocks, as well as shortcut packs, giving you instant access to all the content that would be unlocked through completion.
Post release expansion content is content worked on after the game has hit the stores, and used to expand the game world, usually as a download to add extra levels, or extend gameplay, however it can still be things like costumes, but these are usually newly created ones, and not already on your game disc. As a classic PC gamer, I can remember when patches and expansions game on the front of a magazine, and were always free, but again a lucrative market tempted developers into charging for this, and as the world changes, so do our spending habits, and sadly again this has become acceptable.
I like that the developers want to continue to support a game after release, but I also don't like that they charge for content when they have charged €70 for the game in the first place. Gaming is going the way of the cinema, moving away from the lower income families, and only really being accessible for those with 2 cars on the drive, and 5 bedrooms in their detached country barn conversion. It pains me to watch a medium which is so popular with people on less money, become another delicacy, and less accessible, and hope that eventually we reach a point where people actually do refuse to buy these products anymore, as it concerns me that we will soon be paying €100+ for on release titles (heck here in France PC games are already up in the high 80's :( ).
In conclusion, DLC is a fantastic medium to bring continued support and content to released titles, but the ethics behind some of the behaviours is questionable at best. Companies are clearly concerned less about their customer base, and more about their bank balance, which is understandable, a company is there to make money, but eventually people simply won't be able to afford these luxuries anymore, and what happens then? Piracy is already a huge problem in gaming and other entertainment mediums, and constantly charging again and again for content which we have basically already paid, and the increasingly worrying price hikes are only going to encourage people to look into alternative methods to obtain these games, and that would be a very sad state of affairs indeed.
Just my 2c on this worrying world that gaming is now solidly into, and hope that while we will continue to get this content made available to us, the prices and premiums become a little less imposing, as my poor wallet hurts more and more each month.
All 3 consoles have their various differences, but all share a paid service option too, in that you can buy game, content, and avatar clothing/accessories for a small fee. The Wii has the balance right, in that you buy Wii credits, and spend it on some very good quality retro games, as well as new releases, but the console only has a tiny HDD so storage is a constant problem. The PS3 offers the same content, but the HDD as standard is huge, and can be upgraded, meaning you can download a lot more content. The Xbox has the same functionality as the PS3 in this respect.
The Xbox Avatar store stands out as one of the more money hungry out of the 3 services, as it had literally thousands of different clothing options, but aside from a few free basic options, cost a nominal, and quite expensive fee. One of the key features advertised on released was how you would be able to unlock myriads of items and gear for your little onscreen buddy, however somewhere along the line, this stopped, and now all gear is only available (with a few very rare exceptions) for cash. Honestly, as you are already paying an annual fee, there is no excuse for this, in any way. You should not have to pay to dress up an avatar for your gaming hub of choice, but sadly it is a lucrative market and something we are forced into now.
Alongside the avatar store is the game marketplace where you buy games, and DLC (Downloadable Content) which comes in 2 flavors, "day 1 DLC" and "post release expansion content".
Day 1 DLC is the worst of all the DLC out there, as it usually involves a premium charge for content ALREADY on your game disc, such as extra costumes, items, music and additional area unlocks, as well as shortcut packs, giving you instant access to all the content that would be unlocked through completion.
Post release expansion content is content worked on after the game has hit the stores, and used to expand the game world, usually as a download to add extra levels, or extend gameplay, however it can still be things like costumes, but these are usually newly created ones, and not already on your game disc. As a classic PC gamer, I can remember when patches and expansions game on the front of a magazine, and were always free, but again a lucrative market tempted developers into charging for this, and as the world changes, so do our spending habits, and sadly again this has become acceptable.
I like that the developers want to continue to support a game after release, but I also don't like that they charge for content when they have charged €70 for the game in the first place. Gaming is going the way of the cinema, moving away from the lower income families, and only really being accessible for those with 2 cars on the drive, and 5 bedrooms in their detached country barn conversion. It pains me to watch a medium which is so popular with people on less money, become another delicacy, and less accessible, and hope that eventually we reach a point where people actually do refuse to buy these products anymore, as it concerns me that we will soon be paying €100+ for on release titles (heck here in France PC games are already up in the high 80's :( ).
In conclusion, DLC is a fantastic medium to bring continued support and content to released titles, but the ethics behind some of the behaviours is questionable at best. Companies are clearly concerned less about their customer base, and more about their bank balance, which is understandable, a company is there to make money, but eventually people simply won't be able to afford these luxuries anymore, and what happens then? Piracy is already a huge problem in gaming and other entertainment mediums, and constantly charging again and again for content which we have basically already paid, and the increasingly worrying price hikes are only going to encourage people to look into alternative methods to obtain these games, and that would be a very sad state of affairs indeed.
Just my 2c on this worrying world that gaming is now solidly into, and hope that while we will continue to get this content made available to us, the prices and premiums become a little less imposing, as my poor wallet hurts more and more each month.