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Forums - Gaming Discussion - "Microtransactions piss me off"

libellule on 22 March 2008

http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/2008/03/22/microtransactions-piss-me-off/

BY Chris WilcoxMarch 22nd, 2008
Weekend Discussion / Microtransactions piss me off
Industry PlayStation 3 Xbox 360

Microtransactions piss me off.

There, I’ve said it… and I hope you’ll stick around for a sentence or two to understand - hell, perhaps even empathize with - my ire.

Microtransactions are a trend I fear in gaming as I honestly think it can only bring ruin to the industry. Certainly, the corporations can make gobs of more money in the process, but what about We, the gamers?

It’s one thing to pay for a game per play, a la the arcades of my childhood (ah, Dragon’s Lair standup, how Iloathe love thee). It’s another thing entirely to pay for a game, only to have to pay even more money for “extra” content, either contained on the disc already (thanks The Godfather, LEGO Star Wars, Viva Pinata, et al) or available via download for a ’small fee’.

Personally, I think it’s rather insulting to charge for a ‘map pack‘, or ‘horse armor‘, or better items, or whatever. I have had a looming suspicion for a long time now that this content is developed along side the release version of the game, only to be polished and released as ‘extra’ content either as part of an expansion pack, or with the advent of commonplace console marketplaces, as downloadable content.

The other big problem I have with microraping microtransactions is a level playing field. How can the average gamer expect to compete with Mr. Disposable Income 19 year old living in their parents’ basement? It’s certainly not fair to the people who don’t have/don’t want to spend the additional money for the newest/best weapon, armor, etc. I know I wouldn’t appreciate being separated out into the ‘casual’ gamer crowd who doesn’t spend the extra $15 just to have the UBER ELITE Sword of Destiny +5 instead of the plain old Sword of Destiny +2 that drops ‘naturally’ in the game. Of course, the maniacal, greedy, evil gaming corps aren’t going to want to cater to the gamer who doesn’t want to spend said money for additional content. If anything, they’re going to make it even less enjoyable to play their game in an effort to convince them into buying the content.

Blizzard’s Rob Pardo has stated some concerns with this trend in the past. An interview with Hollywood Reporter has his quoted as saying:

“Yes, but I believe that if we actually sold items online, it would really cheapen the game. What’s fun about “WoW’ is going into a dungeon and completing a particular quest and then being rewarded with a really cool item that your character can wear to show the other players that you’ve accomplished something. If you could suddenly buy that item, it would really cheapen that idea of accomplishment.”

I couldn’t agree more.

What about you? Have any horror stories? Pay for a DLC and not receive it? Or are you a :gasp!: proponent of the system, with thousands of MSPoints in your account, changing your Xbox LIVE ID at impulse, or buying new icon/themes ad infinitum? Hit me up with a comment below and let your word be heard.

==> I have never bought any DLC in gaming yet but I completely agree with what the guy is saying.
what do you think ?


Time to Work !

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Username2324 on 22 March 2008

Yeah I think it's dumb that companies are releasing partial games only to make you buy the rest later, like $60 for a game isn't expensive already.



NJ5 on 22 March 2008

I think charging for quality map packs is fine. Cosmetic items are also fine, although I pity the fool who buys them.

Anything which changes the balance of the game in multiplayer mode is a no no though, and it would be enough to stop me from buying said game. An example would be new weapons (as Battlefield:Bad Company is rumoured to have).

 



My Mario Kart Wii friend code: 2707-1866-0957

Words Of Wisdom on 22 March 2008

Microtransactions are problably one of the worst ideas to ever be introduced into gaming. 



iclim4 on 22 March 2008
libellule said: 
 How can the average gamer expect to compete with Mr. Disposable Income 19 year old living in their parents’ basement?

Ahaha that is SO me. ^_^

And I agree the microtransactions are getting out of hand.
I could stand in-game advertisements as long as it's well placed, but paying for content already in the game, or to get the full game experience is Bullshit.

I could stomach paying for extra content like map packs though, since it wasn't originally in the game and was made as an extra, but I would still rather have it for free.




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cool48 on 22 March 2008

Yeah they're shit. Having to pay to get better items is just ridiculous.



marciosmg on 22 March 2008

Couldn´t agree more with the article. Except for maybe for map packs, these things remove the fun of earning things in games, which is one of the great things about gaming.



www.jamesvandermemes.com

Nintendo_Dude on 22 March 2008

I can see it now.

It'll go from

Achievement Unlocked:
500 kills

to

Achievement Unlocked:
Gave Microsoft $10.



So why did they call it the 360?because when you see it, you'll turn 360 degrees and walk away- some guy on Gamespot
akuma587 on 22 March 2008

Its not going to go away, so as long as it is reasonable I don't mind. They shouldn't make major gameplay elements like a large amount of guns, available by DLC only. Otherwise it doesn't bother me. It can be pretty convenient for expansions too. Expansions have been a pretty regular thing on the PC market and are something consoles generally haven't had.



We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers…Also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls.  The only thing that really worried me was the ether.  There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge. –Raoul Duke

It is hard to shed anything but crocodile tears over White House speechwriter Patrick Buchanan's tragic analysis of the Nixon debacle. "It's like Sisyphus," he said. "We rolled the rock all the way up the mountain...and it rolled right back down on us...."  Neither Sisyphus nor the commander of the Light Brigade nor Pat Buchanan had the time or any real inclination to question what they were doing...a martyr, to the bitter end, to a "flawed" cause and a narrow, atavistic concept of conservative politics that has done more damage to itself and the country in less than six years than its liberal enemies could have done in two or three decades. -Hunter S. Thompson

fabledgamer on 22 March 2008

For the most part they are a rip off. but then something like the dlc from elderscrolls comes along and does things right... but on the whole its been a bad idea.