BUY IT NOW: Buying your way up!

[stonewall337]

http://www.toptiertactics.com/2012/05/time-vs-money-the-false-dilemma-of-grind/

 

With the arrival of Diablo 3 and its real money auction house (RMAH), players worldwide* have fallen into shouting matches about the value of gear and the reward of experience.

On one hand, hardcore players scorn those who would waste real dinero on virtual items they didnt even earn.

On the other hand, affluent adults argue they shouldnt miss out on content because they dont get summers off.

Both sides have valid points, of course. But ultimately, this debate was only a symptom of the real problem

 

The right way vs. the right now way

For traditional hardcore gamers, the concept of paying real money for virtual items just feels wrong on many levels. These players often dont believe cash should be wasted on digital armor and weapons, and theyre not usually fans of paid DLC or the like to begin with. Playing the game is its own reward, and patience pays off in experience, loot, and the dignity of having accomplished everything the old-fashioned way.

Additionally, anti-microtransaction gamers dont really consider it fair if other people can swipe an AmEx card to get the same loot they spent hundreds of hours acquiring. And with an increasing number of games including such systems, it can easily feel that the power of the almighty dollar is reaching too far into an otherwise competitive, balanced system. Whats the point of getting good at a game if some geezer can just bid for the best items available?

Many older players, of course, have no qualm with dropping $10 to $20 if it means avoiding five hours of loot runs, boss raids, or other grinds. These gamers, the majority of whom are adults with enough disposable income to buy a new game every week, see their time as more valuable than the dignity of getting their hands dirty to compete.

From the perspective of time-strapped players, theyre the ones at a disadvantage. While theyre stuck at the office all day, or perhaps busy chasing three kids around the house, the anti-payment gamers have 20+ hours a week to hunt for loot and memorize damage charts. By the time our richer comrades get online, theyre eighteen levels behind everyone else and trodding through the game wearing something they found in a box of scraps. Should a games system requirements really include Playing this title like your second job?

 

The root of the problem

Trick question. Because whatever camp you happen to side with, the problem was never other players getting an unfair advantage via time or money expenditure.

The problem was that these games required so much goddamn grind to begin with.

Videogame studios were increasingly adding unlocks and random rewards to their games to increase revenue and create habit-forming playstyles that demanded nearly infinite replays. With the introduction of achievements, the perfect balance of expected and unexpected rewards had been created. Grind would become the de facto state of modern gaming.

And that addictive, random-reward Pavlovian bullshit kept you playing Diablo, Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, and hell, even Magic: the Gathering for so long. Every time you identified a rare item or bought a Premium Spectre Pack or opened a new pack of cards, the adrenaline pumping through your veins reinforced your need for more. You saved your lunch money for new packs of Kamigawa, or perhaps you even cheated at Draw Something to finally unlock another can of the worlds most expensive digital paint. And whether you were paying for these experiences with hours of work in-game or hours of work on the job, you sacrificed something meaningful every time just to have a chance at a new reward.

All these system really did, of course, was add an artificial layer of replayability to games via monotony and random chance. If you unlocked specific equipment at certain levels in Diablo 2, you wouldnt have to perform Baal runs for 30 hours straight. If Bioware gave you all your single player equipment the moment you signed into multiplayer, you could crush Reaper forces from the get-go, spending your time having fun instead of farming Firebase White. If you started Draw Something with some decent colors, maybe your idiot cousin would be able to guess you were illustrating Double Rainbow.

I mean seriously how hard is it to just give me purple, Zynga?

 

Back to the blame game

Anyway, it quickly becomes clear that it was never the spoiled high schoolers with too much time on their hands who made it difficult to compete. It wasnt rich, Wall Street weekend gamers who bought max-level characters that kept you from getting the most out of your game.

It was the development studio that designed your experience to revolve around flushing your time and/or money down the toilet in the pursuit of random, shiny objects you might never even get.

Instead of crafting gameplay based on skill, planning, or tactics, they wanted your entire experience to depend on how addicted you were to the games ridiculous systems. And if that addiction and emotional investment got high enough, you might be willing to spend more hours in game, more money in the auction house, or more time telling your friends about just how good your new game was and how you just couldnt put it down.

Because even if you werent going to spend another dime on hats in Team Fortress 2, there was a good chance your pals would at some point. As with any habit-forming activity, it would be passed around your social circle until every last one of your gaming buddies was a mindless addict. Before long, theyd all be drooling while throwing money at the screen, shouting at the game to give their in-game avatars prettier DLC dresses.

 

Small hope for microtransactions

Some players will still prefer high-grind games for whatever reason. Maybe they just enjoy the thrill of the hunt. Or perhaps, whether their wealth is earned in-game or out, theyre just the kind of people who like feeling superior to their poorly-equipped contemporaries. Until you see casinos and lotteries shutting down worldwide, you can bet theres still a market for random reward money/timesinks.

But that doesnt mean games are doomed to grinding the fun out of their experiences. Many titles, most notably Guild Wars 2, are designed to make players competitive without huge time investments. In ArenaNets upcoming MMO, players and their gear are automatically upscaled in PvP and downscaled in low-level areas, making most grind (and the need to buy advantages) pointless.

And when real money shops are available, some games like Path of Exile are reserving purchases for aesthetic-only items that wont let the lawyer next door buy his way to the top of the ladder. Valves hat-conomy in Team Fortress 2 is quite similar, granting players cool points without letting them win more easily with slick hats. Yes, weapons are also available in TF2′s shop, but the vast majority of them are arguably worse than the default kits for each class.

 

Maintaining perspective

A Greek poet once said, Dont hate the player, hate the game. Truer words have never been spoken. When you boot up Diablo 3 and see a Demon Hunter stroll into town with a jewel-encrusted Windforce bow, dont get jealous over how much time and/or money he has. Write down your scathing remarks and send them to Bashiok at Blizzard Entertainment instead. Hell greatly appreciate your thoughtful rant.

 

* Except in Asia, because Blizzard doesnt want their money.

 

 

Read more: http://www.toptiertactics.com/2012/05/time-vs-money-the-false-dilemma-of-grind/#ixzz1v6wv4QAn

 

 

 

This is about DIABLO 3 but it applies to any game with buyable with real world stuff. With the SOF I thought this was an interesting article.

[Ts_Stormrage]

Basically every article I've ever written ;)

[Den]

Nice article. Saddens me to see how many games incorporate microtransactions these days. :(

[Pinata]

Sometimes I think these companies hired a psychologist to design aspects of the game. I mean think of the skill cape. It holds so much value to people it's insane. Eventually, you think ok if these companies start selling top end gear, than the gear will lose its sentimental value, and no-one will want it. But it's not happening. I mean look at how many people have skill capes today, how many people bot or cheated, or just plain old bought an account. Yet everyone still wants them.

 

"they’re just the kind of people who like feeling superior to their poorly-equipped contemporaries"

I feel this line is too true for almost any multiplayer video game out there. It's extremely noticeable in Runescape.

 

 

I can see the executives at Jagex laughing at how addicted we our too simple pixels.

 

But I guess it's what the pixels mean to people. I've even seen people choose pixels over real life friends, although I'd say most gamers are more reasonable than that.

 

 

To make a successful MMORPG, the gameplay makes you try it out and the addiction makes you stay. Damn I'm tired so none of this probably makes sense, but pretty much Runescape isn't quite about gameplay, its about so much more... They feed off our weaknesses in real life. Hate your job, gf cheating on you, life sucks. Escape it all on a MMORPG, where if you invest the time or possibly money, you can have a pretty nice feeling of success, whether or not its fake, the feeling is still real.

[Maximusa]

Well I definately fit into the category of wanting to 'play' a game rather than buying success. Its the meaning behind playing the game to me. *shurgs* Its the sense of achievement and personal success etc. Irks me if someone I know in say any game goes and buys equipment as it seems like they lost the plot of what they are even doing there. Pretty much only time I dont mind it is if a game has been out for donkey years and/or you are returning and dont want to 'completely' start from scratch.

 

It should also be noted that I dont understand what is wrong with grind. I play many games due to the fact I enjoy that aspect. There are plenty of games where you either dont or dont have to. If you dont want to then dont. Plenty games that include grind that I choose to not focus on even though I tend to enjoy it - Those times I just cant be arsed for that particular game. Its easy not to or just not play that game.

 

As for runescape its a matter of ignoring it or leaving pretty much.

 

That article was related to diablo 3. My imo is diablo 3 is a great game for various reasons but also very lacking. Regarding the real world money issue. Thats what grim dawn is for. Soon as thats released it will give most diablo 3 fanatics the option they desire. (Including me.) Diablo 3 shaw be enjoyed for what it is but it is true (As a huge fan) that it isnt as good due to various reasons. Stat input - rwt stuff - etc. So just ganna enjoy diablo 3 for what it is and then enjoy grim dawn even more. Truth be told I am glad diablo 3 has all these 'issues' in their game because it made me look for an alternative so I could enjoy diablo experience again with stat input and without rwt junk piled on. Fortunately it exists and many other people agree with me that those issues suck. So someone else is taking advantage of that and trying to supply us players with what we are wanting. Everyone wins tbh. Diablo 3 is still fun but probably wont spend thousands of hours like I did with diablo 2 tbf. Idk yet but I find it doubtful. Not with someone like grim dawn around the corner - Looks better for my long term playativity.

 

I also think there is a difference between how diablo 3 is going about rwting compared to jagex. Jagex is a bit dirtier and underhanded tbh. They rarely listen to us etc etc. I got respect for how they handled diablo community but very little for how they handle runescape community.

 

Edit: As an extra note: I havnt began playing diablo 3 yet because I got exams in a month. I do fit in the category of a huge fan of the series. I spent years playings diablo 2. However I am a responsible player as I am sure many gamers are. Dont need to instantly no-life something if I got other priorities. I am dying to play but I just must wait. I wont need to suddenly buy all the dang items or anything. Pretty boring if I did that.

[Vex]

Because people don't rwt in Runescape. People don't rwt in WoW, people didn't rwt in Diablo 2.

 

Diablo 3 is not an mmo, other people having items does not effect your play experience. Buying success doesn't matter. You can play the game alone, with friends etc. While doing so you have the opportunity to make some cash with a lucky drop (or consistent cash depending how the economy will work).

 

I don't know about you, but the prospect of earning small amounts of cash legitimately from this game far outweighs the fact some random somewhere in the world in an entirely separate instance/game gets to use that item.

 

In Runescape currently I have lots of gold, I have nothing to do with it. I know I could technically rwt it illegally for 50 cents a pop. If there was an integrated system where I could sell my gold for real money, I'd be all for it. So what if someone else is suddenly allowed to buy all the gear he wants. they could of done that anyway via a third party site.

 

If you want a challenge in Diablo, you play on Hardcore. Hardcore has a separate gold auction house & NO Real money auction house. PvP isn't even patched in yet & I'm fairly sure a minority of people play the game for solely PvP anyway.

Some people should actually play the game and read up on it before joining the circlejerk.

 

The microtransaction point would be valid if Blizzard alone were selling the items in a shop.

[Dragonlordjl]

Right now, there is absolutely no point in using the RMAH in D3 because the game is strictly instanced (with up to four people) PvE. Blizzard talked about incorporating PvP sometime in the future, but as of right now it doesn't exist. And until it DOES exist, people aren't going to spend very much on items. Why should they-- they aren't directly competing with other players, so there is no need to twink your gear unless you just have to be the best. In a couple months after the newness has worn off, I'd see the absolute best stuff in the game going for maybe $20 tops.

 

Also, Blizzard put a stupid tax on the RMAH where any sale you do they take $1 from it, so in the end the majority of gold farmers will still use 3rd party websites rather than using Blizzard's official system, so they've solved nothing. I see JSP continuing to be just as prevalent in the economy as it was in the end of D2, which is unfortunate and could have been prevented had Blizzard not instituted that asinine AH tax.

[Th e Doctor]

http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted.html

 

Relevant.

[Bows]

Here's where I stand --

 

It's a game. You can play it and get good like normal people. Or, if the game incorporates microtransactions, you can buy items/gear/experience, and be good at the game (or attempt to be).

 

I don't care either way. How people choose to play the game is their choice. No amount of threads, articles, or angry posts is going to change that.

[stonewall337]

The difference is in some MMO's (Wow) gear matters for WORLD ranking, progression, logs, etc. In RS, its just about personal progression, and speed of kills. In D3, its just microtransactions, but between players instead of player and game company. I MUCH prefer the former.

[Dragonlordjl]

The difference is in some MMO's (Wow) gear matters for WORLD ranking, progression, logs, etc. In RS, its just about personal progression, and speed of kills. In D3, its just microtransactions, but between players instead of player and game company. I MUCH prefer the former.

But the game company takes a cut of every sale you make.

 

Which is why, in the end, most won't use it. They still stick to third-party websites.

[stonewall337]

The difference is in some MMO's (Wow) gear matters for WORLD ranking, progression, logs, etc. In RS, its just about personal progression, and speed of kills. In D3, its just microtransactions, but between players instead of player and game company. I MUCH prefer the former.

But the game company takes a cut of every sale you make.

 

Which is why, in the end, most won't use it. They still stick to third-party websites.

 

Prove it. Many people would rather not risk 1.) being banned 2.) being scammed and 3.) viruses/keyloggers 4.) creditcard/payapl information 5.) its a lot more work to sell your general item over the black market unless you are established as a seller/buyer 6.) Takes too much time to set up an account on a 3rd party site if you just want to sell that rare item.

 

Some may use it, I do not doubt. I just find your claim of "most" asinine.

 

Also, the point was about the difference between time/ money expended anyway and not about D3. Even though D3 is awesome. (on hell mode BTW bit OT but im tired from palying straight through zz)

[Ginger_Warrior]

http://www.cracked.c...u-addicted.html

 

Relevant.

Which is why I've never believed RuneScape will allow microtransactions to take over conventional gameplay. If they allowed somebody with a huge wad of cash to come along and buy in ten minutes what others have toiled hours and hours for, they don't really again anything from it money-wise. The former may get the instant gratification from having 'earned' the item, but chances are they won't have been sucked into the game's various addictive mechanisms, because they haven't had to work for it (at least not through the game any way) and so won't continue their membership for much longer.

 

Compare that to someone who's decided to work and work and work for their fancy items and high leveled stats, and has progressively become more and more conditioned to the game's monotonous grinding (lever pressing). They'll be paying that subscription fee for a long time to come, quite often years, perhaps providing more over the long term than the other guy gave in one transaction.

 

It'd be like giving the hamster a lever to prevent any future need to press any more levers. The researcher would gain nothing, and lose everything because the hamster is no longer doing what it's been manipulated to do. Jagex would gain nothing either, and lose its hold over the players it has also manipulated into an exaggerated sense of accomplishment.

 

Think of a dishwasher. In my experience, stuff that gets cleaned with a dishwasher is no cleaner than stuff that gets cleaned the old fashioned way, but how many people with dishwashers continue to clean their plates with elbow grease and washing up liquid, when they know they could take the lazy option which doesn't involve monotonously placing a dish into a basin, scrubbing it and putting it on a drying rack? Jagex know full well that if they gave players an option which meant they no longer needed to grind, players would jump on it and not look back, but Jagex need players to pay their subscription fees, so providing said option is not in their own interests.

[Th e Doctor]

http://www.cracked.c...u-addicted.html

 

Relevant.

Which is why I've never believed RuneScape will allow microtransactions to take over conventional gameplay. If they allowed somebody with a huge wad of cash to come along and buy in ten minutes what others have toiled hours and hours for, they don't really again anything from it money-wise. The former may get the instant gratification from having 'earned' the item, but chances are they won't have been sucked into the game's various addictive mechanisms, because they haven't had to work for it (at least not through the game any way) and so won't continue their membership for much longer.

 

Compare that to someone who's decided to work and work and work for their fancy items and high leveled stats, and has progressively become more and more conditioned to the game's monotonous grinding (lever pressing). They'll be paying that subscription fee for a long time to come, quite often years, perhaps providing more over the long term than the other guy gave in one transaction.

 

It'd be like giving the hamster a lever to prevent any future need to press any more levers. The researcher would gain nothing, and lose everything because the hamster is no longer doing what it's been manipulated to do. Jagex would gain nothing either, and lose its hold over the players it has also manipulated into an exaggerated sense of accomplishment.

 

Think of a dishwasher. In my experience, stuff that gets cleaned with a dishwasher is no cleaner than stuff that gets cleaned the old fashioned way, but how many people with dishwashers continue to clean their plates with elbow grease and washing up liquid, when they know they could take the lazy option which doesn't involve monotonously placing a dish into a basin, scrubbing it and putting it on a drying rack? Jagex know full well that if they gave players an option which meant they no longer needed to grind, players would jump on it and not look back, but Jagex need players to pay their subscription fees, so providing said option is not in their own interests.

 

Except for in this case it would be a lever that the rat could press 3 times a day to get a chance at instant gratification and spend money for more chances. Micro transactions like this are just expanding on the principle because humans are much more complex than rats and they can get more money out of them this way.

 

If 1 person spends 20 dollars on spins Jagex needs to lose 4 members for them to be at a net loss for that month. Guaranteed that they haven't lost close to a 1/4 ratio on people buying spins vs quitting and that's not considering the people who have spent more than 20 dollars. Have they lost players? Yep. Have they lost anywhere near enough where its negatively affecting their profits? No way in hell.

[Ginger_Warrior]

Yeah, that's what I meant by 'take over conventional gameplay'. One extreme is to say, "No microtransactions at all". I was highlighting the other extreme of that spectrum in my post.

 

What happens between the two is much more of a balancing act on Jagex's part, exactly as you point out.