Okay, so, I will try to keep this post in the spirit of the original question but as convoluted as the subject is I can’t promise I won’t go off the beaten path.
Firstly, I absolute hate the fact that we even have to have the discussion. I have been gaming since the Commodore 64 “computer” and the Atari system were the only things you could play, since that time I have watched the industry shift and change into something I never thought I would (and frankly didn’t want to) see. I personally hate any model with Micro-transactions even existing. Having said all that… I understand that the landscape has changed and it’s not something that’s going to go away anytime soon, if ever. As such, I curb my expectations and understand that if it’s going to be a ‘thing’ I need to at the very least have some baselines regarding things I will accept and things that I will not.
Again, I come from a time when you paid the price of the game upfront and received absolutely everything the game had to offer. So of course my perspective will be heavily biased in that regard. There was no gated content, there was no withholding features or sub-optimal/sub-“fun” game designs implemented intentionally to entice you to purchase the “Solution” to the problem the company intentionally created and having awesome cosmetics meant that you went out of your way to seek those items out (and probably spent hours upon hours in the attempt). This created exclusivity, and it meant that if someone saw your character with awesome gear it’s because you earned it. It created moments like “Oh wow, that guy has “x”…” and “Yeah, my next goal is to farm “x” so I can have that too.” (Looking at you, UO.)
My biggest issue with P2W or MTX in general is this: Anytime MTX is introduced into a gaming economy/system it’s an inherent conflict of interest. The developer wants to make money. (Of course, as they should, everyone should get paid for their work.) and you, the end user, want to experience things in a way that is meaningful and enjoyable. Essentially, the player, is at the mercy of the developer in this scenario, full stop. Especially if they are “invested” (emotionally, not necessarily financially although that applies too) in the game. The question ultimately becomes, why “wouldn’t” a company, attempting to make money, intentionally create bad systems or leverage certain aspects of the game just to get people to pay money to overcome them?
Short answer: The wouldn’t.
Not if they are looking to profit (And contrary to popular belief ALL companies are.) This kind of practice saturates the industry/market with a ton of badly designed, dime- a-dozen games that are created with the sole purpose of nickel-and-diming their players until the next big thing comes out. This also creates a scenario in which longevity is no longer a concern as the primary bulk of income happens through game designs, not sales of the game. It’s not only bad for the players from an individual perspective but it’s bad for the industry as a whole. To be clear; some companies are for more egregious than others in this regard (Which I’ll get to in a minute as per what I will accept and what I wont) but if companies are going to make more money by creating cheaper, shittier games, why would they EVER seek an alternative? So, it perpetuates. The games stay fundamentally flawed while we pry open our wallets in the hopes that we’ll find a modicum of satisfaction with slot machine we’ve picked for the time being.
Keeping all this in mind, my personal opinion on the entire subject is that on a fundamental level, any company that charges for actual in-game progression is exploiting you. Full Stop. There is no-way to do this without artificially and arbitrarily inflating the requirements of said progression to make those purchases seem reasonable. If the progression system is adequate and designed well there is absolutely no need for these types of Microtransactions to exist, period. Furthermore, once these systems are implemented that means that time spent on behalf of the player, means absolutely nothing. Why spend inordinate amounts of time seeking out the best gear, advantages ect, if someone can simply open their wallet and buy what you’ve spent multiple hours trying to obtain. It trivializes the whole “Time = reward” aspect of the game - That is something I deem unacceptable. Period.
Cosmetics, while similar in essence, are not necessarily imperative to my characters progression. Though, many (Myself included) would argue that it is a very important aspect of the game itself because it gives your character individuality. It’s essentially a representation of the idea you have/had for the character and by extension a representation of the player. Most of the time when cosmetics are introduced via MTX it’s something the developers could have put in the game for you to obtain through other means and simply didn’t because they are trying to capitalize on the fact that people want to be unique. Ironically, it effectively elminates the entire point in the process and yet it still works.
Though, as I said, the landscape has changed and if MTX is implemented than cosmetics are something I try to overlook, so long as the prices aren’t designed to gouge my bank account 60 - 100 dollars at a time and it’s not glaringly obvious that the company had these designs upfront and just decided to lock them behind a paywall.
I think the “spirit” of what the companies monetization is, is important. It’s not difficult to tell when something is designed to severely take advantage of you. If prices are fair and the game is good, I don’t generally have an issue spending a bit of money on cosmetcs as I feel that the time invested is worth supporting the devs. This is an important key factor though. The game needs to be robust enough, good enough, and designed well enough that I enjoyed the game for what it IS prior to wanting to spend the money. If a game charges or sells progression materials/avenues/currency/etc, I won’t even play it, so the idea of it being good enough is irrelevant.
IMO, the most acceptable form of MTX are supporter packages. You know that you are directly supporting the creation of the game and as such you receive something in return for it. It’s a win-win for both the developers and the consumer. (Again, so long as they are cosmetic in nature.)
So, I guess this is a really long-winded way of saying that I accept reasonably priced cosmetics as something I tolerate (And will even buy on occasion), so long as the game is of good quality, Progression MTX in any form is a no-go and unacceptable, and I’d rather MTX was done-away with all together.
Sorry for the semi-‘rantish’ opinion piece and I appreciate the opportunity to discuss this with rational people.
Oh and for the record I definitely deem this game as a good, well-designed game and it’s clear through both the game itself and the media the Devs have spoken on, that they truly love their game and are out to provide a unique fulfilling experience.
