Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

When online gaming first began, they did not exist. After a time, they began to appear, slowly at first, then with increasing frequency. They are worming their way into many MMOGs, including the giant 800 pound gorilla of the online gaming world. Their existence causes gamers a myriad of responses ranging from acceptance to indifference to outright hatred. What is this phenomenon that is proliferating with every passing financial quarter? The answer, my friends, is micro-transactions. Are they a bane to gaming or a boon? Are they destined to wither and die or take an even firmer hold upon the fertile MMOG soil?

To begin our discussion, we must define exactly what a micro-transaction is. Put simply, a micro-transaction is when a player pays real money for something in-game. What you can buy for in-game use varies depending upon the game that you’re playing. We’ll use Champions Online as a main reference for micro-transactions, but many other online games use them.

Champions Online uses micro-transactions, which occur in their C-Store (Champions Store). You spend real world money to buy Cryptic Points. The exact breakdown is shown below.

• $6.25 USD 500 Cryptic Points
• $12.50 USD 1000 Cryptic Points
• $25.00 USD 2000 Cryptic Points
• $62.50 USD 5000 Cryptic Points

What can you buy with your Cryptic Points? Right now, you can use them to buy a multitude of things, such as extra costume slots per hero, new costume pieces, action figures, the ability to rename a character, additional character slots, and retcon tokens. The prices range from 80 points for an emblem pack up to 1200 points for four additional character slots.

On the surface, micro-transactions seem harmless. You can buy something that doesn’t have any real impact upon the game play or balance. A cool new costume for sale? Who doesn’t mind spending a few bucks to pick it up? You can use it for your whole account, not just for a single character. What’s the harm in that? Well, I’ll tell you the problem.

The problem is that you shouldn’t have to pay real money for new perks if you’re playing a subscription based game. If you’re like me, you’re shelling out $14.95 a month to play online with your friends, not counting the cost of the original game itself. Think about that for a second. You’re spending $14.95 a month, which means in a three month period, you’re practically paid for a brand new game. In a year’s time, you’ll have paid a total of $179.40! For that kind of money, I expect some new content on a somewhat regular basis. I’m not talking about being a nutjob and demanding that there’s a new lair or zone every two weeks, but an update (beyond a patch) every 3-4 months sounds reasonable. This update doesn’t have to be drastic; it could just include some new missions, a few new enemies, and some new costume pieces (especially for a game like Champions Online which prides itself upon its character generator). Why should I pay above and beyond my subscription fee for any new perks? The answer is simple; you shouldn’t have to pay for those things, pure and simple.

The main problem with micro-transactions is that they do affect game play and balance. At first, they seem harmless enough, but there’s a slippery slope that many fail to see. Some additional character slots or some new costumes; what’s the big deal? The game destroying problem is that micro-transactions don’t end there, they just begin. Let’s be brutally honest. The only reason micro-transactions exist is to squeeze more money out of the player. At first, it’s relatively harmless. However, after the game company sees the quarterly returns during their budget meetings, you know some accountant is squeaking out, “Did you see that we made $150,000 last month on just some costume upgrades? How much more do you think we can make if we offer something that actually helps the character out like a cool new sword or ability? Think of all that extra cash!” Which is what happens. When the game company sees the profit of micro-transactions, then they speed that up. Now, you’ll see new items such as weapons or mounts became available for purchase, making a character more powerful in-game. Why be a chump and try to slog through a raid to get a rare drop when you can buy an equivalent item for $8.95 with daddy’s credit card? Most game companies don’t start doing micro-transactions to destroy the game play of their MMOGs, but it usually ends up that way. Once they go from cosmetic effects to game play effects, then game balance is destroyed.

All in all, I hate micro-transactions. They’re bad for gaming in the long haul. However, there is a place for them and that place is free-to-play games. If you’re not paying a subscription fee to play a game, then I see no problem with micro-transactions. The game company has a right to make money (and hopefully, more games!) any way they can. You have no right to bitch about game balance and such if you’re playing a game for free. If you’re paying $14.95 a month, then that’s a different story.

I submit to you, the players, that micro-transactions are a bane upon online gaming. Even though they start out innocent enough, they grow and grow and become a pox upon balanced game play. You’re paying good money every month to play your favorite MMOG; you shouldn’t have to pay them again for content you should be getting as part of your subscription fee. In addition, you want to make sure that you’re not totally outclassed by some pimply faced kid who has played very little of the game’s content, but has an allowance bigger than your paycheck. You should earn your awesome gear or abilities, not just pick them out like you’re in a grocery store. Down with the evil of micro-transactions!