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!