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LFTE: Free to Pay (March)
I'm not exactly sure when the phrase "free-to-play" became ingrained in our lexicon, but it's a business model that has its roots in the PC freeware business of the 1980s. Of course, back then the ways to extract money from customers were far less developed. What started as games supported by an advertising or demo model has moved into the "freemium" generation, where in-game items or member services are the primary source of income.
I am not here to say I hate free-to-play games, or capitalism for that matter. I thoroughly enjoy playing free-to-play games, and who doesn't like making money? The business model does not define its entertainment value. Nor does paying for the entertainment make it a rip-off. Games are expensive, and the hard-working men and women of game development deserve compensation for their amazing products.
I am, however, slowly but surely becoming annoyed at the straight-faced lies that game publishers and developers deliver in the freemium space while they inform me how lucky I am to be playing their product for "free."
I have lost count of how often I have been told by developers and publishers that people who spend money in a freemium game don't get an advantage over people who don't pay. This is true in some cases, but I am seeing an alarming trend where opening up the wallet not only leads to advantages in-game, but in essence is making games more expensive than they would have been at that old industry standard of 60 American dollars.
Players are able to unlock weapons faster in first-person shooters, ensuring that the army with the biggest pocketbook has an advantage over pure skill. Leaderboards will always be questioned on whether the player was good or just had the cash to keep purchasing "gems" or whatever other made-up monetary device the game employs. Or what about RPGs, where you can refill meters that let you kill monsters that would normally be beyond your power, or level and gain attributes at a faster pace?
Do you have to buy your way to victory? Certainly not, but these developers are preying on our competitive instincts to line their pocketbooks. Is it a fair exchange? It really depends on the game and how each person feels about parting with their hard-earned dollars. It does concern me, however, that the hardcore fans tend to be the ones covering the bill for those who are unwilling to pay. The playing field -suffers when the rules can be bent for just a few dollars more.
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