How gaming was ruined.
How free to play combined with microtransactions ruined what used to be a wonderful past time for kids and adults like.
I just read in the newspaper that a kid, spent Rs. 2,30,000(>3000 USD) on PUBG.
He did this simply by using his granddad’s debit card.
It was so simple. He put the card details in the app, did a transaction.
Deleted the OTP and balance message in his granddad’s phone.
Until he missed doing so, once.
His grandad realized that the account had left only Rs 275(~4 USD) when he saw the message.
He got scammed by his own grandson. Obviously, granddad retracted the complaint.
But what about the kid. No one will try to understand why the kid did what he did.
Essentially, he was subtly, very very subtly directed towards paying. Here’s how-
- Need to upgrade your townhall — It will take 1 hour if you pay, 24 hours if you don’t.
- Need to replenish you energy — It will take 10 minutes if you pay, 6 hours if you don’t.
- Need to open a lootbox — It will open immediately if you spend some gems, 4/6/24 hours otherwise.
The difference between paying and non-paying customers has been increasing year over year.
Fortnite uses an in-game virtual currency called “v-bucks” that its players can either earn through gameplay or purchase using real cash (or credit). V-bucks are used to purchase items such as skins and to unlock several hidden features within the game. On top of that, Fortnite players may also purchase a “battle pass” to accumulate game awards and advance through the game’s tiers more quickly.
Simple. The only objective is to make you spend money.
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Why do they do that. ?
It’s simple. Not all people were willing to pay Rs 5000(~60USD) for a game.
Cool, we give the game for free.
What do we get from it?
Free publicity.
Free articles.
More users who will play the game as it is free.
What do we do?
We lock certain aspects of gameplay.
Lock the characters abilities.
Special powers.
Powerful weapons.
New levels.
All so that we can extract more money.
It’s not a new design, it is a conscious decision to make more money.
Simple.
You have to pay to win against others who are paying to win against you.
I enjoy gaming myself.
Games were never like this.
I have been playing ever since I was young enough to hold a controller.
I have owned a nintendo, couple of Playstations and other gaming consoles.
Never, I repeat never have I been forced to pay after I bought a game.
But kids now? They don’t.
The only way they know to get ahead is to pay.
They will lie, cheat and even steal to pay for the game.
Earlier, we used to scrap and save. Wait for a upto year or 2 years to play the latest game.
Except now, it’s free.
Until it isn’t.
Note — This post is just to share a perspective on how microtransactions are killing the fun and hustle associated with videogames.
Monetising an industry associated with kids, especially young kids and subtly forcing them to pay is morally and ethically incorrect.
