Pay To Win Costs EA & DICE Fans
You’re a game publisher. You launch a multiplayer setup for a game, say that game was Battlefield: Bad Company, and say, that despite the overkill of the both the franchise and the genre in general you actually had people interested in playing it.
Now put yourself into the shoes of a seasoned FPS multiplayer hero. You’re looking forward to a new game in which to test your might, and your hoping against hope that this title last six months before devolving into a sinister den of cheaters, chat trolls, and general ass monkeys. You enter the game space only to discover that the ass monkeys are already in residence, not as players, but as the greedy bastards who made the game. The best weapons, you see, are available only to those willing to dish out cash over and above the box price for the game. Lazy punks with mommy’s credit card can now beef themselves up to insane levels of fire power, while you, the lowly traditionalist, will never see those weapons even if you put in thousands of hours of game time.
Some people, naturally, weren’t happy with this. In fact, many were somewhat irate, such as Sarcastic Gamer, made caustic videos and helped generate a tidal wave of consumer hatred that included a surprisingly organized and publicized attempt at organizing a boycott.
Now EA and DICE, squirming at the thought of reduced profits (oh god! The money! Somebody save the money!) have tucked tail and licked the boots of the all-mighty consumer with a compromise that should work for everyone. The lazy gamers who want to reach their full potential through lack of any effort (except punching in a card number) on their part can still do so, but those of us who actually choose to you know, play the damn game for our unlockables –surely a revolutionary concept — can also do that the old fashioned way by hard work and determination. This way, not only does EA and DICE avoid a boycott and still reap the revenue of the retail sales, but it also scoops a little more out of the segment of the gaming population with more money than time.
Like I said….compromise.
Via | CaVG.com
Related Stories
POSTED IN: FPS, Online Gaming, Things That Suck
2 opinions for Pay To Win Costs EA & DICE Fans
Mike
Apr 17, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Would I still boycott Bad Company when it comes out (I originally planned on doing so before the “compromise”)? It really depends, see. As of now, all my attention is on GTA IV and April 29.
Come June 12, all my attention is on MGS4 and MGO. Even later this year, all my attention would be on Fallout 3.
I don’t have room for Bad Company.
Erin
Apr 18, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Point taken. Outwith war gaming junkies, this perhaps isn’t the most anticipated game in history, but what it does do is set a precedent with regards to not only the “pay to win” philosophy, but the strong knee-jerk reaction against it.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: