Entry #8: Paying More for... Less?

So for the last couple of days (as of this post), there's been something going on in the video gaming scene regarding micro-transactions. For those unaware, the name says it all for you; micro-transactions are small payments within a game or something related to it for the sake of making a few extra bucks. These can range from some kind of currency within a game, to badly-implemented paywalls that go against the game's established gameplay and rules. However... are these as bad as they really sound? Or are they truly evil schemes plotted by someone looking to squeeze more out of their own project for the sake of cash?

I'll say right up front that I, myself, really don't like these forms of payments within a game. It's one thing if the "game" itself is free, but if you have to pay money right up front before being able to get into the game and play it, that's where the line needs to be drawn. If I, personally, am expected to put even more money into a game for more functions and characters i'm not even sure if i'll enjoy in it, then I may as well have wasted money with that initial payment. With that said, there's games that do this the wrong way, and games that do this the right way.

Let's start with the wrong way, first; Mobile games. Now, these games are usually, typically free to download on your phone and play day in and day out. But what makes and/or breaks these games are their gameplay and how they use micro-transactions. Let's talk about one game shown above: Fire Emblem Heroes. This game has good gameplay, but what could break the experience for you is the "Orb" system for getting more characters in the game itself. By using orbs, you obtain varying types of individual units from set "Summoning Circles" in-game, and these units (which are all randomly varied in their weapon, means of attack, and other skills and such, by the way), are what you use to fight your enemies in game.

These orbs can be paid for, but you can also get a lot by logging in daily and doing special missions (provided your units are a high enough level to meet the difficulty requirement). However, this is where one of many problems with the game begin. I feel like the game does a good enough job rewarding those who keep playing the game as it comes and goes through their mind, but for those who've done almost everything in it and aren't able to get anymore orbs through gameplay, the game almost forces you pay for more orbs to do hero summons to get more playable characters for the game itself. And given how this system works, It can almost feel like gambling.

People put countless amounts of money into a game that they may or may not have after a while, and for what? Ultimately, completely nothing. This fact worsens when there's special events that basically force the players to spend more for a small chance of getting a character featured in the seasonal rotation, and have to wait a whole other year just to try and get it again, and in that timeframe, there's no telling what would happen to their interest in the franchise after putting money into it! It feels sketchy, and sadly, this only seems to be a growing strategy for games like this. With this said, there is a better way these are handled, and these are in two, pretty big games that everyone may or may not know.

 


The video games that handle micro-transactions the best, in my eyes, are Overwatch and Team Fortress 2. In these games, paying for more is purely optional, and are usually only done for cosmetic items. TF2 does allow you to purchase in-game weapons from its' in-game shop, but chances are you'll most likely come across those weapons by playing the game normally. OW only provides players with cosmetic items, and while it unfortunately has seasonal items like FEH, they can still be obtained normally if the player stays dedicated to playing the game, and they never need to spend a single cent to get what they want. If micro-transactions continue to be included in games, this is the way they need to be implemented; reward the player's time and dedication rather than their income.

Though despite this, loot boxes and in-game currency still plague video games on the mobile market, and in home console games as well. There can only be so much of it before it either gets abandoned for something else, or is classified as gambling/scamming people for money, but that's purely my own opinion. How do you all think about this system? Should micro-transactions be put into games that really need it? Do free mobile games get justified with small payments within them if the game's good enough? Or should they be outcast and outlawed, making video/mobile games cost more, but with plenty of content to justify their sales point? Give it some thought the next time you look into your phone system's app store.