Consider PS30m. Windows Phone UK says that children spend this amount in games without the permission of their parents. It’s not a new thing in the gaming industry. Or is it?
Gaming has been almost exclusively a commercial, capitalist industry. The biggest titles are AAA games, with huge studios that focus more on profit than fun. It is because of this that there is a wonderful indie community. There have always been extra fees in these games whether they are online or not. You can either buy the game at a local retailer or buy a shiny new edition. Pre-ordering the collector’s version or buying a second edition because it is a limited edition are two ways to get more money. These companies will try to make more money by offering in-game benefits for collectors’ editions and bonus payments for extra fees.
A community can benefit from industries that are driven by commercial interests. It can lead to more competition and better products. There is a limit to capitalist strategies that go too far. Has the gaming industry become a blight on our entertainment? Has the gaming industry gone too far with their penny-pinching methods, and cheated us out of hard-earned cash? Children pay PS30m, which is a large amount of money. Take a look at some of the more insidious aspects of this industry.
RealArcade was a problematic app that closed the millennium. I’m certain you remember it. It was an unintentional tag-along software that would be installed by WinZip, or other unrelated third-party offers. It was a jukebox. It was a jukebox. You could play classic games such as Bejeweled or Popcap titles like Insaniquarium. This company has evolved into Big Fish Games, which produces game series like Drawn and Mystery Case Files. Recently, this company has entered the social networking world. Remember this.
Zynga should be a name we are all familiar with. FarmVille is a game they produced for Facebook. FarmVille allows players to upgrade and build a farm. That’s it. There is also a ranking system. There is a competition and the new features to increase experience are locked until a certain level. This results in a slower gameplay. Another example of social networking gaming. The energy system is more important. In a few moments, we’ll return to the monetization.
Extra Credits is a game commentary website and community Penny Arcade. The Season 5 episode 4 concerns energy systems, and the claims that they are abusing their players. The energy systems effectively limit the player’s ability to play the game. However, they offer a real-world payment to bypass the downtime. These paid bypasses are abusive and insidious, especially when combined with the competitive structure that hinders advancement. Many Game Studies communities would no longer consider the program to be a “game”.
In Season 2, Episode 25, Extra Credits speaks in generalities hello88 about microtransactions. They claim that microtransactions result from bad commercial practices that are propagated by consumers’ ignorance. The first and most important difficulty revealed by consultation with the gaming industry giant EA Games is the fundamental perception that consumers are the enemies, which must be overcome.
- Free-to play games need a free to play environment. The lifespan of a game is reduced when the community is forced to buy microtransactions. Extra Credits explains that players in an online game are satisfied. It is the community that makes a game last.
- They also suggest that players should be able to acquire all types of currency within the game. Even real-world currencies. This is not a way to hinder corporations and it gives players an incentive to play.
- Third, you should never sell your power. Unbalance a community through unreliable monetization is one way to poison it.
- Last but not least, do not divide your community by failing to follow the suggestions above. A healthy community is one that promotes itself and is enjoyable for both creators and consumers.
Microtransactions, of course, are not a solely insidious concept. They can also play a role in the industry and be carried out in a healthy way.
- DLC is one way to add new features to your game. It allows players to test the water and decide if they are interested in diving into your world.
- In-game purchases can benefit from personalization. As long as they do not have a functional benefit, they can be used in the game to promote culture and community. The players like to show their individuality. This creative side of the player is lost without the ability to customize characters. If they have access to personalization benefits, their uniqueness can flourish and spread not only to the community but to the personalization package.
Microtransactions don’t have to be bad. However, they have the potential to be misused, as we see with companies such as Zynga and Supercell. The monetization of video games also isn’t illegal. It is a crime to view consumers as the enemy. The way to create a more positive and broader experience for both consumers and creators is to monetize with the community.