Your opinion on microtransactions?

[arcanehornet_]

I’m very curious about what the trophy hunting community thinks about microtransactions.
 

Personally I don’t think they should be a game which you already paid full price for..however their existence is easier to swallow in free to play games, since you paid nothing to play them.

 

What does everyone think?

Edited March 7, 2021 by arcanehornet_

[HuntingFever]

I hate microtransactions in all their forms, no matter what the game is and just wish they would go away.

[DaivRules]

I’m still indifferent on the existence of microtransactions. 
 

It’s easy enough these days to see which games have them and how they affect the game before I buy anything so I’m fine with them. If the developers feel that their game needs them to have the best possible version of the game and they’re obtrusive to the way I want to play, then those developers made a game I don’t want to play and I won’t buy it. 

 

 

[SeedersPhD]

The conundrum is that should we live in a world without microtransactions, multiplayer games will have zero incentive to introduce new content post launch and what you get is what you get. Given this, if game companies want to make all their microtransactions cosmetics and what not, I couldn't care less so be my guest. I care more about the game content then cosmetics anyway, and multiplayer games now-a-days still come with more cosmetic options for free then games from 10-15 years ago had in their entirety.

 

F2P games? If they wanna charge for content in bursts like a card game or something with expansions? Go ahead, a free game that doesn't charge for anything isn't exactly a viable plan without being a large company like Epic or Squenix.

[Slava]

I've never spent money on them, but I don't mind if other people do. Unless we're talking about the type of microtransactions that give players gameplay advantage in multiplayer modes. The pay-to-win stuff needs to be gone. Customization items like optional fancy clothes are fine.

[ladynadiad]

I don't really care about them.  I do tend to play single player offline games, so there's no aspect of pay to win going on.  Most of the ones I see in games I play are things to save time grinding for things like experience, money or materials.  In a single player game, that has the result of saving time for the players who can afford them and are willing to buy them and players who can't or won't buy them can spend the extra time.  I also view them as an additional way to support a game I'm enjoying and am more inclined to buy them when I like the game and want it to do well.

 

I can get where the problems lie with MP games, but since I don't play those sorts of games, I don't feel like I can make an informed opinion for those games, just the single player offline ones that have them.

Edited March 7, 2021 by ladynadiad

[Kristen Danielle]

??

[Conor]

They are a scourge upon gaming. A blight that spread from the festering pit of free-to-play mobile games because executives saw dollar signs in their eyes.

I've seen all of the excuses a hundred-thousand times and none of them hold any weight. They are all about greed, not enhancing the game experience or providing players with "options". Every type of microtransaction is predatory on some level.

Paying more money for stuff that once upon a time would have been free with the actual game is a complete and utter scam.

"Timesavers" in single player games are ridiculous since it shows that the games were deliberately made to be grindy to incentivize purchasing (pretty much every Ubisoft game since Assassin's Creed: Black Flag has had these disgusting "Timesavers" because the alternative is to play through repetitive side quests over and over again). They create the problem and sell you the solution.

Games launch buggy and broken but somehow the stores are totally functional. The "free post-launch content" argument for multiplayer games may have some credence if such games didn't launch in such awful, content-sparse states in the first place (live service games like Anthem, Fallout 76 and multiplayer games like Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Ghost Recon: Breakpoint).

Games these days are not "too expensive" to make and thus necessitate additional monetization. It doesn't keep the price of games down (hence the new gen price point of ten bucks more and games will still have mtx). Paying for them doesn't support developers, they have already been paid. It all goes to the guys at the top and the shareholders. Don't tell me that Activision's latest cookie cutter Call of Duty needs to be loaded with mtx to fund its development when Bobby Kotick makes $30 million a year while also laying off hundreds of staff and the games sells a bazillion copies each year anyway.

The entire lootbox debacle was the worst and most predatory of all because that shit is literally gambling. 

No game has been made better by their inclusion. The rare time that games that dropped them they got instantly better (Middle-earth: Shadow of War).

 

Good for anyone who doesn't buy them- neither do I. Thankfully, the games I like to play are scarcely affected by them and I would very much like for it to stay that way. I don't buy games new if they have mtx or if I suspect that they will be added later- CTR: Nitro Fueled, for example; I smelled a rat a mile away. 

 

 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Stan Lee

[MidnightDragon]

They can crawl back into whatever hole they came from and die.

[DrBloodmoney]

I’m fairly ambivalent on the whole concept really.

 

It’s more money in to the industry, and it doesn’t come from me, since I never buy anything via micro transactions, so I guess it’s fine?

 

I’d be singing a different tune if I thought that the increase in micro transactions was in some way stifling indie development or decreasing the number of good games around, but there seems to be no evidence of that - if anything the rise in the micro transactional space seems to have happened in parallel to a massive boom in indie and small, good games being made.

 

(Not that I think the latter is as a result of the former - it’s almost certainly nothing to do with it - but as long as the former is not interfering or negatively impacting the latter, I’m all good with both)

 

I mean, if a bunch of micro transactions in Don’t Starve and Don’t Starve Together got the money worries off Klei’s back, enough for them to develop Mark of the Ninja and Invisible Inc. to the level of quality that they were released at?

 

Then I am all in favour.

I don’t have to like Don’t Starve.

Edited March 7, 2021 by DrBloodmoney

[Darling Baphomet]

They can have their place in multiplayer games, but for the most part it's just paying for overpriced bullshit. I'd much prefer if the effort went towards making actual DLC. But I'm sure corporations would find some way to milk us one way or the other. 

[DeadlyPerfume]

I don't care about paid skins or other cosmetic items in multiplayer games that don't affect gameplay, it's a way to make money and extend the lifespan of the servers. I'm free to buy or not buy them without it negatively impacting my experience. Microtransactions in single player games that already have a paid DLC season pass are lunacy, and I will never spend $10 for a recolor of a pair of virtual pants nobody but me can see. 

 

I've never played a game where the microtransactions were "time savers" or gave you some kind of XP boost or upgrades as far as I know. That also seems terrible, I'm buying a game to play the game, if playing the game isn't fun or is outright designed to be tedious enough you would pay to skip it, it's probably not a very good game. 

 

[ProfBambam55]

2 hours ago, arcanehornet_ said:

What does everyone think?...

i guess I'm kind of confused...what is considered a microtransaction?...is it paid dlc?...season passes?...subscriptions?...in game items/maps/modes/etc.?...or do they have specific criteria?...

[ladynadiad]

10 minutes ago, ProfBambam55 said:

i guess I'm kind of confused...what is considered a microtransaction?...is it paid dlc?...season passes?...subscriptions?...in game items/maps/modes/etc.?...or do they have specific criteria?...

 

Microtransactions are usually going to be those small items like in game currency or items.  Many of them are for things players can get within the game, but with the microtransaction they would get it faster.  It's stuff that appeals to the impatient mostly and won't have trophies associated with it.  However, in online games played with other people it can be a huge problem because the people who win are those who can afford the microtransactions.

[ProfBambam55]

59 minutes ago, ladynadiad said:

microtransactions are usually going to be those small items like in game currency or items...the people who win are those who can afford the microtransaction...

then I suppose I'm guilty of supporting them...last I can remember was metal gear survive...there was some in game currency that gave something like 25% more xp and sped up certain events that would require 12+ hours of real time waiting...there was also this one trophy for hitting max rank with 4 separate skill classes...it is said to be a roughly 100-hour grind...25 hours is worth a substantial amount of money in my real life...spending $50, $100 or even $1000 on a 25% boost was kind of a no-brainer given that the gameplay was almost entirely repetitive and that skipping those real time waits allowed me to get way better gear in mere minutes...

 

as a side note I did really enjoy the game and met some awesome players throughout the grind but have no regrets about spending 25 hours less on it...

 

my purchase of microtransactions really depends on the game, and time that it would save vs potential enjoyment...I remember uncharted 4 survival also had some in game currency that unlocked guns, boosters, and mysticals but that I enjoyed the mode so much I spent weeks grinding out the purple orb currency necessary to get them all...

 

to sum up my thoughts...if someone would rather pay to save time/effort in getting ahead, that's their choice to make and I'm ok with that choice being available...

[Sword]

I used to play an online game called TERA that had cosmetic/mount lootboxes in them. During the peak of my depressive state I was using them as a way to "feel good" by getting items that other players couldn't have and would spend about $500 a day on them just rolling for items. Then I started to give the items away to other players which added a whole new layer of "I'm important" and I'd use additional ways to spend money in that game. After my life went down the tubes and I got the help I needed, I realized I had ended up spending about $25000 on rolling for costumes/mounts and still didn't have nearly half of the costumes in the game. I ended up having to delete my account on that MMO and completely walk away from it, go through a phase of addiction "wear off" where I'd physically get agitated and angry that I couldn't play TERA. This is in addition to spending over $4000 on League of Legends character skins as well, of which I've also quit that game for good.

 

In short I've been through the whole addiction thing that MTX can bring if left wide open and I still have tendencies to spend large sums on stuff, just because it'll give me some advantage/look cool for my characters. This has also been a problem I had with Genshin Impact and I'm realizing that that is also a game I cannot continue to play safely "just for fun". The next time I touch that game it will be to bullrush the trophies then delete the game forever so I am not tempted to spend.

 

I absolutely detest micro-transactions now because of the addictions I've gone through and I have to be very selective about what games I play. This is also why I will rarely play online games at all, because of past addictions to spending that too many multiplayer games have baked into them these days. Such a shame really but I'll do whatever it takes to NOT go back to how I used to treat MTX.

 

 

[AJ_Radio]

I’ve done my share of microtransactions. Mostly off of mobile games since they were what started the microtransaction craze. 
 

If they’re there for cosmetic purposes, big deal. I’ve played enough Ubisoft games that shove that stuff down peoples throats, doesn’t affect me all too much. 
 

If they’re microtransactions and lootboxes that greatly affect how you speed up progress, namely games like NBA 2K21, GTA V (Shark Cards), Fortnite and others, those I have a problem with. 
 

Sadly this generation of kids who are playing games like GTA V are suckered into these microtransactions, which help promote gambling and throwing away hard earned money for very little gain. 
 

They’re a big reason why I don’t bother with online only games. Keep me far away from Fortnite. That pile of shit is why Generation Z is fucked up enough as it is. 
 

I’ve done the online thing. Been there, done that. I played for fun. Today’s generation of kids, well... many of them are not necessarily playing for fun. Rather they are trying to gain dopamine hits and acceptance on Fortnite, which might as well be its own social media world. Microtransactions are an addiction with them, and I am proud to say I am not a part of their generation.

[PalaceOfLove706]

I like to pay! 

[Trini]

17 hours ago, Sword said:

I used to play an online game called TERA that had cosmetic/mount lootboxes in them. During the peak of my depressive state I was using them as a way to "feel good" by getting items that other players couldn't have and would spend about $500 a day on them just rolling for items. Then I started to give the items away to other players which added a whole new layer of "I'm important" and I'd use additional ways to spend money in that game. After my life went down the tubes and I got the help I needed, I realized I had ended up spending about $25000 on rolling for costumes/mounts and still didn't have nearly half of the costumes in the game. I ended up having to delete my account on that MMO and completely walk away from it, go through a phase of addiction "wear off" where I'd physically get agitated and angry that I couldn't play TERA. This is in addition to spending over $4000 on League of Legends character skins as well, of which I've also quit that game for good.

 

In short I've been through the whole addiction thing that MTX can bring if left wide open and I still have tendencies to spend large sums on stuff, just because it'll give me some advantage/look cool for my characters. This has also been a problem I had with Genshin Impact and I'm realizing that that is also a game I cannot continue to play safely "just for fun". The next time I touch that game it will be to bullrush the trophies then delete the game forever so I am not tempted to spend.

 

I absolutely detest micro-transactions now because of the addictions I've gone through and I have to be very selective about what games I play. This is also why I will rarely play online games at all, because of past addictions to spending that too many multiplayer games have baked into them these days. Such a shame really but I'll do whatever it takes to NOT go back to how I used to treat MTX.

 

 

 

I thank you wholeheartedly for sharing this. I think it's absolutely crucial to educate people on the importance of this issue because not many people are aware of the severe impact it can have on your mental health. 

[StraightVege]

How convenient—Stan Lee's post already echos my views exactly.

 

Out of principle, I've thus far refused to indulge in a single MTX purchase. One of my favorite gaming accomplishments was slowly unlocking every last weapon and booster in Uncharted 4 multiplayer the hard way, rather than paying to win. Screw your overpriced "Uncharted Points," Naughty Dog.

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by ScarecrowsFate

[RadiantFlamberge]

Microtransactions? I'm not for ones that can be used to gain an unfair advantage (P2W) or buy loot boxes with real money. To hell with Fortnite, and I don't do sports ones... especially those from EA and 2K. Then again, I play generally SP offline games.

 

Some freemium SP games limit your amount of free "credits" per time period. If you run out of credits, you either wait for them to renew or buy more with MTX. I think such a game should have a "Buy the game" option to allow unlimited free play like a regular console game. "Games as a service" needs to go away. It was never really necessary.

 

Cosmetic microtransactions like character outfits are OK with me, since they don't give any unfair advantages.

[TomataEighty9]

i'm so so...

 

Kinda don't care, as long as the transactions only give you cosmetic upgrades or stuff like that.

 

If the game becomes Pay2Win, then i'm out. (Looking at you EA, and that Fifa Ultimate Team bullcrap).

[AJ_Radio]

10 hours ago, Trini said:

 

I thank you wholeheartedly for sharing this. I think it's absolutely crucial to educate people on the importance of this issue because not many people are aware of the severe impact it can have on your mental health. 

 

Especially young people, many of whom are minors whose brain hasn't fully developed to really understand the dangers of gambling and how much of an addiction it is.

 

Plenty of older adults do this as well. I had two relatives in the past who had to declare bankruptcy because they spent their savings and investments on gambling, stuff like Craps, Poker, Roulette and others. People can throw the book at me and argue that gambling an at actual casino isn't comparable with spending money online on lootboxes. They're very much the same.

 

I can spend over $1000 on the latest 2K sports game with its microtransactions and still can't get what I wanted. That is an addiction, something that a lot of kids today don't quite understand and something that many grown ups respectively fall into a trap.

 

I've spent lots of money at actual casinos, purely for fun. For mobile games I have probably spent a few hundred dollars worth over a period of a decade. I knew my limits but I don't play any mobile game anymore because practically all of them rely entirely on microtransactions, it's how F2P games get their money.

 

Getting the newest and greatest mobile game on the latest iPhone or Android smartphone and spending hundreds of dollars is easier than ever before. And the people behind the money making couldn't give a shit less.

[LoveInHell]

I don’t like them. I’m fine with cosmetics you can buy but not if it’s randomised. (Loot boxes) Microtransactions were a thing back on the PS3 too, I bought nearly every weapon camo on BO2 but for reasonable prices (€1.99 each I think). I don’t think €5.99 or above are reasonable prices at all for cosmetics. €20 for an outfit pack is ridiculous imo.

 

Instead of putting weapons and cosmetics in loot boxes, they should make it fair for everyone by making challenges and get rewards.

 

Battle Passes are fine but only when purchased once, which is up to the buyer. I don’t know with other games but if you buy a Battle Pass on Fortnite, you get a certain amount of v-bucks and with that currency you can buy the next Battle Pass again, so infinitely. Unless they decide to purchase an outfit or something with the v-bucks.

[yellowwindow7]

i hate Microtransaction just like the other guy, the problem is that if people accepted them, games in the future will turn more and more into a money generated apps for the investors and became less and less fun to play for the consumers.

 

and the media trying to play dumb pretending to wonder why consoles and PC players hate mobile gaming.