Microtransactions: Selling in-game content for real money

[ArcherofAiur]

What's bad about having the option of changing aspects of my WoW character that I would otherwise have not had an option to change?

They couldnt have allowed your WOW charector to change its sex without charging you?

[spychi]

Correction, it was around 30$ (the current currency makes it 14$ more expensive in the exchange)

[pure.Wasted]

See thats the problem with warnings and apprehensions. By the time they actually become true bad things have already happened.

But you're not actually warning against something plausible. There is NOTHING new about these microtransactions, and we have no reason to suspect that anything's changed, or any reason to believe that it will. If there is one, you have yet to provide it.

Unless you're willing to admit that you would have made the same warning during WC3's production. In which case, once again, I feel this belongs on the OT forum more than the SC2 forum.

They couldnt have allowed your WOW charector to change its sex without charging you?

They don't want people to do it. They're ALLOWING them to, but they don't want it. By putting a price-tag on the effect, they get to ensure that it's mostly just those that have really good reason for wanting the gender change that do it.

[Nicol Bolas]

See thats the problem with warnings and apprehensions. By the time they actually become true bad things have already happened.

Yes. The warning that some time in the future game developers will ask us to pay money for the content they make.

Consider us warned.

This is basic economics stuff. If developers ask us to pay more for stuff than we think it's worth, we won't buy it. It's really that simple.

[ArcherofAiur]

They don't want people to do it. They're ALLOWING them to, but they don't want it. By putting a price-tag on the effect, they get to ensure that it's mostly just those that have really good reason for wanting the gender change that do it.

Do you really believe that? That they are forcing themselves to take your money because its the only way to prevent people from doing it often.

And you cant think of any other way they could possibly discourage people from changing gender?



The real question everyone needs to ask themselves is "If it wasnt for the microtransaction trend would I be able to change gender for free? Would it have just been included in a patch?"

[spychi]

This is basic economics stuff. If developers ask us to pay more for stuff than we think it's worth, we won't buy it. It's really that simple.

*cough* modern warfare 2*cough*

I agree, this thread does not belong in the SC 2 forums... Or locked and delete

[pure.Wasted]

Do you really believe that? That they are forcing themselves to take your money because its the only way to prevent people from doing it often.

Well, I don't know, there's a shit-ton of in-game content that they are NOT forcing themselves to take your money to use, like the barber shop for example.

Note that the barber shop, which allows characters' to change up their appearance and is within the realm of plausibility, is FREE... while gender and race changes are NOT.

Hmm. Coincidence?

It's probably not the only way. But if it kills two birds with one stone, why not?

The real question everyone needs to ask themselves is "If it wasnt for the microtransaction trend would I be able to change gender for free? Would it have just been included in a patch?"

For Christ's sake we just established that THERE IS NO TREND. This has been happening since this economic system was established. What you're asking is akin to asking:

"If it wasn't for the microtransaction trend would I be able to get the Collector's Edition stuff for free?"

MAYBE. But that's not how things work. This isn't your issue with SC2, or even your issue with Blizzard, it's your issue with the way our society runs. And that has its place, but that's not the SC2 board.

[Triceron]

Do you really believe that? That they are forcing themselves to take your money because its the only way to prevent people from doing it often.

And you cant think of any other way they could possibly discourage people from changing gender?



The real question everyone needs to ask themselves is "If it wasnt for the microtransaction trend would I be able to change gender for free? Would it have just been included in a patch?"

So tell me, exactly what is wrong with that?

Again, it's an option, and it's there for you to use or not use. You're arguing on the basis that this will, in the future, affect aspects of games that affect you. But that's just fear mongering.

Unless this directly affects your enjoyment of the game, say through paid incentives that give players who pay an advantage, then it's all gravy.

You have to pay to play WoW every month? You have to pay to read the Warcraft novels that tell of lore that could have been contained in the very game you bought. You could make the same argument against all of that, but we all know it has no standing because it's a stupid argument. It's as easy as 'if you don't like it, don't buy it'.

By no means is Blizzard forcing you to have a sex change on your character. For any reason that you do wish to, the option is there, so you can't say they don't offer it. For you to want it to be free is as baseless as asking for a free oilchange because you bought a car. A service is a service, and that's what you're paying for.

[ArcherofAiur]

MAYBE. But that's not how things work. This isn't your issue with SC2, or even your issue with Blizzard, it's your issue with the way our society runs. And that has its place, but that's not the SC2 board.

If people accept it...then yes.

[pure.Wasted]

If people accept it...then yes.

If people accept what then yes?