Blizzard’s World of Warcraft is no stranger to costly in-game cosmetics, but its latest super expensive mount is so popular it’s causing a shortage of WoW Tokens in the in-game auction house.
That doesn’t impact all games though, the game market has essentially split into catering to three groups:
casual games (mostly mobile games) - more “investment” into a profile than actual game
live service MP games - “investment,” but with a skill element
“experiences” - focus is on SP gameplay and/or graphical fidelity
The more social a game is, the more likely the game is to throw in vanity purchases like skins.
I have a simple rule in my house, no F2P games, and it has worked really well in avoiding BS. There are some paid games w/ MTX and whatnot, but those are a lot fewer than among the F2P games.
Refuse to play the worst offenders and offer alternatives to your gaming friends, so you can eat your cake and have it too.
I disagree with letting whales waste their money.
Video game design has changed to specifically cater to whales and ignore regular gamers.
That doesn’t impact all games though, the game market has essentially split into catering to three groups:
The more social a game is, the more likely the game is to throw in vanity purchases like skins.
I have a simple rule in my house, no F2P games, and it has worked really well in avoiding BS. There are some paid games w/ MTX and whatnot, but those are a lot fewer than among the F2P games.
Refuse to play the worst offenders and offer alternatives to your gaming friends, so you can eat your cake and have it too.