Well hello,
This discussion is about games and pricing. Most of the discussion revolves around alternate ways of pricing.
Leagues of Legends
So in the discussion Farmville gets referenced as a game that uses an alternate paying method. The method is that you can either "farm" for your stuff or either pay for it (with real money) to get it early. I think Farmville is a game doesn't really speaks to gamers.
A good game that can speak to gamers is League of Legends (LOL). LOL is a game that can be compared to DOTA (a Warcraft 3 mod). The game itself is free to play. You can buy the game on their website or through digital distribution (Steam for example). The game costs 20 Euro. If you buy it, you get some extras early on and some exclusive stuff. Not to mention you support the developer.
Another thing is, you can either unlock game credits, heroes or other things. However you can also buy credits and unlock the stuff (heroes, runes etc) that way. Now I hear you say "isn't that cheating or make you IMBA?" No it doesn't. The hero is no stronger then any other hero (not counting balancing pre-patch). The hero is just an avatar with some abilities that may speak to you. The other stuff are runes which do make you stronger, but not too strong.
As said in the show, I also think this can work for certain genres/games. LOL is one of them.
Saving money
While it is inevitable the companies want more money (cause the bills get higher each year), I see room to save money. Few examples:
Stop investing mad money in DRM.
Stop investing in Multiplayer where multiplayer isn't suited.
Cut out the middleman and put games straight on digital distribution platforms. That way the developers get their money instead of a percentage from the publisher. Also saves money making copies, manuals, boxes etc.
The WoW model
I think the WoW model may work for a lot of triple A games. Lets say you pay full price for the game. Now if you want extended material like DLC etc you can subscribe for 10 Euro or so to that game. Now you will receive DLC each two month and some small material each month. Lets pick Mass Effect for example. You buy the game, subscribe to it, get those weapon and extra char DLC first month. After that, get a story DLC.
Lease the IP
What if a company has a kick ass IP? Why not just lease the IP to another company that will make a certain product. Few examples like comics, toys etc. The company does get a certain percentage because it's their IP.
Do I want to pay extra?
It all depends on what I get from it. If I get a shitty title with a lot of stuff on the DVD which I have to pay extra for, no. If it's a kickass game with a good story and such, sure I will pay for extra content. 50-60 Euro is my limit though when it comes to a triple A product. After one or two months I'm sure I will buy a DLC if it's worth it.
All that said, what's your take on this whole deal?