Question of the Day, April 17, 2010

[Danpascooch]

I hate what Blizzard is doing. $15 a month and they want more money? People with most of their lives spent on WOW will do this. Sad.

You know, I agree that paying cash for in game items is a bit nuts, but why does everyone freak out over the subscription fee?

I look at it this way:

1.) New release game for a console: $60

Playtime out of average new release (60 hours including multiplayer) and that's being outrageously generous to the AVERAGE purchased new release

2.) 4 months of World of Warcraft: $60 (less if you pay for more than 1 month at a time)

Playtime out of World of Warcraft (if you play on average 1 hour a day: 120, but I would say the average WoW player nets about an average of 2 hours per day: so 240 (that doesn't mean they play two hours every day, it's an average over 4 months))

While I realize that there is room for much personal variation in this model, for a player like me, that means on average I get 60 hours of enjoyment for my $60 when I buy a new release console game, and 240 hours of enjoyment for my $60 when I spend it on WoW.

So why all the rage? It's not as unreasonable as you think.

 

[Jedoro]

For one item? Very little.

For a set, I'd consider more, though.

 

[War Penguin]

It depends. What sort of DLC are we talking about?

If it's one that gets me new maps or some new levels/areas, then sure I'll pay. But I'll only pay $1-$10. I already bought the game, I don't need to pay THAT much more.

If it's just for a weapon or character costume, no, I wouldn't buy it at all. It doesn't seem necessary and it doesn't contribute to the game at all.

 

[bjj hero]

You know, I agree that paying cash for in game items is a bit nuts, but why does everyone freak out over the subscription fee?

I look at it this way:

1.) New release game for a console: $60

Playtime out of average new release (60 hours including multiplayer) and that's being outrageously generous to the AVERAGE purchased new release

2.) 4 months of World of Warcraft: $60 (less if you pay for more than 1 month at a time)

Playtime out of World of Warcraft (if you play on average 1 hour a day: 120, but I would say the average WoW player nets about an average of 2 hours per day: so 240 (that doesn't mean they play two hours every day, it's an average over 4 months))

While I realize that there is room for much personal variation in this model, for a player like me, that means on average I get 60 hours of enjoyment for my $60 when I buy a new release console game, and 240 hours of enjoyment for my $60 when I spend it on WoW.

So why all the rage? It's not as unreasonable as you think.

It depends what games you play. I played COD4 for 2 years (I'm Treyarch averse) probably for a similar amount of time per week as an average WOW player (the ones without dependency issues). Even at full price this is far better £/hour rate than any subscription game. On your model non subscription games get cheaper the more you play. I bought MW2 for £27 pounds on release day. If I get the same play time as I did from CoD4 (which looks likely) then its a far cheaper deal.

I can name other games, I've played through Mass Effect 8 times and am heading that way with Dragon age. If you pick the right titles just buying the game outright is cheaper, even if you want to go by £/hour.

OT: Personally I think Blizzard are milking their user base doing this. I can't imagine paying that for an ingame item.

 

[WaywardHaymaker]

For a single item, like a weapon or mount, I'd only go up to $5 if it were REALLY good. For missions and expansions and such, though, I'll go up higher.

 

[Danpascooch]

You know, I agree that paying cash for in game items is a bit nuts, but why does everyone freak out over the subscription fee?

I look at it this way:

1.) New release game for a console: $60

Playtime out of average new release (60 hours including multiplayer) and that's being outrageously generous to the AVERAGE purchased new release

2.) 4 months of World of Warcraft: $60 (less if you pay for more than 1 month at a time)

Playtime out of World of Warcraft (if you play on average 1 hour a day: 120, but I would say the average WoW player nets about an average of 2 hours per day: so 240 (that doesn't mean they play two hours every day, it's an average over 4 months))

While I realize that there is room for much personal variation in this model, for a player like me, that means on average I get 60 hours of enjoyment for my $60 when I buy a new release console game, and 240 hours of enjoyment for my $60 when I spend it on WoW.

So why all the rage? It's not as unreasonable as you think.

It depends what games you play. I played COD4 for 2 years (I'm Treyarch averse) probably for a similar amount of time per week as an average WOW player (the ones without dependency issues). Even at full price this is far better £/hour rate than any subscription game. On your model non subscription games get cheaper the more you play. I bought MW2 for £27 pounds on release day. If I get the same play time as I did from CoD4 (which looks likely) then its a far cheaper deal.

I can name other games, I've played through Mass Effect 8 times and am heading that way with Dragon age. If you pick the right titles just buying the game outright is cheaper, even if you want to go by £/hour.

OT: Personally I think Blizzard are milking their user base doing this. I can't imagine paying that for an ingame item.

Yeah, but how often does a game with THAT much playability come around? WoW isn't a bad deal

 

[NeoAC]

Why would I spend any real money on anything in a game, when I can go to Taco Bell, get a mini Crunchwrap for a buck and have the same kind of self-satisfaction as if I had a few extra bits of data? It makes no sense to me.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Well, the only way I've really done that is horse armour or spell tomes in the KotN expansion but that doesn't really count because it had extra content too.

If there's no new content it's not worth it.

 

[Stormz]

I wouldn't spend anything. It's not worth it and I don't understand people that will pay 100$ a month on in game crap that isn't real.

 

[Triaed]

I do not think in-game items are worth it. These micro-transactions may be the "way of the future" for videogame revenues, and as long as they do not preclude you from fully enjoying the game, I am ok with their existence... but I still think they are not worth it.

Having said that, if I HAD to buy an in-game item I would not pay more than 3 to 5 dollars.

 

[Tharwen]

I'd like to say nothing, but since I just paid you lot £7 for ad blocking and a shiny title, I would probably pay if I really wanted something.

 

[bjj hero]

Yeah, but how often does a game with THAT much playability come around? WoW isn't a bad deal

I tend to get those sort of games, where I get tonnes of play out of them, when I buy on release day. I can wait till Batman is £10-£15 before I experience that.

Don't misread what I'm saying, I'm not saying WOW is a bad deal. I'm just saying cost per hour arguments are a little weak. Although WoW isn't for me I see it like a gym membership. Sure you can run around your local park and do pushups for free instead of paying monthly. Having said that the gym offers a different experience that some people feel is worth the expense and wouldn't do it any other way.

It's paying for a premium service. If you like it and don't mind paying then its worth it. Items and experiences are worth whatever people are willing to pay and a lot of people pay for WoW.

 

[Danpascooch]

Yeah, but how often does a game with THAT much playability come around? WoW isn't a bad deal

I tend to get those sort of games, where I get tonnes of play out of them, when I buy on release day. I can wait till Batman is £10-£15 before I experience that.

Don't misread what I'm saying, I'm not saying WOW is a bad deal. I'm just saying cost per hour arguments are a little weak. Although WoW isn't for me I see it like a gym membership. Sure you can run around your local park and do pushups for free instead of paying monthly. Having said that the gym offers a different experience that some people feel is worth the expense and wouldn't do it any other way.

It's paying for a premium service. If you like it and don't mind paying then its worth it. Items and experiences are worth whatever people are willing to pay and a lot of people pay for WoW.

I don't think the cost per hour arguments are weak at all, unless you're the rare person who only buys one of those ultra-replayable games every 6 months or so, it's really a decent deal.

 

[Rhino of Steel]

I was going to say not worth it but really if I saw something cool for $5 or so I'd probably go for it. Gods know I've spent more money on far more useless things before.

Anything $10 and over though better be real content to go with the item. I've purchased a few DLCs for that price that I am happy with.

 

[Generator]

I don't think I've ever bought an in-game item for real world money, and I don't ever plan too. I'm even stingy when it comes to buying full expansion packs for a game, so no way would I spend my hard-earned cash on an item, no matter what it did.

 

[Starke]

If it's worth it. I spent the cash for Kasumi in ME2, if you could count that adventure as an item.

Seeing as it's about an episode long? Yeah, that's a maybe.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Outside of the game itself, I see little reason to throw away money on non-substantial objects. Sure it might be beneficial in game, but utterly useless once you shut it off or stop playing altogether. I find it oddly worse in an mmo, when personal character development is temporary.

 

[revjay]

DDO gives points monthly to vip members and I use those but I don't really have a dollar figure for that. I get something like 400 each month for a 15 dollar subscription. As for all out buying of something? Yeah not so interested.

I see mention of Xbox avatars too. I bought a fallout 3 shirt for 80 points so around jack-shit is what I'd spend I guess.

 

[twcblaze]

it really depends on the item, if it's worth it, I'd spend somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 bucks on it, but 25 for a horse is a bit ridiculous.

the only in-game item I've ever bought was the mog satchel that came with the square-enix security tokens, the token was $10, and registering it got you the satchel, which effectively doubled the amount of stuff you could have on you at any time, definitely worth-while.