Free to Play

Free to Play?

It seems to be a rapidly developing trend for any game that has an internet connection to find a way to get additional money from it's player base in exchange for game enhancements of various forms. There are velvet ropes, micro transactions, expansion packs and, of course, completely new incarnations of old favorites. Many of these things can be very good for your average gamer, but some can get rather cumbersome if you're not tracking how purchases are adding up.

For many consumers the $50+ price tags on games in the past has given them pause. It takes a bit of contemplation considering that there is no guarantee you'll enjoy the game and, even if you do, there is no guarantee that what you enjoy about the game will remain part of it in the long term (eg Star Wars: Galaxies NGE upgrade).

There is nothing more frustrating than finally canceling a game subscription and then realizing just how much money you had put into a “try-out” over a couple months only to discover that it holds little of what it promised. After plunking down your hard earned money just to take the shiny box home, you are then required by many games to immediately subscribe to their monthly fee before you even get to make your character. It's like buying a car without test driving it, and hoping that all the reviews or CarFax reports are true to their word.

In an effort to ease the warranted concerns of their clientele, companies have been working on various methods to make the price of gaming more palatable. Many of these ideas have merit, and are appreciated by gamers; caveat emptor, however, still applies. The main thing to bear in mind, and many gamers fail to do so, is that these are companies churning out our beloved titles. Companies do this for money - as much money as possible without being overtly greedy.

More and more titles are advertising that they are free to play. What this really means is that you can try out the game to a certain extent, usually around 5% of the total content before you're asked for some form of payment. Some ask for a nominal fee in order to grant you access to new zones and levels. Others will ask that you subscribe out-right for their product which opens everything up to you. Gamers often refer to this practice as 'the velvet rope' – only those who pay the VIP price get to sit in the box seats at the game. This is an ideal situation for many players since it gives them a chance to experience the game first hand and make a more informed decision.

Caution: When the time comes to make your decision for pay-to-play it's typically at a juncture where you will have the most desire to continue on. Naturally, this is not by accident, and if truly well planned out you will find that you have multiple carrots on your stick to keep progressing in the game. The promise of new zones to discover, better, shinier, gaudier gear, and of course there will be that list of quests that your mild form of OCD will be screaming to complete. In short, they offer you a hit of crack when you need it the most.

Another way to make gamers willingly key in their debit card number is the offer of in game items and enhancements that can only be acquired by real money, commonly known as micro transactions. It seems there is no limit to the things they will charge you for in these shops. Examples include new maps to play, armor and weapons, decorations, character enhancements, and even special forum avatars. This isn't very different than how people used to buy in-game currency from farmers to purchase the pricier items available. In this case the game developers are legitimate versions of the farmers.

Caution: You can play the game without ever having to buy these things, but you will experience a noticeable disadvantage. Some games, like those on Facebook, don't even offer game items that give an advantage, but instead continually add shiny decorative things that make the free stuff look bad. This business model is very like iTunes in that you can buy only the things you truly want. The difference being that instead of buying items outright, you buy tokens (or similar faux currency) in certain allotted amounts. This means that you will invariably end up with a small remainder of tokens to spend, but now you don't have enough to buy the next cool thing. You then feel as though those extra tokens are wasted, and you're prompted to buy more tokens in order to use up the last of the old tokens. This can quickly become a vicious circle of payments that can sometimes out strip that of a flat monthly fee.

Interestingly, as these player friendly ideas have been taking root, some games appear to be peddling backwards with regards to buyers' wishes. An example of this would be the MMO titles that grant the player beta access to 'try out the game' if they have pre-ordered their product. In this scenario, the money has been handed over, and the waiting for beta to start begins. Once beta starts you do get to try out the game, but not the full game – usually because it's not completed yet.

Some players consider it absurd to pay to beta test a game. After all, a beta test is essential to developers in helping to ensure they release a more completed game with as few glitches as possible. Plus, beta testers are basically free advertising for games. Sure, they've agreed to the NDA, but that rarely stops the average tester from raving to their friends about the awesome new game they are trying out.

Many retailers will let you pre-order for a small portion of the full box price that you have to promise to pay upon game release when you pick up your copy from the shop. If, unfortunately, you should find you don't enjoy the game, even if it's in an uncompleted state, hopefully you've only parted with a bit of the full price. From a business stance, they've made a bit of coin off the beta testers, who in the past have gotten to play for free, and they can still sell the copy that you never picked up. From the players point of view, if you weren't satisfied with the product, the sting can last a long time.

The good news in all of this is that game companies are trying to find various ways in which both parties can be happy. Specifically ones that require less commitment than recurring subscriptions. We've all paid for several months longer than we've wanted. Gaming can still be considered one of the least expensive forms of entertainment out there, as far as hours/dollars goes. There is no perfect business model, but having options is always a good thing. The key for the average gamer is to keep close tabs on how and what you've paid for. Otherwise, you can find yourself quickly overtaken by a lot of small fees that can add up to far more than the old standard monthly fees.