- Mar 24, 2020
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So I suppose this could have fit under the "Non-Blizzard Game Discussion" but it's more an observation than specific analysis of specific games, Bliz or otherwise.
Am I wrong in thinking that there's an uptick in "pay-to-win" on mobile gaming, supported by non-American players, particularly in the far East?
I remember playing Ikariam (German) about a year ago, and enjoying it to some extent at first, but rapidly souring on it once certain guilds would purchase "teleport" function to raid foreign strongholds. There's no tactical skill involved in paying for godlike capability, and I remember thinking that would cause the game to fail attracting new players.
More recently I played an "adult" game called King of Wasteland, which was essentially Ikariam with lewds & zombies, and found much the same pattern: powerful clans spending real money to be able to molest n00bs for pennies worth of in-game loot.
I played a kingdom game some months ago, and while there was less of an anti-social beat-down concept, it still completely revolved around giving you a couple of tokens towards high-level heroes and then demanding payment to complete the acquisition.
At least Neverwinter allowed a modicum of gameplay, even if you never bothered to pay for the in-game keys to open all the apparently promising loot boxes you picked up.
So am I just a cheap jackhole who thinks it makes better sense to give my waitress a decent tip or take my son out for ice cream than spend real money on virtual boosts that don't accomplish anything but helping you bully fellow players?
Let me be clear - I *SUPPORT* the concept of micropayments, and always did - it's that my idea of a decent game is something like DDO where a player can muddle along in 1st gear for years without spending a dime on content, even if it gets a bit repetitious & grindy.
Opinions? Rotten fruit?
Am I wrong in thinking that there's an uptick in "pay-to-win" on mobile gaming, supported by non-American players, particularly in the far East?
I remember playing Ikariam (German) about a year ago, and enjoying it to some extent at first, but rapidly souring on it once certain guilds would purchase "teleport" function to raid foreign strongholds. There's no tactical skill involved in paying for godlike capability, and I remember thinking that would cause the game to fail attracting new players.
More recently I played an "adult" game called King of Wasteland, which was essentially Ikariam with lewds & zombies, and found much the same pattern: powerful clans spending real money to be able to molest n00bs for pennies worth of in-game loot.
I played a kingdom game some months ago, and while there was less of an anti-social beat-down concept, it still completely revolved around giving you a couple of tokens towards high-level heroes and then demanding payment to complete the acquisition.
At least Neverwinter allowed a modicum of gameplay, even if you never bothered to pay for the in-game keys to open all the apparently promising loot boxes you picked up.
So am I just a cheap jackhole who thinks it makes better sense to give my waitress a decent tip or take my son out for ice cream than spend real money on virtual boosts that don't accomplish anything but helping you bully fellow players?
Let me be clear - I *SUPPORT* the concept of micropayments, and always did - it's that my idea of a decent game is something like DDO where a player can muddle along in 1st gear for years without spending a dime on content, even if it gets a bit repetitious & grindy.
Opinions? Rotten fruit?