MICROTRANSACTIONS & VC: RUINING THE GAMING INDUSTRY?
In today’s gaming industry, It seems that profits are all that matter. Less time is spent on gameplay, graphics, and overall playability. Instead, more time is spent on how they can get you to open your wallet. Putting the smallest amount of money possible into the game, and getting a vast amount of return on the minute investment. For example: The NBA 2K franchise has been notorious with this for years now. Your “My Player” will start out a 60 overall. Bare bones on the outfit, court gear, physique, ability, etc…Of course you would want to start out on the journey through your “My Career” with a leg up on the competition right?
As you get ready to dig deep into those pockets, just know that microtransactions and virtual currency seem to be the bane of the video game industry’s existence. Those who “Pay To Play” will always prevail right? But at what cost? Besides the obvious. There is no more level playing field, and I think that is the root of the issue. Just like everything else, greed will find It’s way in and change the landscape like zombie DNA entering every character on The Walking Dead.
Microtransactions were always meant to be a way of increasing a games replay value. Now you also have games such as Call Of Duty that offer an advantage on multiplayer by leveling up. Paying for “Perks” such as your Avatars apparel, your gun, your secondary weapon, etc…The days of plug and play are long gone for the most part. The old saying “It Must Get Worse Before It Gets Better” doesn’t apply here like it does in most professional industries. This is only virtual reality; an escape from the real world, and life’s everyday issues. So why take these shortcuts?
What happened to the days of a game coming out that had an immense amount of anticipation? You just don’t see that anymore. Midnight releases just to play it first, not to grab your copy, pay $50-$100 on top of the $60 or $70 that you just paid to get a quick advantage. Games used to release with great story modes, hours of play time, and some were a bit challenging. It may have taken you 40 times to make a jump, or beat a level boss, but that was your only option. Before the internet you could grab a code guide or a friend to assist. These were the days.
The two aforementioned games are not the only popular games trying to deprive you of your hard earned money either. Madden doesn’t necessarily rape you of microtransactions, but instead will copy and paste the game from the year before, and add a game mode or two. A month or two later, they will roll out a patch or a roster update to keep us wrapped around their little fingers. It has been a topic of discussion since around 2005. NFL 2K5 is still loved, and still has plenty of playability today. NCAA 11 is considered the best College Football Game of all time. This franchise went until 2014.
What happened to the industry? Graphics may be up, but gameplay and mechanics seem to have declined. Where can we go from here? Will virtual currency and microtransaction still reign supreme in a couple years?
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