Micro transactions vs. subscriptions continues to be a hot topic of debate in not only the MMO world, but RTS and FPS fans love to weigh in as well. While certain types and profiles of gamers my prefer one method 
above the other, it has become quite clear over the past few years that micro transaction based titles aren’t going anywhere soon. As the ‘standard’ style of play in most Asian markets, the free to play concept originated in Korea with Nexon’s titles first offering players (all players) a chance to play, with available upgrades at a small cost.
While there are a number of offerings that micro transaction titles can offer; casual gamers can play whenever they want, and not be bound to a ‘time based’ subscription, players may choose to upgrade their equipment at a small cost if they so choose, games are not pirated.
Derrick Schommer of Gaming Podcast recently published an article with similar thoughts. Highlights of Derrick’s thoughts include:
The micro-transaction concept could still help pay for all the overhead of running an online gaming business because gamers tend to be over-enthusiastic about their great addictive games. If you build a game with excellent content, replay value and strive for a community atmosphere a micro-transaction title can work just as well as a subscription based game.
One beautiful aspect to micro-transaction models is paying for content when you’re willing to pay. This includes cosmetic character alterations, basic needs items (health potions) and other products to enhance the playability of the game without requiring the gamer to do so. There will be some gamers that use this as a “free ride” and never buy anything while other gamers spend way too much because they have expendable income which helps balance out costs.
The trick to a micro-transaction game balance is allowing players to enhance their experience without taking away or crippling their game to force a micro-transaction. You do not need a “fire enchantment” which causes a bit more damage and looks really cool, but it can make your character look more sinister and provide slight benefits to battle.
Wouldn’t this make the rich more powerful than those without a lot of cash? It might might them moderately more powerful and definitely more pretty to look at, but it also allows players who would never be able to experience any of the game a chance to play. In some ways, the level ground is already broken in MMO’s like World of Warcraft based purely on game experience… a player who’s been playing for three years and has a level 70 character will dominate a person with casual gaming habits. Nothing in the world is fair, at least this gives lower level characters a chance to spend some cash to get their character on par when they’ve not got time to work through the game with hours of time investments.
Couldn’t have said it any better myself. Read the rest of Derrick’s article at gamingpodcast.net.
Tags: addictive games, asian markets, casual gamers, community atmosphere, Derrick Schommer, enchantment, fps, fps fans, free ride, gaming business, Micro, micro transactions, MMO, mmo world, Nexon, RTS, subscription, transaction, transaction models
