Microtransactions

Opinion

Microtransactions: An old concept that needs clarification

By Josiah Sapp

    In today’s world, we’re constantly being sold something. Insurance, clothes, jewelry, new tech. It’s impossible to browse the internet without someone trying to grab your attention and give you a sales pitch. We’ve come to accept this type of advertising as normal in our society. It’s something we just deal with and if something catches our fancy, then we’ll buy it but if it doesn’t pertain to us then we don’t give it a second thought. Microtransactions in video games are no different than normal ads but they get under our skin somehow. The idea that a game (either free or paid for) has smaller transactions built within the game has somehow crossed the line. Why is that different than any other advertisement we encounter in the world? For most people, it feels forced.

    Microtransactions have proven to be a very lucrative business strategy whether it’s done well or not. Game design thrives when the thing you pay for isn’t interrupting gameplay. When a purchase is 100% optional and doesn’t impede on your experience. Overwatch does this very well where you can buy loot crates with in-game currency or real money but the only items that are unlockable are cosmetic. Skins, intros, voice lines, emotes. All things that are fun to have but doesn’t make the game unplayable if you don’t purchase them. On the other side of the coin, microtransactions are what have made mobile gaming the industry it is today. The top ten mobile games on the app store are free right? So how can they be making loads of money? You come to find out once you get a few hours into those “free” games, it becomes increasingly difficult… Until you crack open your wallet. $2 is all it takes to get a couple more hours out of the game but the difficulty keeps ramping up and it’ll be another $5 before you can keep playing. People blame mobile games for the “plague” that is microtransactions but it goes further into our past once you recognize the patterns.

    The 1980s is considered to be the “Golden Age” of arcades. Companies were cranking these games out faster than kids could give them their quarters and there lies the earliest microtransaction, the quarter. Each cabinet started with 25 cents and was continued with 25 cents. If you died in Double Dragon, a screen popped up that said “Continue??” followed by a please insert coin. A quarter by itself isn’t much money but considering that each play session lasts between 5 and 10 minutes, multiply that by 20 games per arcade and then multiply that by how many kids are playing, it adds up very quickly. Game developers today are observing an old pattern and overlapping it with their current games. $4.78 billion dollars was made last year in add-ons alone and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. The word “microtransaction” has been synonymous with a game being bad or greedy but that doesn’t have to be the case.

Games that are made today have just about the same budget as a major Hollywood production. Millions of dollars get poured into these projects to make sure it’s of the highest quality and they’re (typically) asking $60 for the completed title. Add-ons and microtransactions are just the ways that they’re trying to keep up with the rising costs of making games. They can either make the game unplayable unless you pay or they give you a complete game with optional transactions. Microtransactions are not “killing” the industry like so many gaming publications try to communicate. Bad game design is killing the industry. When you design a game with the intention of people paying extra just to finish it, you’ve made a bad game and no one should buy it. That studio deserves all backlash not just because they put microtransactions in but because they made a bad game. Studios that make a game with the microtransactions optional, should be supported because at the end of the day they’re not making you buy something you don’t want. The distinction between the two types of game design should be highlighted and evaluated as such. The only conversation I’m hearing is that microtransactions are bad. End of story… But that’s not the end of it. Microtransactions don’t spell certain death for a game. You just gotta look closely at a game and determine for yourself what deserves your support. For me, I'll be supporting the games that don't force extra purchases.