The Man Behind Candy Crush Certainly Thinks So
Tommy Palm, the man behind Candy Crush, said in an interview with IGN he believes the free-to-play model and micro-transactions are the future. He states that micro-transactions are a better model than traditional models, and even though hardocre gamers may not like it, it keeps games running for years.
Micro-transactions and free-to-play are becoming more and more popular today, with the former being especially popular in AAA games like Call of Duty and Battlefield. The first thought that comes to mind when asked "are micro-transactions the future of games" I say "heck no". I'm sure many gamers agree with that answer. But let's think about this for a minute. What Mr. Palm is saying is partially true. In a world where multiplayer is quickly becoming the most popular part of video games today, developers need money to keep those servers open. A game like Planetside 2 or DC Universe Online is free-to-play, so they rely on micro-transactions to kep the servers running. I am absolutely fine with companies trying to earn revenue in-game from things such as customization options for your character or a weapon. It's when it's pay-to-win where micro-transactions become evil.
I rarely play MMO's or iOS games because of pay-to-win. Most of these types of games block parts of the game behind a paywall or offer an advantage over people who pay real-world cash. How they can do this varies, Star Trek Trexels, an iOS game, requires you to pay in order to advance certain parts of the game. Angry Joe did an entertaining review on this a few months ago and I highly recommend you see it to know what I'm talking about. You can buy in game currency using real-world money in Grand Theft Auto Online, which has led to unfair advantages by other players in the game world. There are more examples than that in other games as well.
I am perfectly fine with free-to-play and micro-transactions as long as they are done right. Unfortunately, most of the time they aren't, and that's concerning. Game companies can take this the wrong way, and it can get out of control in a hurry. They need to be aware of the risks of micro-transactions and make sure they set a good precedent for the industry. What do you think about micro-transactions and the free-to-play model? Tell me in the comments below.
And, as always, thanks for visiting 8-Bit Ape.
Micro-transactions and free-to-play are becoming more and more popular today, with the former being especially popular in AAA games like Call of Duty and Battlefield. The first thought that comes to mind when asked "are micro-transactions the future of games" I say "heck no". I'm sure many gamers agree with that answer. But let's think about this for a minute. What Mr. Palm is saying is partially true. In a world where multiplayer is quickly becoming the most popular part of video games today, developers need money to keep those servers open. A game like Planetside 2 or DC Universe Online is free-to-play, so they rely on micro-transactions to kep the servers running. I am absolutely fine with companies trying to earn revenue in-game from things such as customization options for your character or a weapon. It's when it's pay-to-win where micro-transactions become evil.
I rarely play MMO's or iOS games because of pay-to-win. Most of these types of games block parts of the game behind a paywall or offer an advantage over people who pay real-world cash. How they can do this varies, Star Trek Trexels, an iOS game, requires you to pay in order to advance certain parts of the game. Angry Joe did an entertaining review on this a few months ago and I highly recommend you see it to know what I'm talking about. You can buy in game currency using real-world money in Grand Theft Auto Online, which has led to unfair advantages by other players in the game world. There are more examples than that in other games as well.
I am perfectly fine with free-to-play and micro-transactions as long as they are done right. Unfortunately, most of the time they aren't, and that's concerning. Game companies can take this the wrong way, and it can get out of control in a hurry. They need to be aware of the risks of micro-transactions and make sure they set a good precedent for the industry. What do you think about micro-transactions and the free-to-play model? Tell me in the comments below.
And, as always, thanks for visiting 8-Bit Ape.
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