Just thought I would post this fairly interesting article on this "phenomenon",
http://gamasutra.com/view/feature/17...etization_.php
Some interesting quotes include,
Quote:
Nonetheless, social network games are designed to foster a certain amount of "hey, look what I did", to create peer competition. Thus the sale of game objectives will act as a more mild supremacy good unless peer pressure is intense inside a friend network, in which case you get the "SUV effect" boosting sales.
also how it can be abused,Quote:
The most important concept in this paper is that it's not just how you sell your product, but what part of your product you sell. A great part of the attraction of virtual worlds is that participants see them as a Grand Meritocracy, as opposed to the real world, which can often seem arbitrary and unfair. As Jane McGonigal points out, there is no unemployment in virtual space. Everyone has opportunities. Absolute care must be taken in the design of your virtual world to maintain this perception -- whether you consider it real or illusion is irrelevant.
Selling the game objectives in your world makes your game unfair and just reminds your customers of the inequities of the world they are trying to escape from. They literally won't buy this. Sell them opportunity, in the form of content, and they will buy up that opportunity with an enthusiasm that will shock you.
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/Ramin...ion_Tricks.php
Cash Shop, P2W, F2P ... etc.
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12-14-2014, 12:40 PMBishop81Cash Shop, P2W, F2P ... etc.
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12-14-2014, 01:19 PMVejjiegirl
A very good read and it holds a ton of truth.
here is another interesting article http://gameful.org/group/games-for-c...y-to-win-works
And videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwI0u9L4R8U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhz9OXy86a0 -
12-14-2014, 01:23 PMzar
Please go.
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12-14-2014, 01:40 PMVejjiegirlMaybe you should watch this video instead of the ones above:Quote:
Originally Posted by zar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9A8VJBh_Yc -
12-14-2014, 01:44 PMShinigamiZero
Ignore Zar, I see him in every thread related to cash shop saying the same two lines. A mod actually deleted his post on my thread cause it was basically just name calling lol
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12-14-2014, 01:45 PMSquintina
Good reads. (also glad this thread actually is just a general discussion and not directly related to..well, you know).
I've actually considered making a game before and I always go back and forth about if I'd have a cash shop, and - most importantly - what would be in it. What would be fair, what would be manipulation, ideal price points, how many items, etc... Things that the both articles covered quite well! -
12-14-2014, 01:48 PMzar
Actually, Cash shop threads are the toxin. We are tired of seeing them. They are all the same, they hold no real discussion, and they are mostly composed of separate sides pointlessly bickering at one another. You could at least post in an existing thread instead of spamming this forum with multiple ones. TY have a nice night.
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12-14-2014, 01:50 PMShinigamiZero
Says the guy that name calls lol. Anyways on topic; very interesting read thanks for the links. I think the only cash shop model I actually like or accept is the one from league of legends. Perhaps that's why they are so successful.
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12-14-2014, 01:53 PMSquintinaDid you even read? The first article talks about various Cash shop models: both "good" and "bad"... The second article is about how human psychology is used with different cash shop strategies. This is not like any of the other threads at all -.-, so it wouldn't belong in an existing thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by zar
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12-14-2014, 01:55 PMTeryaaniThey tend to degenerate to one side calling the others sheep or idiots and the other calling the cash shop decriers self-entitled whiners. So yeah, They are toxic.Quote:
Originally Posted by ShinigamiZero
I like how Blizzard handled it's cash shop (prior to the buy a 90 stuff). It was limited in scope and still offered a few fun bits. -
12-14-2014, 01:56 PMAmiantos
Can I get a pastebin of the article or a tl;dr version of those articles from the OP?
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12-14-2014, 02:44 PMBishop81It's actually written by a consultant that work on F2P games. He is pretty much neutral on the topic.Quote:
Originally Posted by zar
He is more interested in seeing how they work and people reaction them to than "taking sides" - it is after all his job to advise on such matters.
I always wonder why MMO makers don't release raids and dungeons via their cash shops - i.e. micro-expansions in a way. After all, some players like me have no interest in raids like Coil of Bahamut and won't get much use from the content. Given how much they cost to make, I think it would be fair that only those that use the content pay for it.
IMHO "content" (i.e. opportunity to play) should be the only thing that they should be selling. It's still affected by RL money, but by and large it's acceptable to consumers. Selling of "game objectives" however is risky business ...
e.g.
It's OK to sell access to a dungeon (one time fee please) where players can obtain loot - it's really just selling an expansion on a smaller scale. Selling the loot directly on the other hand ... -
12-14-2014, 03:27 PMDiscordia
The only reason why this would be posted in the first place is because of the controversy over the implementation in THIS game. Prior to this, no one cared a whit about this topic, and you would have to go to some other community forum to find it.
DLCs have been a mainstay since the inception of Steam, PSN, XBL, etc., as well as the App Store (Apple), Google Play, and you can go on for hours. If you want a serious academic discussion regarding this topic, you would be better off at Gamasutra, Reddit, etc., where you'll find a more wider and more accepting audience (or ones who will give a **** about it) -
12-14-2014, 06:16 PMBishop81It's worth discussing here because it affects us now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Discordia
SE probably isn't going to back off from micro-transactions. Might as well discuss how they can do it without wrecking the game as we know it.