The Ethics of Optional Item Sales

[Gardes]

This is what I have a big problem with when it comes to cash shops. I don't care if it's just for "vanity purposes." This is a significant part of the game for many players and forcing a pay-wall on those exclusive glamours will alienate certain players for sure.

I'd say the quality of seasonal events and the rewards from it have gone steadily downhill. Them working on expansion is really no excuse. They already got money from the cash shop, but where's the evidence that it has gone back into the game? EU servers have no solid date and every other detail is vague, RMT problem is just getting worse, server stability apparently has also gotten worse (some of my NA fc members that didnt need a game vpn are complaining about chronic lag lately. personally cant really tell since i'm already playing on 300 ping). As far as I'm concerned, cash shop is way overpriced but hasn't justified those prices at all.

[Dualblade]

I don't see the problem because, as many have said, its pure vanity.

That said I would like to see more things like minions and the like added to the Gold Saucer. Perfect place.

[Kalandros]

Drop the topic already

Blizzard makes 10 to 20 times more than Square-enix with WoW alone. They have a cash shop. There's nothing else to say. Cash Shops are there to stay but we definitely don't want Pay2Win model that 'free'2play mmos have.

[Catwho]

In the case of the metallic colors, you even get a "try before you buy" feature. You can test how each dye will potentially look on a piece without even owning the dye. I said I was never going to spend a dollar on the paid metallic dyes, until I saw that the metallic blue turned the Ironworks Coat of Healing a lovely iridescent purple. SE got my dollar that time...

As long as the cash shop stays the way it is, I'm fine with it. My inability to get past Turn 9 has absolutely nothing to do with my lack of the cherry blossom earrings.

[Airget]

How is it unethical to subscribers?

Do the math, 38 seasonal items, 7 for 5 and 31 for 3. bout 168.

30 day sub 14.99 x 12= 179
90 day sub 13.99= 167.88 (12 months)
180 day sub 12.99= 155.88 ( 12 months)

Those who pay the sub they have an opportunity to do the seasonal event and not miss out on x item.

However sometimes a person doesn't play for a a month of a few months.

Let's look at it like this, person x decides they don't want to play for 3 month so they wait and resub later on but realize they wanted an item in those three months that they missed on.

So they saved 38.97-44.97 dollars during those 3 months by not being subbed and in exchange they can spend 3 dollars to get an item they missed.

I honestly don't see an issue with that, don't you think it be more robbery to not allow for a means to get a one time item again or forcing a person to sub at 12.99-14.99 a month just so they don't miss out on an item they may only price at 3 or 5 dollars? Because in the end it's not like everyone wants those items, yes there are some collectors and some who may want it for glamour but at the end of the day it just offers an option (that's cheaper than being subbed to an extent) for items a player may have missed on the first time around while offering them for "free" for players who were subbed during that time and did the event.

[Cutie_McSnuggles]

I 100% agree that a cash shop in a P2P game is unethical.

[reality_check]

When I hear the word ethics I tend to think of justice, morality, crime, social issues, abuse of power etc...

Ethics in selling people 1-20 dollar items for perks in an online video game?

[Whiteroom]

Aren't most of the things in the cash shop thing that were already developed in the game? Like vanity form previous seasonals? There really isnt any additional development costs on those. You could even say that the profits form that gets funneled back into the development of the other products.

[seida]

I think the reason it stings is because for a long time there was no cash shop - we DID get everything to do with the game included in our sub.

Then suddenly that changed, so of course it seemed scary and greedy.

I don't really have a problem with what they are selling so far, I just hope they keep it along those lines.

[ElHeggunte]

The biggest argument against the cash shop seems to arise from people romanticizing the subscription fee and turning it into something it's not. You're only renting the right to access the service, the content included therein isn't part of the agreement and it never was.

I was going to make a witty analogy about pre-shop FFXIV being like a bonus bag of potato chips (23% more free!), but I found it hard to word so use your imagination.