[Cash Shop Idea] Game Time Token

[Reptiletc]

Even Runescape does this, so you have my vote.

[LineageRazor]

*RMT is bad by its very nature*

You keep mentioning that RMT is against the ToS, but obviously under this system at least one form of RMT would NOT be against the ToS (the type sponsored by SE directly). But what folks in this thread might not understand is WHY RMT is against the ToS in the first place. You aren't going to convince people that they shouldn't do something because it's against the rules, if they think those rules are stupid. I think you'd be able to sell your point better if you were to explain WHY RMT is bad.

Here's a rundown of why RMT is against the ToS in the first place (as I understand it, anyway), and how "legitimate" RMT addresses those issues:

- RMT puts money into the hands of folks who don't work in-game for it. It trivializes the work people do to earn gil in game when you can flash a credit card and get the same results.
This is true, both for legitimate and illegitimate RMT. Of course, a lot of methods for earning gil in this game are not what you'd call challenging - in many cases, earning gil is a simple matter of having more time to invest in the game. The so-called "no lifer" might be able to earn more money than others, but can they really be considered admirable for it? If earning gil was an award for defeating challenging content, rather than something you could do simply by grinding FATEs all day long, this argument might have a little more merit to it. Some of the advocates of RMT I've seen over the years bring up the point that their real life obligations mean they simply can't compete with the rate at which folks with more free time can earn in-game currency, and they use RMT in order to keep up with the Joneses. (On the other hand, this just creates TWO varieties of Haves. Have-nots still exist in folks who both do not have enough time AND can't afford to pay money.)

- People who are foolish with real-life money (and therefore are willing to buy gil) will be foolish with in-game money, as well.
In a free market, the prices of goods are determined by how much folks are willing to pay for those goods - particularly in the case of luxury items. In this game very nearly ALL items are luxury items. Anyone willing to actually pay real money for this stuff probably don't have an enormous amount of money-sense, and so will be willing to pay a lot more in-game currency for the item than a more sensible person would. This drives the prices out of the reach of conscientious players who work hard for the gil they accumulate in-game. This, too, is a problem both with legitimate and illegitimate RMT. Hey, if something gets more expensive, they can just flash that credit card again!

- Buying gil causes inflation
This, finally, is a problem with illegitimate RMT that is NOT present in legitimate RMT. In order to produce the currency that they sell to other players, illegitimate RMT farm the game hard (generally using bots) in order to build up gil. They are, essentially, printing money much faster than the game can dispose of it. The addition of new gil into the economy causes prices to rise across the board - and left unchecked, only individuals who buy gil from the RMT are able to afford anything at all. SE's lax stance on RMT in the early years of FFXI is a good example of just how horrible this can be - Christmas of '06 introduces so much new gil into the economy that everything became a hundred times more expensive. The RMT task force was created soon after, and since that day SE has been much more vigilant in dealing with RMT. However, the legitimate RMT folks are discussing would not have this problem. SE would not sell gil to players. PLAYERS would sell gil to players, gil that they have earned themselves.

- Gil farmers compete with legitimate players for resources
Again, this is only a problem under illegitimate RMT - and in this game, is rather muted even there. This game doesn't feature things like mining points that disappear for all players after one player accesses it, or free-roaming notorious monsters with valuable drops. While RMT do compete with regular players economically (they can farm crystals like nobody's business, which drives down the price), it's rare that they'll directly obstruct a player's gameplay. In a legitimate RMT system, both direct and indirect competition are eliminated.

If you take it as a given that folks, for whatever reason, are going to seek out RMT, then it becomes understandable why many in this thread think that the token system is a good idea. Two of the above points hold true regardless of whether RMT is sponsored directly by SE or not, and the other two are solved or improved because illegitimate RMT are written out of the equation. It seems to be a no-brainer that if you're going to have RMT at all, it's better for it to be sponsored and regulated by SE, rather than in the hands of people who are barely better than criminals.

However, there's another factor to consider:

- Legitimate RMT legitimizes RMT
Right now, there are a lot of players who might like to engage in RMT but refrain from doing so because they are afraid of the consequences. They could be banned by SE. They could have their credit card info or accounts stolen by the RMT they deal with. This means that the population of individuals who buy gil (and therefore spend it foolishly in-game, pumping up prices and so on) is much smaller than it COULD be. Under the token system, however, it pretty much tells folks that hey, it's okay to buy gil with real money. Go right ahead! No matter how you look at it, the ability to buy gil is harmful, both to the buyer and to the folks who are affected by that buyer's foolish buying habits in game. The token system might help get rid of the bots and shout-spammers, but it will also introduce a host of new gilbuying players. The problem is similar to the problem of legalizing drugs in real life - those drugs are harmful to the folks that use them, and sometimes also harmful to folks AROUND the folks that use them, which makes legalizing them a bad idea, but as long as they're illegal there will be a thriving criminal element working to deliver those drugs anyway.

[Kosmos992k]

**snip**Legitimate RMT legitimizes RMT**snip**

^^^^^^^^^^
The only thing in your post I agree with.

This game time token idea is a terrible one, I dislike the concept and disagree with it being implements, I do not see it as a solution to any problem in the game, and believe that it causes more problems that it ever attempts to solve.

I've already said before why I think RMT is wrong, and why I dislike this concept.

[AlphaFox]

I am kinda against the idea myself, I mean if its limited to how many you can buy I suppose but then it would seem an odd cause, yet if its free flowing, nothing is stopping someone with gil cap to purchase a year or more for free just using in game cash. Just the idea together gives me mixed feelings.

[HPDelron]

I am kinda against the idea myself, I mean if its limited to how many you can buy I suppose but then it would seem an odd cause, yet if its free flowing, nothing is stopping someone with gil cap to purchase a year or more for free just using in game cash. Just the idea together gives me mixed feelings.

I've got a buddy that does this is WoW. He's actually not paid a month sub since it came out and is always free 6-months into the future. However Blizzard is still getting their money, and he's a productive and active member of his in-game community. The people who bought those tokens are certainly happen with the gold they're getting. Exactly who is losing out in this equation?

Who or what specifically is worse off because of that situation than they would be otherwise?

[MomomiMomi]

I am kinda against the idea myself, I mean if its limited to how many you can buy I suppose but then it would seem an odd cause, yet if its free flowing, nothing is stopping someone with gil cap to purchase a year or more for free just using in game cash. Just the idea together gives me mixed feelings.

SE is still getting their money. What exactly is "free" about this?

[RobbieH]

SE is still getting their money. What exactly is "free" about this?

Can you read? He said what in his post:

someone with gil cap to purchase a year or more for free just using in game cash.

Rich people don't need to pay a sub anymore.

[MomomiMomi]

Can you read? He said what in his post:

Rich people don't need to pay a sub anymore.

That's... not free. Not only do they have to pay gil, but SE is still getting their money, so SE is not providing anything for free.

[Kosmos992k]

Can you read? He said what in his post:



Rich people don't need to pay a sub anymore.

It's the Eorzean way...believe me.

These gil soaked rich people need the support of others. Don't they? People say so. They tell me this all the time. They say rich people need support. Not like that rich popoto Nanamo. Such a nasty woman,she lies, steals, eats kittens and is as corrupt as they come, so says my friend Lord Lolorito. She even conspired to have that nice fellow Teledji Adeleji killed. She's just nasty. Lock her up!!

Make Eorzea Great Again!




p.s. in case it's not clear, I am joking. Personally I adore Nanamo, and will happily stand as her protector.

[SessionZero]

It's the Eorzean way...believe me.

These gil soaked rich people need the support of others. Don't they? People say so. They tell me this all the time. They say rich people need support. Not like that rich popoto Nanamo. Such a nasty woman,she lies, steals, eats kittens and is as corrupt as they come, so says my friend Lord Lolorito. She even conspired to have that nice fellow Teledji Adeleji killed. She's just nasty. Lock her up!!

Make Eorzea Great Again!




p.s. in case it's not clear, I am joking. Personally I adore Nanamo, and will happily stand as her protector.

And there was that whole mess with Nanamo destroying sensitive scrolls kept in a private lectern.

As an aside, I personally think directly gift-able game time would be fine, but I don't see the need for buy-able in-game tokens.