Post by Morreion on Mar 31, 2010 7:24:49 GMT -5
Free to Play: The value of zero (Massively)
Sure, in the West there is this suspicion about F2P games, I'll admit that I hold it myself (you know why, see my other posts on the subject). Certainly a lot of it has to do with many of the F2P games originating in the East and having a 'samey' feel to them. Perhaps part of the problem is a definitional one- you generally have a hard time playing F2P games totally for free; I prefer the term 'microtransaction games'.
In fact, I am going to go out a limb here and compare the prejudice that many gamers have towards free-to-play games as some sort of snobbery, as some kind of claim that subscription games and North American games in general are more of a legitimate experience than what the free-to-play market has to offer. It can't be the cartoony graphics, being that pretty much all MMORPGs have some part of their game that is not at all realistic. It can't be the gameplay, being that both free-to-play and subscription based developers hear the same gripes like "it's too much of a grind" or "the content is repetitive." So I am wagering that there is some sort of pride in both communities, some sort of football team loyalty that really cannot be explained.
So how will the free-to-play developers combat the issue of "free" being seen as either something for children, weaklings, non-gamers or cheapskate robots? They just have to continue making quality games. If you look at the recent offerings that have "broken through" or that came closer to normalizing free-to-play, you will find games like Dungeons and Dragons Online Unlimited, Allods (yes, Allods. Despite the cash shop pricing issues, the game was and still is of high quality and is doing very well) Free Realms, Wizard 101, Mabinogi, Runescape or Fusion Fall.
So how will the free-to-play developers combat the issue of "free" being seen as either something for children, weaklings, non-gamers or cheapskate robots? They just have to continue making quality games. If you look at the recent offerings that have "broken through" or that came closer to normalizing free-to-play, you will find games like Dungeons and Dragons Online Unlimited, Allods (yes, Allods. Despite the cash shop pricing issues, the game was and still is of high quality and is doing very well) Free Realms, Wizard 101, Mabinogi, Runescape or Fusion Fall.
Sure, in the West there is this suspicion about F2P games, I'll admit that I hold it myself (you know why, see my other posts on the subject). Certainly a lot of it has to do with many of the F2P games originating in the East and having a 'samey' feel to them. Perhaps part of the problem is a definitional one- you generally have a hard time playing F2P games totally for free; I prefer the term 'microtransaction games'.
