Why all the hate with micro-transactions?

I totally get where your coming from, I think its just some nostalgic feeling from back in the day before micro transactions became popular and we all grinded hours in our parents basements. People are just greedy, they want everything given to them and don't want anyone to be better then them. I personally like the whole pay to win thing now that i'm adult and not living in my parents basement so can't afford 16 hours grinding anymore.

 

I hate micro-transactions because I don't like paying for something I have already payed for.

 

Micro-transactions end up costing you more than you would have ever thought. For example, a $10 FIFA game came out for smartphones. Every time you need something new, you pay a small dollar. This may not seem like anything, but after 2 hours of game time, you are out $100. Also, in MMOs, micro-transactions are what run the game. So of course, I do not want them to go away, or else the game will go away, as well.

 

I think micro transactions are fine when to a limit. I get that free to play has to earn money somehow, which is often done through micro-transactions. What bothers most people is when it's either overpriced or overpowering. Nobody wants to be able to have an advantage by the willingness to pay money. Nobody wants worthless things to cost way too much either. So often times it's hard to get it right, while the company is still able to earn money.

 

What is this angst? Puberty?

I hate micro-transactions with a passion, especially in games which are not free to play. To a certain extent I can understand f2p games using micro-transactions since they do need to bring in money. So for a free to play game... I accept it but won't ever use it. If the game is free it's free. If not I'll gladly pay for it, but only if it's good enough.

But if I pay to have a game... then I should also pay more in order to get items in it? That's where it gets ridiculous.

 

Micro transactions as a whole are not a bad thing per se. It is when they are implemented poorly when they become an issue.

You mentioned League of Legends, which is a fine example of a game that does micro transactions fairly well. The game is well balanced and you can unlock all champions with currency earned just by playing the game, however you can pay for cosmetic items or to unlock those champions sooner. It does not give anyone who pays real money a clear advantage. Same with DOTA 2, you can buy cosmetic items and that's all. Perfect.

The hate for micro transactions come from games where a person who pays money has a CLEAR advantage over anyone who does not pay money, referred to as pay to win. It defeats the purpose of actually playing the game and instead turns it into a pissing contest of who could spend more money. I believe that's what is genuinely disliked about the micro transaction system.

 

I actually agree with MorgUK up there, a game, any game for that matter costs real money to make. So the developers actually wanting to make some money back by including micro-transactions into the game need to be given some slack IMHO. Hey you know those devs aren't making it mandatory for all of ya to pay for premium content, besides, if the quality of the game is real good then why not pay only for those content which you like?

Overall I have no complaints on this. Maybe all you haters need to think from the developers' perspective as well.

 

With my experience with micro-transactions my hate has boundaries. For example, if all you have to do is shell out ten dollars and your automatically better than a lot of people that's just stupid to me. However, if you pay to get maybe a class that's still balanced in the game that is exclusive to micro-transactions, I don't have a problem with that, and I feel the same way about cosmetic features too. It's bonus things given to people who like to help and support the company that made the MMORPG. If it gets to the point where paying makes you better than other people, that's where the line gets drawn. Long point short, skill and dedication should make you better than other players, not money. Money should be confined to bonus classes and cosmetics that are still balanced with the rest of the game.

 

I don't mind people that spend money on free to play games, but it becomes a problem when some players get the big head and think they are better then everyone else and in reality it's only because they spent so much money in the cash shop.

 

People don't necessarily hate micro-transactions. It's only when they go overboard that people start to despise them. Sure, it's fine to have micro-transactions for some stuff, but if the developer tries to make you pay for half of everything, not only does it get annoying, but it just shows that the developers did not put any time at all into thinking about how to earn revenue after releasing a game. Micro-transactions should be avoided at all costs when making a B2P game; it should only be in F2P games, and even then, it shouldn't be overdone. And by overdone I mean stuff like paying money for super overpowered items that ruin the game or paying for the best possible convenience ingame (e.g. walk 30 minutes from town A to town B or pay real money to teleport instantly; developers should just charge ingame currency for something like this..)

 

I don't mind micro transactions, exactly. After all, as has already been stated, the game makers need to make money off of their creation. This is fine.

What I don't like is games that are impossible, or nearly so, to play without purchasing the latest gadget. Take LoTRO, for example. One thing you can purchase in the Turbine store is a riding skill. This isn't strictly necessary, exactly, but trying to play without a horse can get quite frustrating. Thankfully, you can earn Turbine Points to purchase this skill through various grindy tasks.

But, if you couldn't earn points like this, getting around would be extremely frustrating and tiring. Not quite impossible, but enough so that playing the game would probably be no fun.

 

As long as the items are strictly cosmetic, I don't mind micro transactions.
Take Dota 2 for example, the gameplay is the same for everyone but you buy skins for your favorite heroes. And now take a look at Diablo 3 and how the auction house completely ruined the game.

 

Micro-transactions are like your local dollar tree. You go in expecting to spend less money. Then you end up spending about $50 on various items. It all adds up in the end and the low cost for individual items is just a marketing ploy.

 

That's a good comparison. The question is when to stop. You pay $1 for an item now... tomorrow you want the next one so it's another $1. etc. It adds up quickly.

 

I personally don't mind them. I am not paying for it, if someone wants to pay for something on the game to move ahead of the curve, well its there money.

On the other hand if its a game you've already paid for then micro transactions are nothing but a shameless cash grab.

 

It depends on the micro-transaction. I can be a real sucker when it comes to paying for an advantage. However, I think it is wrong if you are paying for exclusive content, which cannot be earned in the game (which also depends on the circumstance). I've played games where the developers would have monthly items that would be purely cosmetic, or have some sort of beneficial effect. That filled me with rage, knowing that you could never have something just because you were not willing to pay more money.

Things like the GTA micro-transactions are okay to me. I actually support them. After all, you really are not getting exclusive content, you are just getting some extra cash to make your experience more enjoyable. I also know how tough it is to get any sort of decent money on that game. Heck, I would support them more for the benefit of the player, rather than benefit of the company. It just depends on what the micro-transaction purchases.

 

I don't mind the micro-transactions. I guess it's how the makers of the games make money. When a player can pay for an advantage it can seem attractive. But it can be unfair if that advantage is way out of hand!