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Selling cosmetic items in cash shops. How far we've lost sight of our roots.
Foomerang
Member UncommonPosts: 5,628
I know it's a small thing and probably not many people care. But it has always bothered me. Selling cosmetic items in a cash shop is generally seen as an acceptable practice. And yet that has allowed for a subtle but steady shift away from the immersive virtual worlds I miss so dearly these days.
Cosmetic items: clothing, mounts, pets, titles, auras etc. These used to be part of the game itself. Part of the lore. Perhaps a side quest somewhere. Or tied into a crafting system.
But they are not anymore. They are in a store. And the devs get a pat on the back because at least they aren't selling combat buffs.
I guess I just don't belong in this new style of mmorpg. Even my mmo of choice does it. Best I can do is try to ignore it. My preferred play style is becoming a niche of a niche of a niche lol. Oh well. Nothing lasts forever
Comments
I got sick of this real fast myself. Part of why I barely play MMO's anymore.
It might start off sounding okay and benign, inevitably though, the game developers end up making the best looking stuff for sale in the store. Or worse Pay2win Items.
( Note to self-Don't say anything bad about Drizzt.)
An acerbic sense of humor is NOT allowed here.
I agree.
'Cosmetics' were once a part of progression and achievement. Now they are sold as 'nothings'.
It's actually very much a kind of P2W, especially in a PvE game.
My need as a PvEer has always been PLAY to achieve, including how my character looks, which is in itself very much part of the experience and development of my character's journey, not PAY to achieve.
The whole 'P2W' definition needs to be moved away from just the PvP arena.
Nope, I won't be 'just thankful'.
We have seen what broad market compliance and acceptance of what the market wants us to want has done to MMORPGs over the years.
No more.
Consumers shape this genre, not devs. Everyone needs to wake up and realise that. We just need to stop accepting the social engineering hype crap and paying for the cash shop rubbish that they are pushing.
Sooner the AAA devs, including 'Daybreak', leave the space the better.
I'm totally there with you. I don't want to buy a mount for $20. I want to kill a boss riding it and loot it. I don't want to loot some sword that looks like a rusty piece of junk on purpose to drive me to the cash shop to buy the cool lightning effect. I want quests in the game to get these items. They have value for a reason and all cosmetics are is Pay2LookCool instead of playing the game to get the items you pay the game to get the items.
It just feels so virtual shopping mall to me, I really hate putting up with it. Every time I think they could have put that in the game as a drop or quest not a credit card swipe.
"classification of games into MMOs is not by rational reasoning" - nariusseldon
Love Minecraft. And check out my Youtube channel OhCanadaGamer
Try a MUD today at http://www.mudconnect.com/I agree with OP. I'd prefer cosmetics be crafted by players and the whole "pat on the back for not selling P2W items" is so true and is what the companies seem to fall back on when someone screams "Cash shop!". To me a game that is good will make money no matter what because good products motivate people to spend money on them. So many cash shops in these games seem to be put there to try and squeeze extra $$$ because the product is just mediocre.
It's very strange that now for me the deciding factor on what game to play is determined by how unhindering on gameplay the cash shop is.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
If things were still in the subscription era, I would be right there with you. Unfortunately subscriptions don't really work currently. There are a select few games that manage to work using such a model, but the majority can maybe get away with one for a few months before having to make a shift.
As such, I think cosmetics are perhaps THE fairest way to charge customers. As for whether or not this is 'part of the game' really depends on the company in charge. For example, GW2's cosmetics are mostly additive. The world is probably not quite as immersive (fashion-wise) as you'd prefer, but the base game involves most of the available skins that are free of charge (and indeed many have been added for free).
I can see where you're coming from (immersion-wise), but here's the thing to consider. There is nothing that dictates that cosmetics sold in the cash-shop have to be immersion-breaking. They can all be done canon with the lore if the developer chooses. However, that is not what most players want.
There are a decent amount of players that are lore buffs, true. However most players just want to have fun. They are willing to put up (or even embrace) a silly hat sold in the store if it makes them laugh. Even if that breaks the immersion a bit.
Dude, you're taking your game a little too seriously and if that's the case you might want to step back and re-evaluate your hobby. In all the f2p games I have played, whatever I wanted that was cash shop only was payed for by playing the game without ever spending a dime. As a matter of fact, it makes the game even more interesting to play because you really start to think outside the box about raising the capital needed for a cash shop item. Playing the AH, farming rare loot for crafting, clearing out all the epic junk in your inventory that you don't need that others want.
Besides, all the games that I have played still have those items in the game play whenever those items are part of the "lore". As a matter of fact there are exclusive items you can only get by playing the game. Unless you are playing a MOBA, all games to my knowledge still have those things that you have mentioned available to the die hard RP guy "when it pertains to the lore".
What game are you playing that that requires you to get these items through cash shop only? I'd like to know so I can check it out for myself.
They're not?
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
I think ppl wrongly associate showing off your gear with elitism sometimes, often times it's just being grateful of playing in a guild and with people that want to have fun in games. There's nothing wrong with showing off the gear you collected.
And like people said, it's part of the character's story, just like a scar in real life often has a long story, or just like a watch someone carries in real life often has a story of a loved one or a friend or a memory.
But when everything is just bought in a store, it kind of loses it's meaning.
In a P2P play cosmetic items really are bad, they break the immersion without giving us anything in return, if the game can't run on $15 a month they need to raise the fees. I don't mind paying more for a fun all inclusive games and I am hardly the only one.
In B2P and F2P things are different, those games need to find a way to actually earn money. Cosmetic items as well as services that makes things a bit simpler for us (like extra bank space or character slots) are the things that give an income without actually spoiling the gameplay. In a game like that we need to live with that because the alternatives is worse unless the company actually can spit out more than one expansion a year like Guildwars did for a while.
You could of course make a B2P game that is really small and gets it's fees with just the boxprice but most of us like more massive games that last longer than a few weeks. Making a few MMOs like that for game jumpers could be pretty successful though.
You are right. It is a small thing, and I don't really care.
Heh. You know, that hurt a little coming from you man. Yeah they are not all 100% separated from in game. But it's not at all like it used to be. Just wanted to make a part saying I'm a little saddened by that and yeah I was expecting some ridicule and picking apart. But I gotta be honest I didn't expect to see your name tossed in with the lot. I think you write a lot of read worthy stuff around here.
I know buddy. That's why I added that part. Just for you
Thank you! ... btw, you are also right that you don't belong in this new style of mmorpgs. Do you plan to (or already did) change your hobby from playing MMORPGs to talking about MMORPGs?
Actually it was a genuine question, so I apologize if I came across poorly with my brevity there. It seemed to me that most MMOs try to ensure that the cosmetic items are available through in-game systems as well as through the cash shop. So, to expand on my question:
Which are the MMOs you feel are relegating the majority of cosmetics, or even exclusivity of cosmetics, to the cash shop?
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
marvel heroes.
All the costumes are sold in the cash shop ... and the chance of getting them in game is very small.
Game mechanics and balance are more important than anyting else. Taken into account the devs need to make money, and most people dont want to pay sub, then payed clothing is the abolute least evil alternative out there.
The ONLY reason f2p or b2p have a market is that you dont want to just pay your monthly sub.
No, dont use WoW as a counter, WoW is special in that is can charge for everything. That is not the norm. Nomal devs have to choose a model.
I don't mind it in f2p games, even though it ruins the immersion.
I think it's deplorable in p2p titles though.
There aren't that many sub-only games anymore, so except wow, they are not relevant.