Microtransactions

I just read an article about video game microtransactions for perishable in-game items. In case you don’t know what microtransactions are, they’re what happens when a game company (most often, a company that’s running a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, or MMORPG; sometimes another genre) decides to offer what’s been called “Premium Content” to players for a small fee (usually just a couple dollars at most). For example, if you wanted your character in your game of choice to wear a special color, the company night offer you that color for $1.99. Or, if you’re playing a First-Person Shooter (FPS), they may offer you a new map to play on for $2.99.

Perishable in-game items include things you’d use to give your character more health, or even in-game currency. Once you use those things, they’re gone until you happen to come across some more. So, to bring this all together, if the game companies start selling perishable items, then it’ll slant the playing field to those people who have more real-life money to spend. As it stands now, everything you get in-game depends on how long you spend playing the game, and what skills you have (and what cheats you use, but that’s another story; cheaters should find something better to do with their time…bastards).

If they want you to spend a little extra for a new map, or different colored armor, then I’m all for it. If they want you to use real money to replace tenacity and skill, then I’m 100% against it.