In a live stream, YouTuber Josh Strife Hayes discussed monetization in MMORPGs. Especially Pay2Win in real money shops is always an issue. However, Hayes quickly shows his viewers why level boosts or resets for new expansions can even be important for the games.
annotation: The article originally appeared in April 2022, but because it is timeless and stimulates discussion, we have pulled it up again.
What does Hayes say about monetization? At the beginning, the YouTuber first listed the history of monetization. In the beginning there was the pure purchase of the games, then subscriptions followed and now real money shops have become an integral part of the genre.
He then asks his viewers if they’re okay with items that make players stronger being sold directly for real money. As expected, most of them answered “no”.
But then he continues his thought experiment:
If all of your friends have been playing an MMORPG for hundreds of hours and you want to join them, it would take hundreds of hours to get to them – but you don’t know if you’ll actually enjoy the game in the endgame.
Therefore, from Hayes’ point of view, there are three ways to deal with the power creep problem:
You can listen to the relevant section on YouTube here:
“When I’ve spent many hours on the best gear, I expect everyone to go through the same process”
How is Hayes’ statement received? Very mixed. Some say, for example, that boosts would not be a problem at all. They understand why these “catch-up mechanisms” are implemented, says the user Nitebones. He likes WoW’s boosters, which level you up to what the current expansion has.
Andreas Björkman is also fine with boosters, as long as they don’t directly affect the maximum power level or in-game currency. These would have a certain prestige value that could be destroyed in this way.
But there are also many users who are critical of Hayes’ statement. Tiago writes something like:
Maybe it’s a bit selfish, but when I’ve worked for hours to max out a game and get the best gear, I expect everyone else to go through the same process as me. It feels a lot more rewarding to work for than just pay for it.
However, there is one thing that all users agree on: Do not sell an item for real money that makes you stronger than something that can be earned. It must always be possible to gain strength.
Kudos to ESO and GW2: In the comments there is also a lot of praise for the two MMORPGs Guild Wars 2 and The Elder Scrolls Online. Both have had the same max level and gear tier for years. These are also not devalued by new addons.
Instead, they rely on horizontal progression. ESO regularly releases sets with new effects, and Guild Wars 2 lets players unlock and level up new abilities like gliding, mounts, and Jade Bots. There are also new stat combos here and there.
How do you see the topic of boosters and catch-ups in MMORPGs? Is it okay to sell things like this in the shop? And where are your limits? Or should everyone follow the WoW subscription and addon model?
If you are hoping for new MMORPGs in 2023, you will find all the games that have officially announced their release for this year here:
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