General Discussion

I go out to dinner with the family and spend easily that much for one meal.

You do the math.

If MMOs too expensive get a job.   If you're in school study harder to get a better job later.  

Originally posted by acidworm

I used to buy 2-3 PlayStation games per week from 1995-1999. I basically bought almost every game released in that time period. As soon as I got into EverQuest beta, I never bought a console game ever again lol. I've saved a small fortune playing MMOGS. 15 bucks a month is the best pound for pound entertainment deal on the planet.  I don't play any silly F2P games with micro transactions so I've never spent a single penny outside my subs. Love it!

 2-3 games per week for 4 years?? 208 (weeks) x 2 (games) = 414 ps games!!!!! Where do you keep them?

Originally posted by Jimmy_Scythe

Methinks that many of you are missing the point. Yes, MMOs are cheaper than movies, cable TV, beer, whores, etc.... And yes, the cost of one, and exactly one, MMO isn't going to drive anyone to bankruptcy.... BUT how much value do MMOs deliver in comparison to OTHER GAMES?

It's not an unreasonable question. Consider the fact that I bought The Orange Box almost a year ago, haven't paid anything since and I still play TF2. CoD4 has been out for over a year and there are still people playing the hell out of it. You can buy Battlefield 2 and all of its expansions for $30 and there are still tons of people playing the game regularly. Hell, Madden players drop $50 a year for an entire year of playing.

BTW, there are still people playing the original Neverwinter Nights. There are still people playing Quake 3. There are still people playing Dawn of War. None of those games have a monthly fee. Pay once, play forever.

Since I normally only play games online and don't bother with single player games, I only buy about three or four games a year. To make it even cheaper, I buy used and rent games. You can't do either with an MMO.

From the pure numbers, MMOs are a giant waste of cash when compared to other genres of games.

Value is subjective.  People determine for themselves what is a value and what is not.  If people enjoy one game over another and it provides them the level and quality of entertainment they desire, then it would obviously be of greater value than one that doesn't. 

MMORPGs are not a ripoff for those who enjoy the entertainment they bring over other forms of entertainment.

MMOs actually save me a great deal of money.

I pay $220 a year for two Eve subs.

• I don't buy console games anymore at all. 
• I buy maybe two games a year off Steam and that's it.
• I got rid of my TV since I get all my news & movies online (yes, legally)
• That also means no cable / satellite bill (except for internet access)

So it saves me quite a bit of money.  But I don't like to rent and I don't like non-persistent online games.  It has different value for different people.

Originally posted by John.A.Zoid

 

 

Right...........

However if you're a "gamer" then youw ill be buying all the other games so the whole it saves you money argument doesn't hold up. If I'm going to be paying a monthly sub then I expect that to include services like character transfers and expansions/content for free. What pisses me off again is when they feel the need to add in micro transactions and in game advertising even though we're paying for all the other stuff.


So really;

- One paid subscription where everythign else is free

Or

- Subscription free but make us pay for all the other stuff.



Currently everyones being ripped off because they do all of them at the same time.

 

 

I also find the argument of having 30 days of entertainment funny because really you don't play each and every day cause not only does that make for a sad life but it's impossible. Also I could play Left 4 Dead for the same amount of time as an mmorpg and I'm not being charged anything and when new content comes out I wont be charged for that too. Yet oh look L4D has given me more value for money than any movie or whatever so :S I think that argument is abit dumb.

I could play The Helicopter game for 30 days and thats free.

Why oh why exactly do you think character name changes or transfers should be "included in the subscription fee"? where does it reads? What other games offer such services for free?
 

As for "micro-transactions", you cannot really compare TCG to that right? Well, I am not familiar with SWG's TCG, but WoW's one is not even handled by Blizzard, but by a third party company and all the stuff you get from the cards is just nice fluff.

Yeah, you can go on a rocket or get yourself a picnic umbrealla, but you do not really get anything that affect the game mechanics, just stuff you could get normally, only looking different.

And yes, you could play Left 4 Dead for way cheaper than a MMo, but how much content are you getting added to left 4 dead mmmh? I mean, from the company, not from fan mods that are free? Yes, everyone patches their game, but Single Player games rarely add content and when they do, it is in minimal form.

MMOs, hell entire new dungeons, regions or even gameplay types get added with free patches every month!

so in the end, no, I do not feel ripped off my 13 euros a month.

The OP makes an interesting point, and I think people are mixing apples and oranges (please see above posts comparing playing World of Warcraft to eating dinner, which is a necessity).

The retail price in addition to monthly fee amounts to an expensive game - and customers should rightfully expect more when a monthly fee is levied.  Speaking for myself, though price is a minor (minor) factor, I am about to quit MMORPGs altogether because I have not found one with with the creativity, depth, sophistication, and immersion that Everquest (the original had).  In fact, I have multiple accounts at Everquest - but this title has been dry since the game became raid-focused, anti-community guild, and abandoned challenging/rewarding group gameplay.

The "new" MMORPGs are not worth the retail price, let alone 15.00 a month for me to (1) grind and (2) raid.

Edit

I would gladly (glady) pay 15.00 if a game had world immersion, character customization, deep/optional Questing, and more.

Today, these developers/companies want me to pay retail and 15.00 a month to (1) grind and (2) raid or (3) PvP - and I dislike ALL three.I want to (1) customize my character; (2) explore a world; and (3) participate in deep, but optional, Quests.  I will pay you for that.

Been there.  Done that.  What happened to innovation (player empowerment, evolving world)?

Aside

Briefly, linear gameplay is intellectualyl offensive because it limits options (and freedom) and makes gamers feel stupid; some of us want to develop, explore, and "build" our characters in a unique, and authentic, way.

I have not bought an MMORPG since Vanguard - and I am a "gamer."  I used to buy them all just to try them for a month.  Not anymore.  I am wiser consumer in this industry.

These companies will not fool me - again.

Me subscribing 4 ppl to an MMO so me and my family/friends can play together? $60.

Buying a newly released video game, one copy for myself solo? $50-60

Buying a newly released video game, 4 copies, for everyone? $200-240.

Average lifespan of a video game for me? Two weeks to One month.

Result? MMORPG's are EXTREMELY cheap. I can subscribe to FOUR MMO's for the price of ONE PS3 or PC game... 

In fact... I can't, or atleast dont want to, spend as much as $100 a month just to play ONE video game with me and one other friend/family. $50 is a lot to spend, and I dont want to just cash out $100 on a whim every 2-4 weeks on a game I may or may not play for very long.

Miniature games? To buy one of those- atleast $80 for EACH player's army. 80xPlayers = Expensive.

RPG's? Rulebooks are usually $30-40, and with atleast two supplements, thats $40-70 more. To play one PnP RPG nicely, thats $70-$110.

With MMO's, I can try them first for 7-14 days, then subscribe 4 players for only $60. That's Extremely. Extremely. Extremely cheap.

I may not be "every man", but I am the only one who has the money to spend on entertainment (friend and nephew dont have the money) and I also am always the one who has to spearhead the idea to them, or else we'd simply only play free, boring, flash games or SNES Roms all day, lol.

So since I have to spearhead the idea, everyone else is rather apathetic or otherwise boring, I have to provide for everything we do. Miniature gaming cost  me HUNDREDS, PC games cost me $100-150 minimum, console games are mostly singleplayer, PnP RPG's cost a good amount plus TONS of time reading and studying, going out to eat can cost $30 for just two ppl...

MMORPG's are $15 each, w/ a trial. That is the CHEAPEST form of entertainment there is for me. Not just that, but it provides the most time entertaining. So not just the cheapest, but the most efficient for the $/Time ratio.

BTW, few MMORPG's are hyped enough for me to buy them when they come out (costing $35 + 15 for the free month, $50)

Ive been around MMORPG's since UO and EQ, and it is always the same. The price of the box goes down very quickly to $30, and then even sooner disappears to a free trial + $15 subscription, or a free trial + $10-20 box charge, and with the free first month, it equates to an extra $5 at most, or a minimum of $10 for the first month and $15 afterwards.

That means after a short while, MMO's would only cost me $40 for 6 weeks of subscription for FOUR people. $10x4 (box, which includes 1 free month) + 14 day trial.

Talk about CHEAP!