Thursday 16 November 2017

Are microtransactions the dark side of gaming?



Matt Charlton delves deeper into the issue of loot boxes and microtransactions in the wake of the controversy surrounding Star Wars Battlefront II. Suggesting many gamers (myself included) may look to a resurgent Nintendo and its storied franchises this holiday season and beyond.

Guest post by Matt Charlton

Microtransactions have the potential to destroy this industry if they carry on the way they’re going!

Games used to be £30. You got everything. Recently, games were £50. £70 if you wanted everything.

Now, you get something for £50. More for £70 and everything else is a perpetual business model with moving goalposts.

Not to mention they will turn off the servers at some point. Probably in less than 5 years. At which point your £1500 on microtransactions is thrown in the bin.

I don’t like this direction and it’s putting me off investing in AAA titles on both the Xbox One and PS4.

I’d rather play on the Nintendo Switch now. Super Mario Odyssey was a masterpiece and a wonderful playthrough, which is still giving even after completing the main story. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a beast that I’ve still only just scratched the surface of.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is great and with the addition of Rocket League, yesterday, Nintendo Switch is rapidly becoming a wonderful platform and a haven for avid video gamers of all ages and abilities.

DLC is fine. A pain, sometimes especially if it’s on a disc, but it’s fine.

Microtransactions for skins and shiny things that don’t really affect anything other than aesthetics, bearable.

Buying your way up a power and ability track with loot crates is a cancer and it needs to be taken out of premium games. It has no place in the industry and gamers are starting to revolt.

Hopefully, they will go away.

How do you feel about the state of microtransactions and an aggressive approach by some publishers? Let me know in the comments below.

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