The Daily Grind: Are we cheating studios by not paying for free-to-play?

Here's an odd question that I've been chewing on lately: Is there something wrong if we extensively enjoy a free-to-play title that we do not, and are determined to never, pay for? I mean, sampling a F2P title is kind of like participating in a trial, but what about playing a F2P MMO for months or even years without paying? Is there something ethically or perhaps morally wrong about that, particularly since our playtime is funded by both the studio and the paying members out there?

On one hand, we're invited to do so. Studios use F2P to lure us in on the chance that we'll become so invested that we'll be tempted to spend money to either support it or gain a better play experience for ourselves. The studios set the rules for free-to-play, and we operate within them. But on the other hand, I wonder if there comes a point when one can take so much advantage of a "free" service at someone else's expense that it gets tacky or just plain wrong. Do we become the unwelcome house guest who mooches but never gives back -- and never leaves?

What do you think? Should we feel obligated to pay at least something if we've played a F2P MMO for a good length of time? Or am I totally off my rocker here?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

Reader Comments (97)

If it's good and I'm having fun, I'm likely to drop cash on it, like LOTRO. I don't mind mooching in AoC since the cash shop model there is over the top.

@Lucidus

Agreed. LOTRO GIVES you cash shop money just for playing the freaking game, which makes the cash shop accessible to everyone, balancing it outright. With me, I bought the expansions and such during a sale, and I never felt I cheated myself. I still revisit LOTRO when I get bored of the other slim pickings.

I contrast this with most of the Korean fare of F2P games. Take Lost Saga. To get a permanent Merc, you have to pay cash shop. Some classes can't even be accessed without the cash shop, and they are CRAZY AWESOME. Y'know, Jin from BlazBlue, and Sol Badguy from Guilty Gear! Even GENDER is locked behind this barrier. Yeah, I quit cold turkey after seeing the greed.

Basically, if a game is mind numbingly grindy, or is cash shop dependent to even stay competitive, I will not stay with it, and they'll never get a dime from me. However, Turbine has beat me out of $60 between LOTRO and DDO, both games free, and both games where you earn cash shop points in game. There's probably a lesson somewhere in there...

i never play Lotro anymore, but since i have a lifetime sub since it was P2P, im getting points every month im doing squad with :P

I paid $5 for DCUO to get the second tier access, but nothing in the cash shop really appealed to me.

Quite stupidly, I bought 25,000 Escrow Withdrawal thinking I'd actually get some in game money to spend. Apparently, all it does is let me withdraw 25k from my own bank. I had zero in there. Whoops!

I guess its my own fault, but it still left me annoyed with DCUO. I could have bought the zombie transformation, I guess...

As long as you are running content with groups or buying items from other players, you are a contributing member of the community. Just by being in the game, and participating in the community of the game, you are providing something back. If all of the people who never paid left these games, their population numbers would bottom out and the worlds would feel less alive. There would be less for the paying customers to do, and then they would start leaving.

@BlindseerJB
Agreed. It's nice to drop money on a F2P game you really enjoy, just as it's good form to tip a street performer who's entertained you (if you can afford it), but it's hardly cheating the company to do what they've invited you to do. Presumably they've accounted for people who will never pay when deciding to go F2P, and what they potentially get from free players in terms of community enhancement and word-of-mouth advertising most likely makes up for it.

Lol no I would never feel obligated to pay.

It is that companies own choice to offer something for free and to lure / force clients to pay later.

Don't feel even slightest obligation to pay.

After all they are not running charity f2p model exist for a very long time already in industry. It is carefully weighted choice they make and f2p model is made to MAKE money so I am not feeling obligated,

Want me to feel obligated to pay?

Make mmorpg game totally free, NOT include cash shop or any other optional or mandatory payment and offer volunatry dotations.
Then I will propably feel obliged after a while.

@smartstep

A great example of someone I don't get. You want somthing for nothing. Which translates into crappy games since games "do" cost money to develop, operate and expand.

Players with your mindset I honestly think should basically stick with the free ware games that used to come in PC Gamer and other magazines. I say used to because I don't follow magazines etc like that anymore and don't know if they still do it.

I just recall my old Amiga magazines used to have always have 1.44 diskettes and before that the floppy disks in other magazines with free games. And most of the time they were what you'd expect from such free games, mostly crap, sometimes a short amusing distraction and once in a while a true gem.

If game developers have to continue to bend to your mindset as to what a mmorpg should be, then we'll end up with a lot more light weight, crap games. It will drive a lot of game developers of "good" games out of business and in the long run kill creativity for some time. In my opinion.

@Celtar

I don't get you.

I do not mind paying for games. I DO actually pay for them.

I do NOT feel oblieged to pay for something just because someone give me something for "free".

I pay for game if game is good and I enjoy it.

I refuse having to feel any sort of 'guilt' just because some game offer part of it's content for free.

If game developers don't want people to play for free without paying single cent, then by all means don't offer any part of their for free and just stick to p2p, which I actually prefer than f2p.

That said - I've paid for many many games in my life.

Before you start throwing accusations and assumptions about anyone think twice please.

@smartstep Fortunately everyone doesn't think this way--admittedly

@smartstep Points you made though, agreeable

I've spent $45 on League of Legends so far. Considering it has held my interest for three months and replaced my MMO time, I don't have any problem giving them $15 a month.

It was their decision to go F2P not the players. If it succeeds or fails then that will be based on the company's decision and the player base should not be blamed for a decision made by people other than themselves. Ultimately the responsibility lies with the company. Players don't have to pay or play. Blackmailing them through feeling guilty is not a good way to get custom and will develop a bad reputation for any company that does that.

@dudes

Well I guess you could look at it like that, or you could look at the reality. Which is that they have to adapt to players unreasonable demands if they want to continue to operate or just close shop and get jobs doing other sort of work.

Code work for boring software companies, working in ad companies doing boring art work for some paint company etc.

@Celtar Oh I do look at it that way, I do I do I do.

@Celtar

Oh no, they might have to get paid to do something boring, just like everyone else! The horror!

You're cheating yourself if you are enjoying a game and not paying for it. You're just hastening the day that the game you enjoy shuts down.

@Furdinand
We're all hastening the heat death of the universe by existing, too, to about the same effect. If there are so few people buying from the cash shop that it's killing the game, I can say with confidence that either the game isn't particularly good, or the cash shop offerings aren't particularly good.

@Furdinand

Exactly, well said.

@Irem Feel however you want to feel. The reality is that a game that is not getting money is a game that is not getting support. If a game isn't fun or if it isn't well managed than not being supported isn't a big deal. On the other hand, if a game is fun but is not getting support then it is a loss for the players as much as it is a loss for the devs. The devs can get other jobs, but some games are unique, irreplaceable experiences for some players.

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The Daily Grind: Are we cheating studios by not paying for free-to-play?

Reader Comments (97)

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 8:04AM Lucidus said

Posted: Nov 8th 2011 1:16AM ShivanSwordsman said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 8:14AM Trippin said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 8:16AM KvanCetre said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 8:17AM BlindseerJB said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 8:33AM Irem said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 8:17AM smartstep said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 8:35AM Celtar said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 9:57AM smartstep said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:28PM Fibs said

Posted: Nov 11th 2011 6:30PM Fibs said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 8:17AM KvanCetre said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 8:20AM dudes said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 8:38AM Celtar said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 11:06AM dudes said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 1:44PM Spacegrass said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 8:23AM Furdinand said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 8:38AM Irem said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 8:39AM Celtar said

Posted: Nov 4th 2011 10:51AM Furdinand said

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