Not my most articulate title ever, but I suppose it will do. I'll start with a story. Friend's third room mate had moved out and leaving him and one other person left to find a filler, and with no personal acquaintances in need of a place to live, they turned to Craigslist. They found a great room mate that still lives with them. Their secret, they bumped the price of the apartment up a couple hundred dollars for the ad, which was still pretty good. They had artificially priced out the rift raft that would otherwise apply. Good move.
Now lets go somewhere completely; the world of online pc gaming. A new trend has appeared, and according to those in the know it is the business is going to be, sooner or later. Instead of shelling out 40-60 dollars for a game, or paying monthly subscriptions fees, game are coming out free of charge, available by download. While the game is free, premium content, or sometime simply consistent content, comes at a small price, what is termed a micro transaction. Want this new gun, pay $1.99. Want to use this character all the time? $3.99. Often these games allow for some premium content to be earned through playing time, but hefty time investments would be needed to earn all the perks.
I like the idea of trying a game for free instead of forking over 50 dollars. What I like more is buying a game for 50 dollars and knowing that the online community for that game will not include the "rift raft" that would play only if the game was free. It is the equivalent of an online gated community.
While micro transactions may end up being the more profitable model for companies, they should be wary of what it does to the community of players of that game.
Hope you're listening Valve.
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