Free to play games in the western market seem to be developing the same trend as some of the extremely popular girls we all knew in high school – usually easy, but never cheap.

Now it seems that Keen from Keen and Graev’s gaming blog, once the great proponent of Allods has sworn off free to play games for good .  We can’t say that we blame him however, all things considered.  But sometimes it’s best not to judge the whole barrel of apples by the single rotten one at the bottom.   Even though Gpotato finally “listened” (read hastily retracted their original prices when players threatened to quit “en masse” before the end of what appears to be a “soft launch”).  

This is, in fact, one of the subjects that my co-host, Fran, Tipa, Saylah and myself discuss on the next show.  Life is circle, Elder Blackwolf used to say, and the gaming industry is the same way. A few years ago you couldn’t make the average western fan of “triple-A” games play a “free to play” game without holding a member of his family hostage.  The success of some free to play games has demanded the attention of more than a few developers, publishers, and even investors.  In many ways it’s like the increased presence of podcasting on the internet.   Those of us who are here at the start are increasingly seeing big companies with names like ABC, CBS and NBC decided they want in on the action (some of which rapidly fell by the wayside).

It’s easy to take a great idea, and in the process of trying to make it your own end up twisting it so far out of proportion that it simply doesn’t work anymore.   There is little doubt in my mind that this is the reason that some of the big communication companies that try their hand at podcasting podfade so fast it set land speed records – they were too busy trying to drive a profit margin through a great idea.  In the same way a very large fence seems to have been constructed amidst the free to play games, and the newcomers to North American shores seem to be falling on one of two sides…

On the first side we see games that have taken a careful look at some of the companies in places like Korea who have been making this way all along …the people who really know what they are doing.   My experience with cash shops in games like these, are those with stocked with items that entice the user to purchase the product.  Sometimes it’s a new outfit not available anywhere else. Don’t think that players will purchase that outfit just to hang out in front of the bank (or in port in the case of Voyage Century)? Think again.  As much as Darren Love’s now famous complaint about the $10.00 horse made its way around the blogosphere, these days it seems like a real deal.

On the other side of the fence are those companies that seem to feel cash shops are more like cash cows.  The concern I have, and that we discussed at length in our next show, is that games are being designed to force you to use the cash shop, and use it often, rather than simply entice you to do so.  It’s a delicate balancing act that not every publisher seems to have the ability to perform.   Even if the developers and publishers out there aren’t sitting down with prices and spread sheet, they should take note that gamers considering playing free to play game are doing just that.

It’s interesting to note that the cash shop that raised such a ruckus (I helped raise a bit of it myself I am not proud to say) over at Star Trek Online (STO) has only two items in it at present.  There is more to come of course, but it is easy to overlook it altogether and simply enjoy the game.

Now I will admit to throwing the last paragraph in there as a tie in…and here it is.  One of my favorite pass times in Star Trek Online (and Champions Online before I switched over to STO) is seeing what other players have done with the remarkable character creator metagame (and believe you me it is such a powerful tool it IS a metagame).  Fewer people make use of the “bio” part of the game where the player can put their character’s history in the Star Trek Online universe. It’s a shame really, because players do check for them and read them – I get regular compliments on mine.  This time I saw such a remarkable job at creating a character that I just had to share it all with you.  Those of you who have seen the new James Cameron movie “Avatar” may recognize a member of the Na’vi (the picture here doesn’t do the player’s character justice).  And yes,  it is such a fantastic idea that I fully intent to play a Na’vi myself.  Another quick note to our readers and listeners:  If you see me in game and send me a tell please tell me who you are as well (i.e. “Hey I know you from Fallen Earth” otherwise you might get mistaken for the bane of the gamers existence, a gold seller).

 See you Online

Julie Whitefeather

(Posted for Julie Whitefeather by The Web Master)