Quote:
Originally Posted by Tynian
Elrar, let me ask ya then...

And yes, this is after reading Brad's debate over on MMORPG.com on this subject.

Do you feel that part of the root of this is that some of the money sinks in game are too steep, or that right now MMORPG's are just designed that way?

From a personal perspective, dont buy, wont buy, it's not me. The example I gave involving my main tank from WoW gave me probably the hardest time I had, because I felt myself in a postion to justify a sink that someone just could not afford.

Is there a solution to it for the casual gamer, or are you comfortable that this is just going to be a choice that the gamer will have to make, between spending time earning the coin to participate in the activities that they actually find fun?


P.S.- You can sneak out easy by telling me that shipbuilding is going to be as fun as I think it is, because I'll grind all day long there no matter what I earn, just to see a boat in the water!

The biggest factor is time. As you said (forgive me if it was someone else) your guild mate had to either not raid for a night, or buy gold. I can see from his perspective, and to a player who is simply trying to enjoy the game for himself, can view this as a perfectly rational line of thinking.

The problem is not that money sinks are too steep (although they will always be too steep or not enough for some people) the problem occurs when it becomes socially acceptable to buy gold, when the option isn't just take a night off and grind or get a loan from a friend.

Average players should be able to have fun and feel successful in the game without buying gold. Some people will just be unmotivated and buy coin regardless, its inevitable, but game developers have a duty now, more than ever, to curb the effects long before the average player notices them during their game sessions.

The largest asset we have in the fight against the Secondary Market is the community. If the community does not support it and it is socially unacceptable the actual practice of it is curbed. We can ban accounts and to a point force a social shift, but we'd much rather see a player take a night off from raiding, or just get the coin from his friend and pay him back overtime.

A strong community is a strong economy, and is a game everyone can enjoy


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