Buying stuff in computer/video games

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This is something that has puzzled me ever since games started selling game stuff in computer/video games. For the record, I am older than the internet, but I do play some games on my computer and phone. There's also an unused laptop I may start using again, and there is an old tablet lost somewhere in all my stuff. I moved about a year & a half ago, and some of my stuff is still in boxes including that tablet. I just don't know which box. Anyway, I enjoy playing the games sometimes, but there is something that has puzzled me ever since I first came across this a long time ago. The sale of imaginary, non-real, in-game items, for very real cash. I know that a lot of people do buy these imaginary things with real money. I never have, because it doesn't make sense to buy imaginary stuff with real money. It finally occurred to me that some of the posters here might be able to explain this to me.

Why are you buying imaginary items with real money? And secondly, if you are going to buy imaginary stuff, shouldn't you be using imaginary money?

This has puzzled me for so long, and I really would like an answer, as it sort of drives me a little nuts.

Yes, we all do some strange things. I just woke up a little while ago after sleeping with 2 windows and the front door open, and the fan on, for six hours. Fortunately, I live in a safe neighborhood, mostly seniors like me here.

Anyway, keep cool, keep safe, and keep well, all.

I think that there are a few camps in regards to people paying for stuff in games. Of the most reasonable I think that you can things like paid DLC where you (should be) paying for something additional that was not included in the original game, it could be like a new adventure, a cool item or other work that creators may have had to put work into being added. Another is that not everyone has the ability to put in the same amount of time into a game, they want to enjoy the game much like other people who can put the time into getting something, so they might uses their excess real money to fast track it.

If I were to use examples of where I have spent real money to buy stuff in games, there is a popular adventure role playing game called Skyrim, I really enjoyed it and bought expansions that would allow me to make my own house in it and have interesting vampire adventure in the core game. Those were major DLC, but I have also put smaller amounts in for additional content where I could have backpacks that are cosmetic and have expected in game effects of having a bag, some pets that were not a mechanic of the original, the ability to camp and other things that would make it feel more realistic or fun.

I generally only ever buy something that I can be pretty sure will extend the experience of the game itself, I am not too fond of buying one off things that are going to be gone in a level or two, like a shiny sword that I am never going to use.

There are also Free To Play games, which as the name says are free to play them, but may have inconvenience elements that could be passed by putting in a few dollars. I don't usually play them, but I did start playing one recently called Blades, where I can play for free as I adventure for resources to rebuild a town, and I could spend some money for resources that would allow me to quicken the renovation time of a building or get material to make and buy items that would make the game easier or without grinding. Have not spent any money on that game yet, but I do check the market out that there are things like special animations or other limited time accessories to add to the town.

I buy these items for the same reasons I buy my games - to enjoy them. I'm not spending money in just every game, but if the game has good DLCs I will most likely buy them. If a game has cosmetic items that I really like and they bring joy into my life, I'll buy them too. For me the games are a big hobby, and I like to invest time and money into this hobby. I don't like the free games where you have to spend money to achieve something though or games that are labelled free but to fully play the game you have to buy DLCs and they are very expensive. That are games that I try to avoid.

I absolutely get the question though! I don't feel offended at all, I can understand why it doesn't seem alluring to everyone. I hope my reply wasn't too wishy-washy and explained my view a bit.

Really interesting question. It does make me wonder why you see such a clear distinction between the games you buy from a game shop and the in-game items that you are calling imaginary.

For example, if I create a game with characters fully clothed and charge you $10. Then I create an almost identical game with characters without shoes ands sell it for $8, and then charge you $2 to buy the shoes, what is the difference?

Surely, in the first example, you are still paying for the game designer to design the clothes, but the cost is baked into the $10 fee.

To me, they are just different business models. The beauty of the second business model is that there is a lower cost to entry (sometimes $0), so more people can play. And there is more of a customisable approach to the game.

I've never actually bought anything in-game, so I am clearly less convinced of this business model than perhaps I sound!

I don't care about microtransactions in games per se; they've been part of the gaming industry for a long time and likely before anyone here was born. The issue is when the game design is clearly adjusted to make the player inclined towards buying them, for example when a game with a levelling up mechanic makes an experience grind so long that it's clearly designed to make you want to pay to make it faster. Or encounters that are clearly designed around having certain in game items only accessible with a paid DLC. They're very different from the sort of transaction where you're just paying for content that adds to the original experience, without feeling like there's a void in the game in their absence.

The game I've most put money into microtransactions over the years has been Groove Coaster. Many of the tracks for this music rhythm game are paid DLC and I would say they're genuinely worth the additional cost. They come with extras like avatars which whilst not essential to my enjoyment to the game, add a little bit of visual customisation that I like.

yeah there's a big difference between paying for content that's not necessary to enjoy the game, cosmetic stuff, additional side quests and such...and then pay-to-win nonsense. games clearly centered around paying to advance, have advantage over other players or just making it more enjoyable.

this is something that bothered me a lot about club penguin, starting around 2009 and until it shut down...it was blatantly obvious to anyone who playe club penguin in those latter days after the disney purchase that, disney wanted your money in the form of a paid membership. i used to ask my dad for money to buy a membership every birthday or christmas.

IMO the right way to have a free-member model in harmony with a paid membership model (in the CP context) is to create content for members that does not take away from the nonmember/free aspect.
disney didn't do that and they regularly took away content from non-members, and stuff people used to do without paying was taken away from them. 'GIVE US MONEY TO ENJOY THIS" shoved in your face.

god i hate that company. i'm still bitter about it a decade later

to be fair......$60 dollars buys you much more game in 2020 than it did in 1995.

Buying DLC --> More content --> More fun. Win?

When I buy things for my model railway, I have something physical to show for my efforts. If one buys these gaming items one has nothing to show for it.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. The items that I bought or the DLCs that I bought are as visible as items for your model display - just that you can see them on a display for example and I see mine in-game. Then you could just say nobody has anything from getting games to begin with. Which I definitely can't agree with, video games are one of my major hobbies.

I spent $50 on gta to get digital cars :/

Also recently I spent $5 to get lolly the cat on animal crossing.

What you describe is pay to win though, nothing that a normal game should offer. I'd never support that.

Personally I think that buying anything with money that isn't actual game content (ie. an extra campaign, levels, characters in a fighting game etc) is evidence of poor judgement. I'll never understand people who buy cosmetics, not just because I'd personally judge these things to have a fractional value since they don't affect the game, but also because it's concerning that people put so much value on something as manufactured and meaningless as a videogame model, like it's some aspect of your personal identity that your character has a special hat. Might as well start putting up "live love laugh" decorations in your home. These things used to be dumb little extras so that you could see what your character would look like dressed in some absurd way, have a wee chuckle and move on. To answer the thread poster I'll say that developers attempt to make cosmetics as prevalent and obvious as possible, they use social pressure to make people want cosmetics and those tactics are especially effective on children (apparently making fun of people for default skins in Fortnite became a common thing that had implications in real life social groups eg. in schools)

Anything pay-to-win you've gotta question what kind of game you're playing. Thankfully, those games are never fun to play, they're entirely these evil little money treadmills. It's concerning how much money they make though even if it's largely of the backs of a small proportion of people.

How about starting a list of "Pay-to-Win" games?

• Assassin's Creed: Origins
• Clash of the Clans
• Forge of Empires
• League of Legends
• Shadow of War
• World of Tanks
• World of Warcraft
• ... ?

Thank you to all who replied to my original post. It has cleared up my confusion. As I understand it, you are paying to support a hobby you like, and to get thru game levels with less time and effort. If you can afford it, I don't have a problem with you making such a choice. For myself tho, I still wouldn't put any real money into imaginary in-game things, but that's my choice.

When I was younger I did occasionally visit arcades and played some of the games in those places, but the money put into the machines paid for the rent, electricity, maintenance, etc., so they had a right, and a need to charge for gameplay. The players in arcades do get some playtime for their money, and the better they play, the longer they play. This works out as a fair exchange for both sides of the transaction, as no one is forced to put money into those machines. It's a choice.

Thanks again for helping me to understand this situation.