[GW2] the silver lining, and why it kind of sucks

Here's the positive way to look at GW2's microtransaction system.


You can buy character slots without spending actual money?

Yes! That's how it looks -- you can buy gems for gold in-game and then spend the gems in the shop for things like character slots, maybe storage space, whatever they're selling.

But, naturally, there will be a trade-off. A single character slot is most likely valued around ~$10. ArenaNet is not going to let those go for spare coppers you earned in a single hour. A slot is more likely a very big ticket item that you'd have to save up for over the course of weeks, probably.


So what, at least I'm not spending real money!

Yeah, but you're probably not spending a lot of fake money either. People looking to save up for character slots and other cash shop goods and services are going to be holding off on buying things in-game - pricey gear, food, crafting materials. Which generally makes a game less fun to play, no?

Now, you talk about fairness and balance in a game, let's look at a disparity here:

Player A: doesn't have money to buy a bunch of slots or space or time-saving convenience items from the shop, so he's saving away all his gold and going out of his way to not spend gold in-game. The player doesn't see gold as a reward to be spent on in-game goods and upgrades, it's a hill to climb because he's broke.

Player B: has lots of real money to spend, therefore no need to worry about gold - he's buying and selling gems, making large sums of gold at a much faster rate then players who are just getting small handfuls of it at a time. He's going to help dictate and control the market - setting prices to suit his level of wealth and spending as he pleases.

One of these players is going to be having a much better experience in the game. He's not going to want for many things. He's going to have much less stressful experience.

 It's not quite as serious and ohmylord-drama as some are making it out to be -- it's not a real class war, folks! But you're making a chasm between the haves and the have-nots. Maybe it's not a huge gulf of a power imbalance, but, maybe more importantly, one type of player is enjoying the game less and one is enjoying it more.

 It's a different game for players who spend above and beyond a subscription price. That's how cash shops work -- you can play for free, but you have to adopt a "just happy to be here" mentality. You have to be OK with the fact that it's a better, funner game if you spend more.

And a lot of people are happy with that. But also keep in mind that the model for this gem-trading system has roots in a game that was shocked to learn players don't like being ripped off.

And, you look at the biggest issues players have had with microtransactions ($25 Sparkle Ponies and $60 Eyeball Decorations), they're not even quality-of-life items, they were purely cosmetic. That's why this has the potential to be even more upsetting.