Gaming companies have been starting to shift to complicated purchase models.
Buying a game used to be limited to a one-step purchase. The consumer would buy a game disc in a store for whatever the retailer was charging.
As games and technology evolve, companies are finding new ways to limit players behind a “pay wall,” or in extreme cases, addict players to repeated spending.
“Why would you pay to win? It defeats the purpose of the fun.” senior Catie Harrington said. The term “pay-to-win” refers to people who spend money on video games to gain an advantage over other players.
Pay-to-win does not only describe people, but games as well. These games focus less on selling the game itself and focus more on selling the items in game. The most common version of pay-to-win is found in many mobile games.
“Personally I try not to spend money like that, because I know it adds up.” senior Lilian Collins, said.
Many European countries have banned games with loot boxes or gacha. The word “Gacha” is synonymous with the words “Got you.” Loot boxes and gacha are pay-to-win mechanics in the form of gambling for virtual items. The EU, and many Asian countries such as Japan, Korea and China have banned purchases where players gamble on virtual items.
In contrast, other companies have grown differently in response to the evolution in technology.
“Fortnite is a good pay model because I love the game and you have the option to buy skins, but they don’t limit you if you don’t pay,” junior Liam Dunk said.
Many of the world’s biggest games follow this pay model. The game itself is free, with customization being optional for purchase. Fortnite, Valorant and Apex Legends are games that have buyable skins or cosmetics.
For some, these pay models are more appealing due to their contrast with pay-to-win models.
“For all online games, the paying to get into certain sections or advance above other people,” sophomore Josh Madarasz said.
Concerning purchases for the consumer are not necessarily about paying-to-win, but rather lean towards pushback on anything that can be bought after the first purchase of the game.
The modern market for video games is very complex. There are many ways for game producers to charge consumers, and every consumer has a different preference towards spending money.