Microtransactions & Episodic Content: The Death of Casual Gaming?

[Ze_ro]

It seems like Microsoft and Sony are awfully quick to point out that many of their games have downloadable content such as extra levels or weapons that you can buy. Now, can someone honestly explain to me why this is a good thing that we want in our games? Basically all this means is that they've left stuff out of the game with the intenting of selling it to us later on. Now, I realize there are some games out there where the extra content actually is developed after the game (like some of the Oblivion quests, and the Cadillacs in PGR3), but when there's content on Xbox Live Marketplace the same day the game is released, I can't help but feel cheated. When I pay $60 for a game, I want the WHOLE game. I don't want to have to pay more for it later.

 

I don't like to assign labels, but I guess I'd fall into most people's idea of a casual gamer. I'm far more likely to just not buy this "extra" content and move on to a different game... but the whole situation leaves a sour taste in my mouth, and I'm sure many other casual gamers feel it too. I don't like being nickel & dimed, and it just ends up turning me off of a game if that's the case. If things keep going like this, and every game ends up with downloadable levels and episodic content, will this just end up alienating the casual gamers out there?

 

--Zero

[Zoop]

i hear what you are saying Zero. While i agree that its BS to make us buy little things like weapons ,and so on for game when its just released especially when we're paying 60 ,and upwards for a game. Although on the same hand i like idea of downloadable content in the way of a game being maybe like 20-30 hours in length then instead of the company release another sequel to the game ,and having to shell out another 60 they could add levels ,or scenerios to game adding an extra 10 hours ,or so for each new level they add.

 

I haven't played Oblivion yet ,but i know it does something of that effect as well as they recently did something similar with Kameo giving us the Power Pack that adds new difficulty settings ,and other things. Which in that case i dont mind.

[SeaGtGruff]

I'm a casual gamer, too, and I seldom buy new games right when they're released, I tend to buy the discounted games that have been out for a while. (Oblivion IV was a notable exception.) When I'm browsing for a game to buy, I purposely scrutinize the box to see if it's one of those "play online" games, because I do *not* want to have to connect to the internet and pay some fee to play the frigging game. I agree that it's nice to be able to download extra content (or bug fixes) *after* the game has been out there a while, but it seems like greedy marketing tactics to develop a game and have a lot of extra content for it, with the extra content deliberately being left out so you'll need to pay extra for it online. Then again, don't they sometimes include the extra content on a "game of the year" version of the game? That would be one more reason to *not* buy the game when it first comes out, but to instead wait a year or so until they come out with the special "remember this game it was a big hit two years ago even though now everyone is playing something else" version that's priced $10 to $50 less than when the game first came out. So what if you won't be as "current" as the other gamers. Heh! Will you enjoy the game any less because it's two years old? And besides, we're retro gamers, we don't need no stinking "current"!

 

MR

[ninjarabbit]

I don't think casual gaming will die, I just think the company that doesn't whore itself out via microtransaction and episodic content will get the dollars of the casual gamer and right now it looks like it's going to be Nintendo.

 

 

However like I've said earlier the day mircotransactions and episodic content become the norm is the day I become a strictly classic gamer. And like I've said earlier the only way a company could justify to me microtransactions and the like in their games is if they give the basic game away for free or at a reduced price. If I'm paying $60 for a game then it's very reasonable of me to expect a full and complete game however if the company is giving the basic playable game away for free or for a low price like $20 then I don't feel like I'm being nickel and dimed so much.

 

But at the end of the day its going to be feast or famine for the companies that do this, similar to what happened to MMORPGs a few years back. A few companies might make a lot of money doing this with a really popular game but a lot more are going to lose money on less popular games.

[ubersaurus]

It seems like Microsoft and Sony are awfully quick to point out that many of their games have downloadable content such as extra levels or weapons that you can buy. Now, can someone honestly explain to me why this is a good thing that we want in our games? Basically all this means is that they've left stuff out of the game with the intenting of selling it to us later on. Now, I realize there are some games out there where the extra content actually is developed after the game (like some of the Oblivion quests, and the Cadillacs in PGR3), but when there's content on Xbox Live Marketplace the same day the game is released, I can't help but feel cheated. When I pay $60 for a game, I want the WHOLE game. I don't want to have to pay more for it later.

 

I don't like to assign labels, but I guess I'd fall into most people's idea of a casual gamer. I'm far more likely to just not buy this "extra" content and move on to a different game... but the whole situation leaves a sour taste in my mouth, and I'm sure many other casual gamers feel it too. I don't like being nickel & dimed, and it just ends up turning me off of a game if that's the case. If things keep going like this, and every game ends up with downloadable levels and episodic content, will this just end up alienating the casual gamers out there?

 

--Zero

 

 

It doesn't necessarily mean that it's stuff they intentionally cut out to sell later.

 

Halo 2's downloadable maps didn't see work started on them until after the game was in stores. In fact work on them was done concurrently with work on Halo 3, and on the updates for Halo 2's live. It wasn't in the original game itself, because it simply didn't exist.

 

Further, most online games end up with their downloadable content free after a certain length of time-I didn't pay for the downloadable stuff to Toejam & Earl 3, KOTOR, any of the Splinter Cells, or really any of my games aside from halo 2(and that's only because I didn't want to wait two months). I have no problem with DC as long as it eventually becomes free.

[Starscream]

Firstly, I would like to note that Nintendo has said they too will be using microtransactions so they should also have been included. It also solidifies the fact that this is where games are heading, no matter make or model.

 

I consider myself the most casual of casual gamers. I very seldom sit down for more than a few hours a month to game. I love microtransactions. I think it is a brilliant way for me to expand a game to my likings (to an extent) and gives me the ability to customize or get a little more enjoyment out of what I have. If the issue was about not being able to complete a game or compete in multiplayer without spending money, I would say it then would be an issue. We had a "discussion" about this on here a year or so back where the majority insisted that MS was going to make everyone pay to complete a game and buy victories online. A few of us stated that wasn't the case and it still isn't the case. It's a simple cheap way to expand what you have. Kinda like buying some new shoes for your whip. I feel that this issue falls right into the same category as firmware updates, it's not an issue but people need to make it one. If you don't want to spend additional money after you buy a game, don't. It's that simple.

Edited September 24, 2006 by Starscream

[Lemmi]

anything left off a ps3 game with the huge storage on the blurays is stupid

 

enough said

[sega saturn x]

I didn't pay for the downloadable stuff to Toejam & Earl 3, KOTOR, any of the Splinter Cells, or really any of my games aside from halo 2(and that's only because I didn't want to wait two months). I have no problem with DC as long as it eventually becomes free.

What exactly was added to kotor anyway?

[+kisrael]

You keeping using that term...I do not think it means what you think it means.

 

Seriously, doesn't "casual gaming" often mean stuff like "Zuma" and "Puzzle Pirates" and what not?

 

I think we need better categorization, because downloadable microtransactioned things are probably JUST the ticket for that kind of casual gaming, but for the "hobbyist" gamer, not the hard core guy, but not the "oo look tetris!" person either, I think downloadable content can seem kind of scammish.

[jedijeff]

I think it would be fine for some games, especially sports games. I'm sure EA won't allow you to download just the new team rosters for their games though since they have always added the least amount of updates for the biggest cost to the consumer.

 

Games like the announced GT HD are a rip-off IMHO. Paying extra for all the cars and tracks is a joke. I can only hope people won't be suckered in to it, but I'm sure the die-hards won't be able to help themselves.

 

Like everything else, if you don't like it, don't buy it.

[jbanes]

Seriously, doesn't "casual gaming" often mean stuff like "Zuma" and "Puzzle Pirates" and what not?

Yes. It's a particular market segment that has very little to do with how much the players actually play. Unfortunately, the naming is very confusing to the average gamer, resulting in a general misuse of the term.

Edited September 25, 2006 by jbanes

[+kisrael]

Seriously, doesn't "casual gaming" often mean stuff like "Zuma" and "Puzzle Pirates" and what not?

Yes. It's a particular market segment that has very little to do with how much the players actually play. Unfortunately, the naming is very confusing to the average gamer, resulting in a general misuse of the term.

It's interesting trying to define that "Casual" market... some "casual" gamers get quite obsessed and play for hours and hours. In general, this type of "casual" game:

* runs well on older PC hardware

* is played off the web or a very minimal download (and likely won't reset the screen resolution even if its set to fullscreen)

* has roughly a zero learning curve - this seems to be a very important point. It's all pont and lick, or MAYBE arrows / return / space

 

The "hobbyist" gamer, on the other hand, probably has bought a console just for playing games, knows what gameFAQs is for and why, and will learn controls up to a moderate level of difficulty. May have invested in a semi-decent 3D card if they're on PC.

 

The hardcore gamer might have every system, plays games into the ground, and if on PC probably has an absolutely screaming rig.

[jbanes]

It's interesting trying to define that "Casual" market... some "casual" gamers get quite obsessed and play for hours and hours. In general, this type of "casual" game:

* runs well on older PC hardware

* is played off the web or a very minimal download (and likely won't reset the screen resolution even if its set to fullscreen)

* has roughly a zero learning curve - this seems to be a very important point. It's all pont and lick, or MAYBE arrows / return / space

Sounds like you've been doing your homework.

 

It's actually quite amusing, because the more that's learned about casual gamers, the less they seem "casual". The Nintendo DS has already made huge strides toward reaching this market in a profitable manner. We'll have to see if the Wii furthers that.

[ubersaurus]

I didn't pay for the downloadable stuff to Toejam & Earl 3, KOTOR, any of the Splinter Cells, or really any of my games aside from halo 2(and that's only because I didn't want to wait two months). I have no problem with DC as long as it eventually becomes free.

What exactly was added to kotor anyway?

 

 

The Yavin Station shop that was in the PC version of the game. I dunno if that was unlocked from the disc, or simply was something they didn't have the time to include, I just know it took for friggin ever to finish downloading.

[Paranoid]

I'm so done with modern gaming. I'm sticking to classics from here on out, unless it is something truly revolutionary/killer app unlike anything seen before.

[Mendon]

I don't view "microtransactions" and "Episodic Content" as simply bad things that show the greed of corporations. Instead, I tend to view them as a method of marketing that has already been used in the vast majority of products that are available for purchase in the general marketplace. Examples:

 

 

Cars: buy a basic car and you can add a multitude of accessories to it, from chrome wheels to satellite radio to TV in the head-rests to fancy seat covers, etc

 

Phone: buy a basic cell phone and can add all sorts of features to it such as ringtones, wallpapers, cameras, etc.

 

Food: buy a plain hamburger and you can add lots of things to it to it like cheese, bacon, lettuce & tomato, double meat, etc

 

Gaming Systems: you can buy a Core or Premium Xbox360; you will be able to buy a Core or Premium PS3; you can add a Classic Controller to the Wii; in the past, you could purchase a Basic or Action Pack NES.

 

 

In the above examples, you could also say "I bought a car/phone/burger/system and I want a complete car/phone/burger/system. I feel cheated if I have to buy extra things for my car/phone/burger/system since these things were already available when I purchased the original product." But really, is a video game any different than any of the other above examples? In the end, you are being sold a basic product and then given the option to customize it or upgrade it if you choose to. You only pay for what you want instead of the seller telling you what you must take.

 

The alternative to this might be that the game companies say "Okay, people are complaining about extra content so we'll now include everything we have created for this game, which took us additional manhours and money to create beyond our original idea, and instead of offering options we'll just charge $75 for the game rather than $60".

 

Is extra content good or bad? Only the purchaser can determine that. But I really see nothing new in what they are doing with todays games than what has already been done with almost every other product that you can purchase.

 

Mendon

Edited September 25, 2006 by Mendon

[+kisrael]

I'm so done with modern gaming. I'm sticking to classics from here on out, unless it is something truly revolutionary/killer app unlike anything seen before.

S'too bad, you'll probably miss out on some interesting gaming, including things that just couldn't be done on earlier hardware (for instance, right now I'm working my way through Hulk: Ultimate Destruction... it's viscerally satisfying and sandboxy in a way previous generations couldn't support.)

 

I dig the classics as much as the next guy, but if your reason for bailing is some new business models, well, have fun with SMB3 for the next 40 years.

 

The alternative to this might be that the game companies say "Okay, people are complaining about extra content so we'll now include everything we have created for this game, which took us additional manhours and money to create beyond our original idea, and instead of offering options we'll just charge $75 for the game rather than $60".

Yeah, or just not do those things at all, which could be a shame as well.

Is extra content good or bad? Only the purchaser can determine that. But I really see nothing new in what they are doing with todays games than what has already been done with almost every other product that you can purchase.

I think you make some good points and I generally agree with you, though I think it doesn't QUITE match up to customizing cars, menus, and phones... all those things have a basic purpose (transportation, sustenance, and communication) that is largely unaffected by the presence or abscence of options, but video games are one thing, entertainment, and showing a little world, and selling that piecemeal leaves some people uneasy.

 

I think there's a right way and wrong way of doing it. If they start selling advantes, so that rich kids seem to be "better" at the game than poor ones, that clearly sucks. And arbitrarily milking a game is going to annoy people too.

 

It could easily backfire as well. Sure some people "gotta chatch 'em all" but if your game is just so-so, you might never get people to shell out for more than the very basics.

[Paranoid]

S'too bad, you'll probably miss out on some interesting gaming, including things that just couldn't be done on earlier hardware (for instance, right now I'm working my way through Hulk: Ultimate Destruction... it's viscerally satisfying and sandboxy in a way previous generations couldn't support.)

 

I dig the classics as much as the next guy, but if your reason for bailing is some new business models, well, have fun with SMB3 for the next 40 years.

 

I haven't seen anything that was innovative and compelling in quite awhile from modern gaming. Oddly enough, SMB and Sonic 1 are the last two games that *really* got a HOOK in me. I can't think of a single title since Sonic 1 where I sat and thought, "I need to out and purchase this title..." Oh! Tony Hawk, the original PS-1 title. I've had Halo, and the GTA series... and a handful of other titles for the XBox... but not one of 'em has had the driving force of these titles we mention. I agree with those who are prediciting another crash and shakeout. The modern console market is oversaturated and generally not coming up with anything really exciting.

 

Then you add all the various ways the industry is trying to gouge ADDITIONAL profits out of their consumer base... "bonus" content just being one of them... And I'm not buying that model at all. Additional maps, or cars, or guns... *generally* do not have a significant research and development cost associated with them. Often, they're done by people during their spare time out of personal interest, historically speaking. Map-making and modding has traditionally been an apprentice-path toward trying to get hired by a game publisher. Some suit in a boardroom realized "We've been putting this stuff on our website and giving it away FREE as a value-add... but I bet we can create a service and charge, thereby increasing our shareholder profits!" as the dollar-signs rolled in his eyes like a one-armed bandit.

 

The new business model is just a symptom. There are a lot of reasons I haven't had any interest in modern gaming for awhile. And, I'd add, I think the issues are symptomatic across the entire software industry. These subscription, play-for-pay, featured additional content, schemes are almost all generally bullshit. They're convincing consumers to pay additional for things that used to be included for free, in most cases. Like tech support. It comes down to re-labeling Small, Medium and Large as "Regular, Large and Extra Large" and watching stupid consumers buy it.

 

Add to this the idea that new games mostly suck, and the retro classics are endlessly amusing... and really... If I've got an extra $70 to spend, I'd rather put it into the classics.

 

But like I said... if they can come up with a truly killer-app/something honestly revolutionary, I'll be willing to revisit modern games.

 

The stuff they're coming out with now, and the models they are using to push it, just aren't exciting at all.

[ubersaurus]

You *DO* know there are a lot of shitty games for old systems, right?

 

If you want to play rounds of Ssssssnake, or Peter Pan for NES, or Fantasy Race for PS1, then by all rights, go ahead. Shitty games are nothing new. They aren't even in any greater number now than they were in the past, comparitively speaking the ratio of good to crap has always been the same.

 

If you don't simply like modern genres a hell of a lot, that's one thing. But declaring them all uninspired and shitty is just silly. Consider how many people play, love, and enjoy the hell out of Halo, or GTA, and it's pretty clear that these games are at the least, pretty good by most people's standards. Like mario 3, or sonic, they don't do anything really revolutionary, they're just really good.

[+kisrael]

I haven't seen anything that was innovative and compelling in quite awhile from modern gaming. Oddly enough, SMB and Sonic 1 are the last two games that *really* got a HOOK in me. I can't think of a single title since Sonic 1 where I sat and thought, "I need to out and purchase this title..." Oh! Tony Hawk, the original PS-1 title.

Ok, so you're an old fogie, gameplay-wise. Personally I have no idea what the appeal of Tony Hawk is... I don't berate people who dig the series, but doing "stunts" by manipulating a PS2 controller just isn't an interesting form of interaction to me.

I've had Halo, and the GTA series... and a handful of other titles for the XBox... but not one of 'em has had the driving force of these titles we mention. I agree with those who are prediciting another crash and shakeout. The modern console market is oversaturated and generally not coming up with anything really exciting.

SMB and Sonic... I dunno, I don't neccesarily see them as having a ton of "driving force". I think the 2D scroller got kind of played out...SMB3 had some interesting characterization, and Sonic was fast, but still, I don't think either was as revolutionary as, say, GTA3s attempt at living breathing city in 3D.

Then you add all the various ways the industry is trying to gouge ADDITIONAL profits out of their consumer base... "bonus" content just being one of them... And I'm not buying that model at all. Additional maps, or cars, or guns... *generally* do not have a significant research and development cost associated with them. Often, they're done by people during their spare time out of personal interest, historically speaking.

Well, historically speaking, you're talking PCs not consoles, and there was a TON of fan crap out there compared to a smaller amount of really polished stuff that gout out there.

Map-making and modding has traditionally been an apprentice-path toward trying to get hired by a game publisher. Some suit in a boardroom realized "We've been putting this stuff on our website and giving it away FREE as a value-add... but I bet we can create a service and charge, thereby increasing our shareholder profits!" as the dollar-signs rolled in his eyes like a one-armed bandit.

Yeesh, such cyncism. Sure there are some people in it for the money, but when you look at the development, there is a lot of gaming love there.

But like I said... if they can come up with a truly killer-app/something honestly revolutionary, I'll be willing to revisit modern games.

Ok, what would be revolutionary for you? Are you saying you're not going to play new games til they come out with a frickin' holodeck?

[Video]

The thing is, in Computer games, you can make new content at any time. It doesn't matter when, you could make the content 20 years down the road if you wanted to. This is due to the open ended nature of a Computer. Even if the game is built fairly stable, with no back doors, you can STILL wright software to escentually hijack the game on startup, and add new levels, guns, charactures, whatever to it. That's nothing new in computers. And in fact, useually, these "extra's" are free.

 

Now, on a Console, the games are closed. AS in, once it's written, there is no way to go in and add more content, short of releasing a new game....however, some new games can be updated. The way they are updatable, is because the game is written Spacifically, so that new content can down the road, be added. That means, the game was written ground up, with gouging customers in mind. And unlike the PC side of things, Consoles almost always require money to update the game.

 

Now personally, haveing the option to update the game down the road is cool. Seeing a game being released missing levels and such just so they can be sold to you later is not cool. Halo was closed, nothing was added to the console game later. Halo 2 was opened and new multiplayer maps could be downloaded, and weapon fixes. That was OK, as it was given away free, or for a very low cost. Halo 3, will probably be released incomplete, and in order to actually beat the campain, you'll probably HAVE to download extra content that was simply left out.

 

I don't know for sure, just saying what will probably happen. I for one, will NOT buy it if that happens, untill a later date when the extra content is either included with the game, or freely distributed through OXM.

[Paranoid]

Ok, what would be revolutionary for you? Are you saying you're not going to play new games til they come out with a frickin' holodeck?

 

 

Heh. THAT would certainly qualify. Hallucinatory VR. I don't think I'm ready to get a plug in my neck into my central nervous system... but... It is going to have to be something that impresses me every bit as much as Wing Commander did when it first came out and was driving sales of 386DX systems...

 

 

And yeah, SMB 3 may have been where the genre got cliche... and by SNES Super Mario World, it was absolutely losing it's freshness. Sonic, though... was fresh and innovative within the context of the side scroller when it first came out... the important thing, though, is the HOOK. Just like with music. The hook is what gets you. And SMB 1 had a hook. And Sonic had a hook... and Tony Hawk Pro 1 had a hook. I BOUGHT a SNES at launch because of the SMB legacy... and then found SMW was kind of old and tired. Then I went to a friend's house and played Sonic, and realized that I had bought the wrong platform. Sonic had the hook.

 

I've got a couple dozen... wait... let me go count...

 

Ok... 19, and I'm missing a few titles that are loaned, games for the XBox... Not one of them has a unique hook that really SELLS the XBox (Halo was an exclusive 3D shooter for quite awhile, which was the closest to a HOOK the XBox had at launch). They tried with that strange Oddworld line of games...

 

But yeah, I'm old, too. You guys keep going back to NES like it is ancient history. I think NES has more in common with modern gaming than with retro gaming, personally. To wit, everything since NES has had a DPad. Everything prior, a joystick. And I think that *is* a critical difference, turning point, what-have-you.

 

You add these new models (and yeah, I am cynical. I think corporate greed is at an all time high that makes the Greed Is Good 80s look alturistic by comparisson), and a saturated market full of franchised forumla games that are the same ideas endlessly repackaged and, frankly, I can't *wait* for a shakeout of the current video game industry. I think it is overdue.

[Starscream]

I think there's more wrong with you than there is with games

[Paranoid]

I don't think you would be standing alone in that assessment, either.

 

[+remowilliams]

Well speaking of microtransactions...

 

Let me start by saying I have no problem with them as they are done in Oblivion. The extra (keyword) content is neat but not central to any part of the game, as is stuff like horse armor, etc.

 

Now I've been playing The Godfather game for the 360, and it's been a lot of fun. Certainly not the best port they could have done, but good enough. So I've been playing along and doing lots of old fashioned mob type mayhem and having a good time. Part of the game (as many others) is upgrading your weapons. There are dealers hidden around the city who will sell you weapons upgrades. Since my .45 handgun level 3 upgrade cost something like $250,000 I didn't go looking for level four in an hurry.

 

Fast forward to the present. I'm the Corleone underboss and am carrying around a cool 1.25 million in my pocket - so I go looking for that level 4 dealer.

 

And I find him, and go to buy my hard earned upgrade.

 

And an error box pops up that has a cryptic message regarding XBL marketplace.

 

So I look it up and it turns out the answer is on the EA support site.

 

Question

 

When playing I get a "status code error: 80153003" why?

 

Answer

 

The download content on the Xbox Live Marketplace that this blackmarket seller would provide is not going to be released until November. Once the content is out the error message you are getting will go away and you will have access to what the blackmarket seller is selling.

 

Now - it doesn't directly say that you will have to pay. But being part of XBL Marketplace sort of implies that...

 

If it does turn out to be a real $$ transaction, unless EA plans on letting me convert my in game money to real dollars, I will very personally and pointedly tell them just how far they can shove ideas like this up their ass.