Want To Purchase A Complete Game? Enter Microtransactions

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There is a major issue happening right now in the gaming industry. This issue is costing gamers more and more money every time a new game is released. I am referring to the issue of micro transactions.

The idea of micro-transactions has its merits. Release a game, allow the consumer to play the game and unlock its every secrets, then release an update that will give the player additional content, for a small fee, that will allow the player to continue enjoying the game.

In theory, this is awesome. PC users have had this option for years with expansion packs to some of their most beloved games. Console gamers were forced to only enjoy what was released to them on the initial release.

Sadly though, what is happening across the board is that gamers are getting games that don’t feel quite as complete as they should. Then on top of that are being almost forced to buy the “season pass” to get additional content to complete the game.

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Let’s look at Star Wars Battlefront. When the game was announced and shown at E3, gamers could not believe that they were getting ready to get a Star Wars game that, not only looked good, but was looking to be the best Battlefront ever.

What fans got on November 17th 2015, however, was far from expectations. Players were asked to pay $60.00 for a game that; at that time; only included a handful of maps, unbalanced gameplay, and no single player campaign. For an additional $10.00, player could get the deluxe version that gave them access to 3 items that were obtainable by playing through the game and a couple of emotes.

That was $70.00 for an incomplete game and three unlocked items! It gets worse, for an additional $50.00, you can get a season pass that promises to further your adventure in a galaxy far, far away. That is a grand total of $120.00 to play a game that should have only cost $60.00.

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Let’s look at another example. Street Fighter V just came out yesterday. I, like many other gamers, was looking forward to this release. Upon purchasing the game at Gamestop, I was asked if I wanted to buy the season pass. Now, I was already spending $60.00 on the game and the pass was an additional $30.00. I told the clerk that I was going to wait on the season pass, when she told me that I would get 6 additional characters right away. She pushed the pass making it sound like this was the only way I was going to get the characters, so reluctantly, I pulled the trigger. When I got home, I learned that these characters were unlockable by playing the game.

In both these instances, I paid additional money for content that was available to me if I was just to play through the game a bit to earn the items or characters. The season passes are being forced on gamers because that is the only way to get a full game now. It is getting sad that video games are running between $100.00 and $120.00 to get a full game that the developer was too greedy to release to the consumer upon initial release.

Sadly, it is our fault as consumers because we allow the developers to do this. We spend the additional money for fear that we are going to miss an opportunity or not have the proper gear when going up against opponents. What happen to the days when developers allowed this additional content to become available when a player beat the game or achieved goal in game?

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One final example I have is one that I just found out about this week. And it just irritates the crap out of me. On April 7th 2016, Mortal Kombat XL is being released to consumers. This game will include all of the season one content from the first season pass as well as all the new characters being released in season two. How much will this game cost you ask? To get all of this, you will pay $60.00. But what about the consumers that bought the game when it first came out? Those loyal fans will need pay additional money to get the new characters.

So, if you buy the game early, you run the risk of getting an incomplete game and are forced to buy  the additional content. Assuming that the 2nd season pass is the same as the first one, $30.00, that will mean that gamers who bought the game when it was released will end up paying $120.00 for a game that the studio themselves feel is only worth $60.00 with the release of Mortal Kombat XL. Way to prove you care about your consumers.

What can we do to stop this? For one, we have to stop preordering games. Who cares what character skin you are going to get as a preorder bonus. You are enabling the companies to release crap on initial release because they already have your money. Most importantly, stop getting season passes. We need to make a stand and tell these companies that we will not pay for additional content that should have came with our games to begin with.

Will this happen? Will consumers stop pre-ordering and buying passes? The short answer is no. We live in a time now where this generation of gamers don’t understand what it means to unlock additional content. They have to have the content as soon as it is available. Do you agree with my rant? I would love to hear what you think by commenting below.

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