Microtransactions R' Us

I've been keeping my lil' peepers open for big stories from the gaming world and got a chuckle when I saw some boiling controversy over one of the more debatable aspects of modern games--namely, the addition of microtransactions.  A hotly anticipated game, Dragon's Dogma 2 (*a game and series that I have not played and am not familiar with), released to positive critical review but, to the horror of eager gamers, contained day one microtransactions.  The internets were outraged and quickly expressed their displeasure through rapidly review bombing the bejeezus out of it (it sat at "mostly negative" at release but has now improved to "mixed").  The real question...is freaking out over microtransactions in games warranted?  I have mixed feelings about microtransactions and thought I would pontificate about them to absolutely no one (or the bot that scans my page for DATAS).

Firstly, let it be known that I do not think that I've ever purchased anything that would be considered a "microtransaction."  In general, I'm opposed to spending more than I have to for something that I've already paid full price for.  The closest I've probably come is buying 1 or 2 cute pets in World of Warcraft.

One of those memes.

In general, I think most microtransactions are fine.  If people want to spend more money on something, that's their own business.  It turns out that the microtransactions in Dragon's Dogma 2 are all for items that can be obtained in the game through normal play.  You don't have to purchase an extra item to fast travel or anything like that--you can choose to purchase the additional items.  To me, that's fine.  Many people who play games have a limited time to play and if they don't have the time to grind out extra items, why not?  There are so many goofy memes and jokes about people who want to game but have limited time and there seems to be mounting evidence that gamers actually want shorter games (CD Projekt Red gathered data from The Witcher 3 that showed that most players didn't even finish the game and I just recently read an article about the upcoming HellBlade: Senua's Sacrifice 2 where the devs indicated that gamers want shorter games).  If people want to pay extra to maximize their limited gaming time, I don't see the harm.  The same goes for cosmetic items--if you want that banging, sparkly item and are willing to fork out the cash, that's also totally fine.

However, I do think there are times where microtransactions are egregious.  I don't play any multiplayer games, but any option that could be described as "pay to win," is not okay.  And boy is that a complicated can of worms!  Say you've got the extra cash to buy a bunch of loot boxes or card packs (or whatever item/currency), don't you already have an advantage?  Maybe.

Microtransactions are also a problem when games are intentionally designed to drive people to purchasing them.  It seems like Ubisoft got some flak for this in one of their games awhile back--making parts of it intentionally grindy in order to push players to buy "XP boosts."  That's not okay and definitely deserves the scorn of gamers.

Love them or hate them, the reality is that I don't see the microtransaction system changing any time soon.  I think it's important to be on the lookout for the types that are exploitative or egregious but that most are relatively harmless and totally optional.  If you are really and truly opposed to microtransactions, don't play the games that have them built in--that's really the only way to prove your point.