While it is annoying it cost extra money, how can you complain? What is a video game? It is a form of entertainment. A good example is going to the movies to make a comparison.
A movie cost around $8.75 where I live, per person. If you only pay for yourself, you are okay but go twice in 1 month and you are paying more for 4 hours of entertainment as opposed to as much as you want, some people HUNDREDS of hours a month, for less a month.
I'd be willing to pay at least $20/month for a game I play regularly and enjoy because its one of the CHEAPEST forms of entertainment you can find. People will eventually start to accept this fact more and more, it is a lot cheaper than you complain about, just track what you spend on things in a month in relation to the amount of enjoyment/entertainment it provides.
Some even admit everything goes up but they think everything should always stay the same (basic econ). Some how the entertainment value eldues them. Im even hoping they raise the price now to be honest. The funny thing about it all I bet some of the people crying are same people who pay for online items and gold.
Most of the people who complain about $180 a year MMOing, are the same people who would pay a cell phone bill 10x that and dont bat an eye, pay more than that going to the movies or renting DVDs or buying CDs, blow it at a club on a couple of overpriced drinks (and mebbe strippers?) or good ol Starbucks coffee without complaining. Funny thing is, they probably spend more time playing the MMO than doing any of the above. So they are actually getting a really good deal for their money.
They dont value a MMO the same way they do the other stuff. They feel the other stuff is more important or valuable, since they pay and are happy. I never understand why/how they can play a MMO for more time than they do half of the above stuff, then complain about the prices of the MMO.
As someone said earlier, other than going to the park and sitting on the grass, this is about as cheap a form of entertainment as there is available.
Cost is one way to invoke customer value on a product. People will be led to believe that War is a better mmo--the next great thing--than any other mmo out there because they are being asked to pay more. Maybe this is indicative of them thinking they've actually got something here instead of just hyping and hoping for sales. Good luck.
again, Most of the people who complain about $180 a year MMOing, are the same people who would pay a cell phone bill 10x that and dont bat an eye, pay more than that going to the movies or renting DVDs or buying CDs, blow it at a club on a couple of overpriced drinks (and mebbe strippers?) or good ol Starbucks coffee without complaining. Funny thing is, they probably spend more time playing the MMO than doing any of the above. So they are actually getting a really good deal for their money. They dont value a MMO the same way they do the other stuff. They feel the other stuff is more important or valuable, since they pay and are happy. I never understand why/how they can play a MMO for more time than they do half of the above stuff, then complain about the prices of the MMO. As someone said earlier, other than going to the park and sitting on the grass, this is about as cheap a form of entertainment as there is available.
The day my mmo rubs its tits in my face and shoves its ass in my face, then I'll pay the stripper price.
Economics doesn't mean the price MUST rise at all, and if it does ecenomics does say that there will be an intersecting point on the line plotted of those willing to pay a cetain amout each month. The job of the accountants is to find the intersection with the best return.
As for the value of the game or any game for that matter it isn't really comparible to other forms of entertainment such as the cinema (and deffinatly not strippers) because it isn't the same thing.
The price is evaluated given the costs involved. For the most part the recouperation argument is moot, most ptp models rely upon box sales for a huge portion of that. Bliz has kept close how much development of WoW costs but some are buzzing at about the $60m mark, that being the case they got that back in under 2 weeks from box alone.
The monthly fee is for upkeep and development, given that without a doubt one of the best depreciative cost markets is techonology server maintenance is minimal, so if they are going to increase the monthly fee when other companies with a decent product seem to do pretty fkin well they want to be bringing out exapnsions at a far greater rate with some holographic customer service shit going on.
Having said all that I will judge the game on its merits against other games and decide whether its worth the extra. (Well I would if I were going to play it which is not likely)
----- The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
My point isnt about economics. I dont know any of that bean counter egghead stuff. So why you quote me for a line about tits, then argue whats economically feasible is beyond me. Thats the other guys arguing how economics work and what makes what valuable. Im talking about value for your buck.
My simple point is, that I bet you played lots of MMOs. And I bet you probably spent way too much manhours playing it and maybe even occasionally missed work, school or whatever. Most people who play MMOs do that. They dont normally log on for 1 or 2 hours, then log off. The average looks like he/she plays 4 hrs or more.
You cannot sit in a titty bar for 4 hours just staring. Theyll throw your arse out or you better start buy some drinks. You better start throwing some dollars on the stage too while your at it. And at the end of the night, youre probably not going home with one of the strippers either after spending all your hardearned cash. Youll probably end up going home to Minnie Palm and her five sisters.
At least this game gives you more value than you can give yourself after spending all your cash in one night.
I believe that prices will rise to $20 for a platinum box version anyways. Its gonna happen in 2008, at least I hope so.. cause my company is def gonna do something like that in 2010 when our game comes out.
The thing is.. MMO's are replacing TV entertainment to a large degree and TV subscribtion can easily be $100 per month.
On the other hand I dont thin that the market can take must higher price than $20 per month, mostly becuase the $15 is the current standard.
But then... I also beliee that EA and SOE will finally make a great MMO game some day, so take my word with a pint of salt.....
Well mrwolf, My point isnt about economics. I dont know any of that bean counter egghead stuff. So why you quote me for a line about tits, then argue whats economically feasible is beyond me.
lol sorry dude should have just quoted 1 line and it wasn't all aimed at you or anyone in particualr for that matter.
Peace
----- The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
The whole basis of your comparison is a joke popinjay.. stop comparing the prices of other activities to an MMO.
Yes MMO's are "cheaper" when it comes to price but it doesn't matter.. an MMO is an MMO.. they only cost a monthly fee because of server upkeep and a live staff that needs to be paid for.. which by the way ARE paid in full
there is not one thing you can tell me that would justify an increase to 20 a month.. what you and others are passing off as reasons to pay that much are totally full of shit - Yes.. all of us that are opposed to an increase in monthly billing drive jaguars and only have 1 sip of our starbucks coffee before throwing it away. How did you know? How blind must you be to think the price will stop at 20 dollars once it gets there? You probably intend to work in the industry.(atleast that would be the only SMART reason you want a price increase)
So you're going to tell me we SHOULD pay 20 because you can play this MMO for a whole month? Wow! Bowling costs 10 dollars and it only lasts 2 hours! What a steal that MMO pricing must be!
Any game on ANY system has the same price system wide (except for budget titles) An RPG thats 20 hours long costs the SAME AMOUNT as an RPG thats 40 hours long.. they don't double the price just because you POTENTIALLY get more out of it than other games. So you can't justify it by the amount of time you MIGHT spend playing it compared to other things... it is irrelavant!
If it's true that they need to pay the cost to keep the servers up? It would be covered in the $15/mo and has plenty of money left over.. even an increase in hardware costs would be covered and you would still be able to pay the devs the same amount if not more depending on how the game does.(and that's as far as the dev's defense goes)
20 a month does not mean an increase in productivity of any kind.. they would receive more money simply by getting more subscribers aka an incentive to have a good game... 20 a month means they want more for less and not the other way around... they are going to continue to raise the price and continue to milk their players for all they're worth because retards like you see nothing wrong with having a monthly bill the size of a car payment in which you'll say "Do you play the MMO more than you drive your car? I think so! Price it accordingly"
See how that works? ok now come up with a real reason we should pay 20 a month.. I'll be waiting
hehe most people dont think before writting up things, if people says they could or even they would pay more than that, developper arent blind nor deaf, they will just raise the price cause they will tell emselves : look at that Johny, people are willing to pay up to 40$/month ..!
so just stop making posts like that or it will end up that we will pay real big money in couple of years and people dont wanna spend half of their salary to play a game.......
Games are not a way a life here, games are simply to get away from real life for awhile until we head back into the real world. Though I do agree it is all about choice so if someone is willing to pay more than 15 a month for a game then they will. Guild Wars 2 from NCSoft/Arenanet will offer you the same mmo experience, presistent world, crafting, pvp and pve with no monthly fee. So tell me how other companies require a monlthly fee while Guild Wars 2 will not ? Simply because other companies choose not to offer free play.
A couple of things to consider..
1. All hardware such as existing game engines, servers, routers, game tools and any maintenence costs are already included in the budget for the year. So that means no money is coming out of Mythic's pocket. No matter how much you think things cost, everything is within the budget.
2. Employees of EA/Mythic already get a salary , so wether you buy the game or not they still get paid. They don't work on commission folks, if they did they would be pretty poor by now.
3. Any extra hardware, software upgrades are extra costs but that extra money they spent on this is chump change. Large companies such as EA make tons of money a month and can easily cover the cost and make that money back in no time.
4. Smaller companies when starting out is completely different. Most of the money is coming from their own pockets and eventually they look for financial backing. The second time around they release another game they have made their money off the first one and then some left over. That is assuming your first game was successful because if it wasn't I doubt you will be making many games in the near future.
So remember when you purchase a game and pay a monthly fee you aren't just a gamer you are their customer and if the product you purchased isn't what you want then you simply don't conitnue to pay a monthly fee. If you like the product and are happy with it then by all means continue to be happy. So when companies cry they have to charge a monthly fee for server costs and materials, have them also explain to you what a budget is. I'm sure the tune will sound much different.
It looks like I am in the minority here but I would have no problem paying 19.99 - 24.99 a month for a MMO. This is why. A MMO offers me a TON of hours of entertainment for that money. I average about 8-10 hours a week of MMO play. At the min thats 32 hours a month. 24.99 a month is less then 1 dollar per hour. Off the top of my head I can't think of anything else I can do that is NEARLY as entertaining as a MMO for under a buck an hour.
I wouldnt tell you or anyone what to spend your money on. You earned it, its yours. Buy whatever you like.
But know this, there are people like you, who sit around like now, whining about:
"WHY dont developers make us some good games? These are shit."
"WHY did the game end too fast? It was fun! Make another!"
"WHY do I have to pay more for this game? Its just so-so, even though I maxed out 2 characters, maxed crafting, played over 200+hrs. I paid my 50 bucks for the box. The sub should be free. It doesnt cost your company anything after you make it."
I dont work, nor want to, in the gaming industry. Too many whiners want things perfect (like me: I want a perfect game) and when it doesnt go right, whiners say they want their money back.Or, this design sucks, its not what I had in mind when you were making it. Please make it over to fix MY idea of fun.
I am a realist however, I know that no amount of "dont raise the price" whining will keep the game at a certain level. Doesnt matter if I say I wont pay this or this. So, I say, make a great game, ill pay even MORE than what it cost you to make. Thats because if its great, theres value for me. Its worth my $30 a month. I think its a steal actually if it answers all my gaming needs. But if the game is just so-so, I have a limit. I dont care how "free" a asian MMO is, Ill never play those again. Theres no value for me. They suck bad. So free or cheap isnt always good. Sometimes paying a fair price is not a bad thing.
And since you dont work in the gaming industry, thats not up to you to say whats fair. Even people who dont PLAY mmos (my wife) thinks $20-30 a month isnt bad. (she doesnt like the time spent on them however) But compared to everything else that entertainment, its a bargain, even if you dont see it that way. A lot of gamers think these games are such good value, they keep two and THREE subs going sometimes.
Thats why I dont mind a price hike on a good game. Now, would I pay $30/month for SWG? Hell no. 25/mo for Eq2? Kiss my ass. $20 for Perfect World asian grinder? Kiss it twice.
Im saying, they make a good game, Ill pay. You dont have to. Dont. Go to the movies, take a date and spend twice that. Itll probably be good for you to get out of the house anyways.
Too many people are looking at things in a black and white attitude and I'm not going to mention names and get pulled into this argument.
It would be a shame if it goes up any higher, best thing to do is to wait and see, as someone mentioned earlier, consumers will probably accept it with open arms, or slam it back in EA's face (hoping for the latter).
And hey...if it does come down to a price increase...there is always the great, if not greater, AGE OF CONAN!!!
WAR CARYYYYYY!!!!! *meow*
BTW: There is jumping in AoC...yes thats right...JUMPING. Enjoy.
It looks like I am in the minority here but I would have no problem paying 19.99 - 24.99 a month for a MMO. This is why. A MMO offers me a TON of hours of entertainment for that money. I average about 8-10 hours a week of MMO play. At the min thats 32 hours a month. 24.99 a month is less then 1 dollar per hour. Off the top of my head I can't think of anything else I can do that is NEARLY as entertaining as a MMO for under a buck an hour.
From what I've read a majority seem to agree with you tbh. However I just fail to see where the corelation comes in that everything we do should come down to enjoyment in $/hour. The developers of games suplly a product and a service. The cost of that product per hour surely shouldn't be a random figure they decide fits based on other activities we can partake of broken down to the average hourly rate.
It's cost shouldn't be based on it's 'value' that we put on it as consumers either. It should be valued at a comparible price to the costs of running the game and continuing to develop it. Even with, what most here seem to feel is a small monthly fee, they still make astronomical profits. I'm no doomsayer, trying to bring about the end of capitalisation but pricing up a past time on its $/hour or comparing it to the cost of other pasttimes and their $/hour just makes no sense, at least not untill I can start taking my flying lessons for $20 per month or I can get a flight to Austria and go skiing for the same price. They have a basis revolving around their costs to supply so should mmo's. While the monthly has risen, though not by much admittidly, the box price has, but more importantly so has the demand and player base meaning more profit, techinically I believe an 'ass load' more.
----- The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
no Druz, I wouldnt tell you or anyone what to spend your money on. You earned it, its yours. Buy whatever you like.
Thanks But know this, there are people like you, who sit around like now, whining about:
I'm assuming this is just a weak jab since you have no real point and none of this is true "WHY dont developers make us some good games? These are shit."
I don't remember ever saying that and even assuming I did... 15 a month is MORE than enough to make a good game.. do you know why? Because the game is already out! It's already been paid for! If the game is bad it's not because we didn't pay him enough it's because the developers have no talent in making games. There are many amazing games that are in fact free "WHY did the game end too fast? It was fun! Make another!"
I don't remember saying this either - a game that comes to mind is portal, very short game... can be finished in 2 hours but it was an amazing 2 hours and I never thought it wasn't enough.. what does this have to do with MMO's? Again, assumign someone said this whats wrong with it? The dev's would be happy to make another I don't see the problem here "WHY do I have to pay more for this game? Its just so-so, even though I maxed out 2 characters, maxed crafting, played over 200+hrs. I paid my 50 bucks for the box. The sub should be free. It doesnt cost your company anything after you make it."
Uh what? Why do you make up your own arguements so that you can reply to them instead of replying to what I have said? Stop filling your posts with fluff I dont work, nor want to, in the gaming industry. Too many whiners want things perfect (like me: I want a perfect game) and when it doesnt go right, whiners say they want their money back.Or, this design sucks, its not what I had in mind when you were making it. Please make it over to fix MY idea of fun.
Sorry we're not all whiners like you, thanks for the stereotype I am a realist however, I know that no amount of "dont raise the price" whining will keep the game at a certain level. Doesnt matter if I say I wont pay this or this. So, I say, make a great game, ill pay even MORE than what it cost you to make. Thats because if its great, theres value for me. Its worth my $30 a month. I think its a steal actually if it answers all my gaming needs. But if the game is just so-so, I have a limit. I dont care how "free" a asian MMO is, Ill never play those again. Theres no value for me. They suck bad. So free or cheap isnt always good. Sometimes paying a fair price is not a bad thing.
You are not a realist - and whining about PRICE will not keep the game at a certain level. Like I said earlier your WHOLE logic is flawed... for some self rightous reason you feel the need to pay more for good games instead of forcing them to make good games with the millions of dollars they get ALREADY. You are also using free asian MMOs as an example to what you get for free.. well if you can't figure out whats wrong with that reasoning then you should stop talking because it is beyond obvious And since you dont work in the gaming industry, thats not up to you to say whats fair. Even people who dont PLAY mmos (my wife) thinks $20-30 a month isnt bad. (she doesnt like the time spent on them however) But compared to everything else that entertainment, its a bargain, even if you dont see it that way. A lot of gamers think these games are such good value, they keep two and THREE subs going sometimes.
You could not be more wrong here, since I don't work in the gaming industry it IS in fact for me to say whats fair as the CONSUMER, 15 dollars a month is my limit.. and it is many other peoples limit as well.. they can raise it to 30 dollars if they think it's smart- instead of getting 1k subscribers at 15 a piece they will get 250 subscribers(one of them is you) at 30 a piece, you tell me which price makes more money.
A lot of gamers think they are such good value they keep two or three subs going? Are you seriously this naive? People don't get fun x3 when they buy 3 subscribtions at a time.. when people do this it is to have a train of their alts running around leveling with each other instead of looking for groups.. If people have the means to waste that much money to be anti social then good for them - but its reasoning does not go beyond that. Thats why I dont mind a price hike on a good game. Now, would I pay $30/month for SWG? Hell no. 25/mo for Eq2? Kiss my ass. $20 for Perfect World asian grinder? Kiss it twice. Im saying, they make a good game, Ill pay. You dont have to. Dont. Go to the movies, take a date and spend twice that. Itll probably be good for you to get out of the house anyways.
Yes, another weak jab at me because you've made no points what so ever - good luck with that mid life crisis when a few years from now you're sitting home when all the MMO's are 30 a month and you realize you've shot yourself in the foot
Twice in a row you have failed to use real logic.. I think I should've picked someone with a brain to argue against
You and people who are like you are the reason they might get away with it - idiocy is their target market for a $20 price point.. congrats.. you made the cut!
Comments
cheers to higher monthly fees and expansions.
I find it amazing that by 2020 first world countries will be competing to get immigrants.
My thought is this:
While it is annoying it cost extra money, how can you complain? What is a video game? It is a form of entertainment. A good example is going to the movies to make a comparison.
A movie cost around $8.75 where I live, per person. If you only pay for yourself, you are okay but go twice in 1 month and you are paying more for 4 hours of entertainment as opposed to as much as you want, some people HUNDREDS of hours a month, for less a month.
I'd be willing to pay at least $20/month for a game I play regularly and enjoy because its one of the CHEAPEST forms of entertainment you can find. People will eventually start to accept this fact more and more, it is a lot cheaper than you complain about, just track what you spend on things in a month in relation to the amount of enjoyment/entertainment it provides.
high rent, insane high taxes, unbelievable high gas prices, food, insurance, medical, clothes, all go up ,
While the wages stay the same, unbelievable how people still try to manage there income in the end of the month.
But yes In my opinion I would feel inclided to not pay more then 15$ for "a game"
So if EA decided to raise the fee count me out.
This post is so funny...
Some even admit everything goes up but they think everything should always stay the same (basic econ). Some how the entertainment value eldues them. Im even hoping they raise the price now to be honest. The funny thing about it all I bet some of the people crying are same people who pay for online items and gold.
Sig by WhiskeyJack1
again,
Most of the people who complain about $180 a year MMOing, are the same people who would pay a cell phone bill 10x that and dont bat an eye, pay more than that going to the movies or renting DVDs or buying CDs, blow it at a club on a couple of overpriced drinks (and mebbe strippers?) or good ol Starbucks coffee without complaining. Funny thing is, they probably spend more time playing the MMO than doing any of the above. So they are actually getting a really good deal for their money.
They dont value a MMO the same way they do the other stuff. They feel the other stuff is more important or valuable, since they pay and are happy. I never understand why/how they can play a MMO for more time than they do half of the above stuff, then complain about the prices of the MMO.
As someone said earlier, other than going to the park and sitting on the grass, this is about as cheap a form of entertainment as there is available.
"TO MICHAEL!"
In the near future, gaming companies will be forced to look at those other options and be less greedy.
MMO asian gaming companies, are probably the best placed when the race starts.
Cost is one way to invoke customer value on a product. People will be led to believe that War is a better mmo--the next great thing--than any other mmo out there because they are being asked to pay more. Maybe this is indicative of them thinking they've actually got something here instead of just hyping and hoping for sales. Good luck.
The day my mmo rubs its tits in my face and shoves its ass in my face, then I'll pay the stripper price.
Economics doesn't mean the price MUST rise at all, and if it does ecenomics does say that there will be an intersecting point on the line plotted of those willing to pay a cetain amout each month. The job of the accountants is to find the intersection with the best return.
As for the value of the game or any game for that matter it isn't really comparible to other forms of entertainment such as the cinema (and deffinatly not strippers) because it isn't the same thing.
The price is evaluated given the costs involved. For the most part the recouperation argument is moot, most ptp models rely upon box sales for a huge portion of that. Bliz has kept close how much development of WoW costs but some are buzzing at about the $60m mark, that being the case they got that back in under 2 weeks from box alone.
The monthly fee is for upkeep and development, given that without a doubt one of the best depreciative cost markets is techonology server maintenance is minimal, so if they are going to increase the monthly fee when other companies with a decent product seem to do pretty fkin well they want to be bringing out exapnsions at a far greater rate with some holographic customer service shit going on.
Having said all that I will judge the game on its merits against other games and decide whether its worth the extra. (Well I would if I were going to play it which is not likely)
-----
The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
If WAR sets it up a notch, all the other MMO's will claim "rise in costs" and priced to match WAR. And people will pay.
Well mrwolf,
My point isnt about economics. I dont know any of that bean counter egghead stuff. So why you quote me for a line about tits, then argue whats economically feasible is beyond me. Thats the other guys arguing how economics work and what makes what valuable. Im talking about value for your buck.
My simple point is, that I bet you played lots of MMOs. And I bet you probably spent way too much manhours playing it and maybe even occasionally missed work, school or whatever. Most people who play MMOs do that. They dont normally log on for 1 or 2 hours, then log off. The average looks like he/she plays 4 hrs or more.
You cannot sit in a titty bar for 4 hours just staring. Theyll throw your arse out or you better start buy some drinks. You better start throwing some dollars on the stage too while your at it. And at the end of the night, youre probably not going home with one of the strippers either after spending all your hardearned cash. Youll probably end up going home to Minnie Palm and her five sisters.
At least this game gives you more value than you can give yourself after spending all your cash in one night.
"TO MICHAEL!"
I believe that prices will rise to $20 for a platinum box version anyways. Its gonna happen in 2008, at least I hope so.. cause my company is def gonna do something like that in 2010 when our game comes out.
The thing is.. MMO's are replacing TV entertainment to a large degree and TV subscribtion can easily be $100 per month.
On the other hand I dont thin that the market can take must higher price than $20 per month, mostly becuase the $15 is the current standard.
But then... I also beliee that EA and SOE will finally make a great MMO game some day, so take my word with a pint of salt.....
lol sorry dude should have just quoted 1 line and it wasn't all aimed at you or anyone in particualr for that matter.
Peace
-----
The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
i would pay the price for a high quality title.
too bad theres nothing out there (or coming soon) that qualifies for my payment.
The whole basis of your comparison is a joke popinjay.. stop comparing the prices of other activities to an MMO.
Yes MMO's are "cheaper" when it comes to price but it doesn't matter.. an MMO is an MMO.. they only cost a monthly fee because of server upkeep and a live staff that needs to be paid for.. which by the way ARE paid in full
there is not one thing you can tell me that would justify an increase to 20 a month.. what you and others are passing off as reasons to pay that much are totally full of shit - Yes.. all of us that are opposed to an increase in monthly billing drive jaguars and only have 1 sip of our starbucks coffee before throwing it away. How did you know? How blind must you be to think the price will stop at 20 dollars once it gets there? You probably intend to work in the industry.(atleast that would be the only SMART reason you want a price increase)
So you're going to tell me we SHOULD pay 20 because you can play this MMO for a whole month? Wow! Bowling costs 10 dollars and it only lasts 2 hours! What a steal that MMO pricing must be!
Any game on ANY system has the same price system wide (except for budget titles) An RPG thats 20 hours long costs the SAME AMOUNT as an RPG thats 40 hours long.. they don't double the price just because you POTENTIALLY get more out of it than other games. So you can't justify it by the amount of time you MIGHT spend playing it compared to other things... it is irrelavant!
If it's true that they need to pay the cost to keep the servers up? It would be covered in the $15/mo and has plenty of money left over.. even an increase in hardware costs would be covered and you would still be able to pay the devs the same amount if not more depending on how the game does.(and that's as far as the dev's defense goes)
20 a month does not mean an increase in productivity of any kind.. they would receive more money simply by getting more subscribers aka an incentive to have a good game... 20 a month means they want more for less and not the other way around... they are going to continue to raise the price and continue to milk their players for all they're worth because retards like you see nothing wrong with having a monthly bill the size of a car payment in which you'll say "Do you play the MMO more than you drive your car? I think so! Price it accordingly"
See how that works? ok now come up with a real reason we should pay 20 a month.. I'll be waiting
hehe most people dont think before writting up things, if people says they could or even they would pay more than that, developper arent blind nor deaf, they will just raise the price cause they will tell emselves : look at that Johny, people are willing to pay up to 40$/month ..!
so just stop making posts like that or it will end up that we will pay real big money in couple of years and people dont wanna spend half of their salary to play a game.......
Games are not a way a life here, games are simply to get away from real life for awhile until we head back into the real world. Though I do agree it is all about choice so if someone is willing to pay more than 15 a month for a game then they will. Guild Wars 2 from NCSoft/Arenanet will offer you the same mmo experience, presistent world, crafting, pvp and pve with no monthly fee. So tell me how other companies require a monlthly fee while Guild Wars 2 will not ? Simply because other companies choose not to offer free play.
A couple of things to consider..
1. All hardware such as existing game engines, servers, routers, game tools and any maintenence costs are already included in the budget for the year. So that means no money is coming out of Mythic's pocket. No matter how much you think things cost, everything is within the budget.
2. Employees of EA/Mythic already get a salary , so wether you buy the game or not they still get paid. They don't work on commission folks, if they did they would be pretty poor by now.
3. Any extra hardware, software upgrades are extra costs but that extra money they spent on this is chump change. Large companies such as EA make tons of money a month and can easily cover the cost and make that money back in no time.
4. Smaller companies when starting out is completely different. Most of the money is coming from their own pockets and eventually they look for financial backing. The second time around they release another game they have made their money off the first one and then some left over. That is assuming your first game was successful because if it wasn't I doubt you will be making many games in the near future.
So remember when you purchase a game and pay a monthly fee you aren't just a gamer you are their customer and if the product you purchased isn't what you want then you simply don't conitnue to pay a monthly fee. If you like the product and are happy with it then by all means continue to be happy. So when companies cry they have to charge a monthly fee for server costs and materials, have them also explain to you what a budget is. I'm sure the tune will sound much different.
It looks like I am in the minority here but I would have no problem paying 19.99 - 24.99 a month for a MMO. This is why. A MMO offers me a TON of hours of entertainment for that money. I average about 8-10 hours a week of MMO play. At the min thats 32 hours a month. 24.99 a month is less then 1 dollar per hour. Off the top of my head I can't think of anything else I can do that is NEARLY as entertaining as a MMO for under a buck an hour.
-Currently looking forward to FFXIV
-Currently playing EvE and Global Agenda
no Druz,
I wouldnt tell you or anyone what to spend your money on. You earned it, its yours. Buy whatever you like.
But know this, there are people like you, who sit around like now, whining about:
"WHY dont developers make us some good games? These are shit."
"WHY did the game end too fast? It was fun! Make another!"
"WHY do I have to pay more for this game? Its just so-so, even though I maxed out 2 characters, maxed crafting, played over 200+hrs. I paid my 50 bucks for the box. The sub should be free. It doesnt cost your company anything after you make it."
I dont work, nor want to, in the gaming industry. Too many whiners want things perfect (like me: I want a perfect game) and when it doesnt go right, whiners say they want their money back.Or, this design sucks, its not what I had in mind when you were making it. Please make it over to fix MY idea of fun.
I am a realist however, I know that no amount of "dont raise the price" whining will keep the game at a certain level. Doesnt matter if I say I wont pay this or this. So, I say, make a great game, ill pay even MORE than what it cost you to make. Thats because if its great, theres value for me. Its worth my $30 a month. I think its a steal actually if it answers all my gaming needs. But if the game is just so-so, I have a limit. I dont care how "free" a asian MMO is, Ill never play those again. Theres no value for me. They suck bad. So free or cheap isnt always good. Sometimes paying a fair price is not a bad thing.
And since you dont work in the gaming industry, thats not up to you to say whats fair. Even people who dont PLAY mmos (my wife) thinks $20-30 a month isnt bad. (she doesnt like the time spent on them however) But compared to everything else that entertainment, its a bargain, even if you dont see it that way. A lot of gamers think these games are such good value, they keep two and THREE subs going sometimes.
Thats why I dont mind a price hike on a good game. Now, would I pay $30/month for SWG? Hell no. 25/mo for Eq2? Kiss my ass. $20 for Perfect World asian grinder? Kiss it twice.
Im saying, they make a good game, Ill pay. You dont have to. Dont. Go to the movies, take a date and spend twice that. Itll probably be good for you to get out of the house anyways.
"TO MICHAEL!"
Too many people are looking at things in a black and white attitude and I'm not going to mention names and get pulled into this argument.
It would be a shame if it goes up any higher, best thing to do is to wait and see, as someone mentioned earlier, consumers will probably accept it with open arms, or slam it back in EA's face (hoping for the latter).
And hey...if it does come down to a price increase...there is always the great, if not greater, AGE OF CONAN!!!
WAR CARYYYYYY!!!!! *meow*
BTW: There is jumping in AoC...yes thats right...JUMPING. Enjoy.
From what I've read a majority seem to agree with you tbh. However I just fail to see where the corelation comes in that everything we do should come down to enjoyment in $/hour. The developers of games suplly a product and a service. The cost of that product per hour surely shouldn't be a random figure they decide fits based on other activities we can partake of broken down to the average hourly rate.
It's cost shouldn't be based on it's 'value' that we put on it as consumers either. It should be valued at a comparible price to the costs of running the game and continuing to develop it. Even with, what most here seem to feel is a small monthly fee, they still make astronomical profits. I'm no doomsayer, trying to bring about the end of capitalisation but pricing up a past time on its $/hour or comparing it to the cost of other pasttimes and their $/hour just makes no sense, at least not untill I can start taking my flying lessons for $20 per month or I can get a flight to Austria and go skiing for the same price. They have a basis revolving around their costs to supply so should mmo's. While the monthly has risen, though not by much admittidly, the box price has, but more importantly so has the demand and player base meaning more profit, techinically I believe an 'ass load' more.
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The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.
this thread should end with mrw0lf's last post...seriously he summed up everything nicely. Good Job. You get a star.
Twice in a row you have failed to use real logic.. I think I should've picked someone with a brain to argue against
Ok Druz.
You win.
Prices will now stay the same.
Not.
"TO MICHAEL!"
You and people who are like you are the reason they might get away with it - idiocy is their target market for a $20 price point.. congrats.. you made the cut!