It's an impulse purchase and agree with it or don't agree with it, much of advertisement is centered around it in consumerism based cultures like ours.
Be it $10 for a 'lingerie unsealer' or $150 for a 'founders pack' or the product placement at the drug store that gets you to buy that bag of chips you weren't planning to buy. The $ figure is individual but the element of purchase is in the impulse driven advertisement.
It's an impulse purchase and agree with it or don't agree with it, much of advertisement is centered around it in consumerism based cultures like ours.
Be it $10 for a 'lingerie unsealer' or $150 for a 'founders pack' or the product placement at the drug store that gets you to buy that bag of chips you weren't planning to buy. The $ figure is individual but the element of purchase is in the impulse driven advertisement.
I have never bought a lifetime or founders pack to any game and probably never will. But I can at least see why someone would. Support the devs, plan on playing the game for years to come, ect.
That I can understand. I have more trouble understanding people who donate hundreds if not thousands into KS. Especially the most recent big one CU. Which is basically just an idea. At least you are actually getting something when you drop $200 on a lifetime sub.
Why do people spend hundreds of dollars for a nice meal or a night out at the bar with friends? Why do people spend thousands for a long weekend in Vegas? I had a boss a few years ago that bought 1-2 Starbucks coffees everyday 365 days a year. That was way more money than anything I have spent on a video game.
It's because they are getting enjoyment out of it and who am I to judge what is or is not entertainment to a person? There are a lot of things that people spend tons of money on that I don't understand like cigarettes, hookers, drugs, etc. but as long as they can manage those expenses, continue to be a productive member of society and don't pose a threat to themselves or anyone else I say live and let live.
Why do people spend hundreds of dollars for a nice meal or a night out at the bar with friends? Why do people spend thousands for a long weekend in Vegas? I had a boss a few years ago that bought 1-2 Starbucks coffees everyday 365 days a year. That was way more money than anything I have spent on a video game.
Very true. Each person has a difference preference on what to do with their money. Personally, I have taken my wife to the French Laundry for one of those hundreds-of-dollar meals, and not only we feel it was worth every penny, we are planning to go again.
And i wouldn't drop a $100 on a MMO founder pack ... so people have very different ideas of what is good ways to spend their money.
Why do people spend hundreds of dollars for a nice meal or a night out at the bar with friends? Why do people spend thousands for a long weekend in Vegas? I had a boss a few years ago that bought 1-2 Starbucks coffees everyday 365 days a year. That was way more money than anything I have spent on a video game.
It's because they are getting enjoyment out of it and who am I to judge what is or is not entertainment to a person? There are a lot of things that people spend tons of money on that I don't understand like cigarettes, hookers, drugs, etc. but as long as they can manage those expenses, continue to be a productive member of society and don't pose a threat to themselves or anyone else I say live and let live.
Why do people spend hundreds of dollars for a nice meal or a night out at the bar with friends? Why do people spend thousands for a long weekend in Vegas? I had a boss a few years ago that bought 1-2 Starbucks coffees everyday 365 days a year. That was way more money than anything I have spent on a video game.
It's because they are getting enjoyment out of it and who am I to judge what is or is not entertainment to a person? There are a lot of things that people spend tons of money on that I don't understand like cigarettes, hookers, drugs, etc. but as long as they can manage those expenses, continue to be a productive member of society and don't pose a threat to themselves or anyone else I say live and let live.
Great post.
Video games are my leisure activity. Parting with cash for electronic entertainment is not a foreign activity for me. If a title I am interested in offers the opportunity to check the game out early with added bonus's, I'll drop the dough.
If it's not my cup of tea....oh well. I've lost more money in milk going bad in my fridge over the years. But you don't see me on the Reiter Dairy forums flipping out and demanding refunds and rollbacks. ;D
"I DEMAND this spoiled milk be replaced.
I will never buy your milk again, and I am certain no one else will either if you do not remedy this situation. I spent a whole $5 on this gallon of milk, and it lasted barely a week!
It just goes to show that companies like you care about nothing but profit!!!!111!!!"
I'm curious about this too. Even after so many failed p2p releases, you still have people shouting 'I want to pay a sub!' or 'how high a sub would you pay for [enter a MMO] ?'. Or they buy a lifetime sub before they even tried the game.
You would have thought that by now most MMO players would'velearned that the payment model says nothing about the game's quality. But maybe it is just the new cool thing to do. Buy a crappy game and then just stay cool and shrug it off.
Marketing departments must love these kind of customers.
Some people dont have a family or bills to pay i asume ? I rather make my son or daughter happy with a shiny ring or clothes or buy my boy a new pair of nike's instead of spending massive amounts of money.
I dont mind a sub if the game is worth it tough, but a lifetime sub ? nah mmo's dont last that long anymore. Back in the days of UO / EQ / or even the most recent WoW it might have been a good investment as you played those games for many years in a row. These days you play it 6 months tops and your done with it.
I would never buy a Founders or a life time membership, way too much money. There's alot of things that i rather do with that 200 dollars. Like maybe buying computer hardware, audio gear or even save it up. But I guess they figure in the long term it save them money later on.
Originally posted by tussauc It's an honest question that I can't think of a proper answer to; I'm not judging anyone I'm just curious. Why do people shell out $150+ on a single game? Is it dedication to, or maybe confidence in, the developers behind said MMO? Why?
For an in game Title and also one for the games official forums and to have the "feeling" of being 1st into a game. I've made that mistake once and never again.
The only lifetime sub I bought was to the Secret world. Though the game is B2P now I felt like I got my money's worth. I still have been on quite a bit and the extras I got were put to good use. I looked at it as getting the perks for that game instead of buying a crap ton of single player games Id buy, beat, then collect dust.
For others who dont' like lifetime subs and wouldn't get one I understand. To each their own theres probably nothing else out or coming out that I'd pay for a lifetime sub too.
Playing: TSW, D&D NW, Defiance (more the tv show than game >.> ) LotRO, DCUO
LT subs are good if you plan on playing It long term. I played SWG its entire lifetime, and subbed every month, and for 1 account that was about $1440, and if it had stayed active would have spent even more
$200 for a one off payment is nothing then. If SWG had a LT option at the start would have saved $1240 per account
With EA stating that SWTOR would have lasted at least 10 years, I would have bought a LT sub to it, at launch, but glad they did not offer one now!
I bought life time for STO. Huge Star Trek fan. Thought I'd be playing for at least a couple years, so it would have been money saved. Also got lured in with the life time bonuses.
Basically I'm stupid okay. Never will make that mistake again.
Same here. Was looking for a game to repalce WoW, longtime Star Trek fan, game looked good, and I didn't want to miss out on all the "exclusive" lifetime bonuses. I even went so far as to buy 2 different pre-orders from different shops, for different pre-order bonuses.
If your going to play a MMO longer than the Life time subscription costs its a great deal. For me STO lifetime subscription more than paid for itself. I would suggest doing careful research into a game before doing so, but to each his own.
Originally posted by ucidaitaci Obviously have too much money to spend.Just like spending money on luxury stuff, that you don't need. Just because they can, why not?
Have to agree with this. If they have the cash, why not?It's not supposed to make sense. Does it make sense when people spend silly money on cars?
Today, maybe. Back in "the old" days, a lifetime membership was cheaper than paying $15/month for 2-3 years of playing. $150 to $200 up front vs. $360 (for 2 years subscribing only) to $540 (3 years subscribing only) is a much better price. Not too dissimilar from paying for 3, 6, or 12 months of time vs 1 month. Better rate.
I see it today as gambling or speculating. Players will gamble that their purchase will see them "guess right" which way the MMO may go. If it succeeds and stays around for a few years with a P2P model, they win. If it goes F2P too soon, they lose. The rage when this latter happens is ridiculous. Players took a shot and lost. Simple as that.
As others have said, it is getting less and less common these days.
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse. - FARGIN_WAR
Comments
It's an impulse purchase and agree with it or don't agree with it, much of advertisement is centered around it in consumerism based cultures like ours.
Be it $10 for a 'lingerie unsealer' or $150 for a 'founders pack' or the product placement at the drug store that gets you to buy that bag of chips you weren't planning to buy. The $ figure is individual but the element of purchase is in the impulse driven advertisement.
That is a very good point of view
I have never bought a lifetime or founders pack to any game and probably never will. But I can at least see why someone would. Support the devs, plan on playing the game for years to come, ect.
That I can understand. I have more trouble understanding people who donate hundreds if not thousands into KS. Especially the most recent big one CU. Which is basically just an idea. At least you are actually getting something when you drop $200 on a lifetime sub.
Why do people spend hundreds of dollars for a nice meal or a night out at the bar with friends? Why do people spend thousands for a long weekend in Vegas? I had a boss a few years ago that bought 1-2 Starbucks coffees everyday 365 days a year. That was way more money than anything I have spent on a video game.
It's because they are getting enjoyment out of it and who am I to judge what is or is not entertainment to a person? There are a lot of things that people spend tons of money on that I don't understand like cigarettes, hookers, drugs, etc. but as long as they can manage those expenses, continue to be a productive member of society and don't pose a threat to themselves or anyone else I say live and let live.
Very true. Each person has a difference preference on what to do with their money. Personally, I have taken my wife to the French Laundry for one of those hundreds-of-dollar meals, and not only we feel it was worth every penny, we are planning to go again.
And i wouldn't drop a $100 on a MMO founder pack ... so people have very different ideas of what is good ways to spend their money.
I absolutely love this post great message
Great post.
Video games are my leisure activity. Parting with cash for electronic entertainment is not a foreign activity for me. If a title I am interested in offers the opportunity to check the game out early with added bonus's, I'll drop the dough.
If it's not my cup of tea....oh well. I've lost more money in milk going bad in my fridge over the years. But you don't see me on the Reiter Dairy forums flipping out and demanding refunds and rollbacks. ;D
"I DEMAND this spoiled milk be replaced.
I will never buy your milk again, and I am certain no one else will either if you do not remedy this situation. I spent a whole $5 on this gallon of milk, and it lasted barely a week!
It just goes to show that companies like you care about nothing but profit!!!!111!!!"
I'm curious about this too. Even after so many failed p2p releases, you still have people shouting 'I want to pay a sub!' or 'how high a sub would you pay for [enter a MMO] ?'. Or they buy a lifetime sub before they even tried the game.
You would have thought that by now most MMO players would'velearned that the payment model says nothing about the game's quality. But maybe it is just the new cool thing to do. Buy a crappy game and then just stay cool and shrug it off.
Marketing departments must love these kind of customers.
Some people dont have a family or bills to pay i asume ?
I rather make my son or daughter happy with a shiny ring or clothes or buy my boy a new pair of nike's instead of spending massive amounts of money.
I dont mind a sub if the game is worth it tough, but a lifetime sub ? nah mmo's dont last that long anymore.
Back in the days of UO / EQ / or even the most recent WoW it might have been a good investment as you played those games for many years in a row.
These days you play it 6 months tops and your done with it.
I would never buy a Founders or a life time membership, way too much money. There's alot of things that i rather do with that 200 dollars. Like maybe buying computer hardware, audio gear or even save it up. But I guess they figure in the long term it save them money later on.
For an in game Title and also one for the games official forums and to have the "feeling" of being 1st into a game. I've made that mistake once and never again.
The only lifetime sub I bought was to the Secret world. Though the game is B2P now I felt like I got my money's worth. I still have been on quite a bit and the extras I got were put to good use. I looked at it as getting the perks for that game instead of buying a crap ton of single player games Id buy, beat, then collect dust.
For others who dont' like lifetime subs and wouldn't get one I understand. To each their own theres probably nothing else out or coming out that I'd pay for a lifetime sub too.
Playing: TSW, D&D NW, Defiance (more the tv show than game >.> ) LotRO, DCUO
LT subs are good if you plan on playing It long term. I played SWG its entire lifetime, and subbed every month, and for 1 account that was about $1440, and if it had stayed active would have spent even more
$200 for a one off payment is nothing then. If SWG had a LT option at the start would have saved $1240 per account
With EA stating that SWTOR would have lasted at least 10 years, I would have bought a LT sub to it, at launch, but glad they did not offer one now!
Star Trek Online - Best Free MMORPG of 2012
Same here. Was looking for a game to repalce WoW, longtime Star Trek fan, game looked good, and I didn't want to miss out on all the "exclusive" lifetime bonuses. I even went so far as to buy 2 different pre-orders from different shops, for different pre-order bonuses.
I see it today as gambling or speculating. Players will gamble that their purchase will see them "guess right" which way the MMO may go. If it succeeds and stays around for a few years with a P2P model, they win. If it goes F2P too soon, they lose. The rage when this latter happens is ridiculous. Players took a shot and lost. Simple as that.
As others have said, it is getting less and less common these days.
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR