I think that the SoE Station Exchange is not a bad idea. You can buy items/gold/accounts in game (if that's your thing) and Sony will monitor the transaction and keep everyone on the up and up. They take a percentage, which is to be expected.
These games that offer "Item Malls" are scary though. I don't want to have to pay $10 for a potion that gives me +200% xp just to keep up with my group. But that's what'll happen. I don't want developers to consider that as the revenue model, because soon you'll be paying $15.95 a month AND paying $10 every week for XP pots. Ack
Now if you offered NON-essential in game items (player housing, aesthetic items, etc.) for real-world cash and used that as supplemntary income to offset a decreased subscription fee, that'd be great. But then you have players who won't buy the items having their monthly fee subsidized by players who do. Which isn't fair. Or maybe it is, since the players that do are getting more out of the game. I like the sound of this idea.
Comments
These games that offer "Item Malls" are scary though. I don't want to have to pay $10 for a potion that gives me +200% xp just to keep up with my group. But that's what'll happen. I don't want developers to consider that as the revenue model, because soon you'll be paying $15.95 a month AND paying $10 every week for XP pots.
Ack
Now if you offered NON-essential in game items (player housing, aesthetic items, etc.) for real-world cash and used that as supplemntary income to offset a decreased subscription fee, that'd be great. But then you have players who won't buy the items having their monthly fee subsidized by players who do. Which isn't fair. Or maybe it is, since the players that do are getting more out of the game. I like the sound of this idea.