Age of the Geek

By: 
Travis Fischer

 
Altering the deal
     The way games have monetized themselves has changed drastically over the years. Before the internet, you bought a game as-is. It was a one-time transaction where you paid for a game upfront, and got everything you were going to get.
     With the internet came the ability to update games after they released. More importantly, as online purchasing became more commonplace, it gave developers the ability to sell new content, generating an additional revenue stream in between games.
     On the upside, this allows developers to extend the life of their games, creating new content that wouldn't exist otherwise.
     On the downside, it quickly became obvious that content meant for the initial release of a game could now be held back and sold at an additional cost.
     The line between what should be considered part of the base product and what should be considered an "extra" has become increasingly blurred. This has become even more convoluted with the rise of "free-to-play" games that sell their parts bit by bit.
     And now, with "Overwatch," Blizzard has added a new factor. Random loot.
     Let me explain.
     When you buy "Overwatch," you are buying the whole game – all the maps, all the characters and all the customizable options that come with it. Maps and characters are available right away, but the customizable options must be unlocked by opening loot boxes. Each box contains four randomly selected vanity options, such as new skins, new poses, voice lines, all the little things that make a character your own.
     The loot boxes can be obtained in two ways. The first is simply playing the game. Every time you gain a level in "Overwatch," which generally takes about an hour or so of play, you are rewarded with a loot box. At 45 levels, I've unlocked about ten percent of the game's items.
     Alternatively, if you don't have the patience, you can spend real money to buy additional boxes for about $1 each (less if you buy in bulk.)
     For the most part, this is a pretty fair compromise between players who are entitled to get what they paid for when they purchased the game, and Blizzard, who needs a revenue stream to keep the servers running and to generate new content. Players can pay for an item box if they choose, but there is no incentive other than impatience to do so.
     At least there wasn't until the Summer Games event.
     Blizzard's first event in "Overwatch," a worldwide sports themed event that coincidentally happened to coincide with the Olympics, introduced a new series of items that were only available for a limited time.
     The problem is that, unlike the regular items, there is no way to purchase specific summer themed items. They are only available via random chance and, since they are only available for a limited time, it's physically impossible for anybody not willing to make playing "Overwatch" their full time job to unlock everything through gameplay alone. And even then, it's possible that bad luck could keep you from getting the item you're searching for.
     This artificial scarcity seems to have crossed a line for players. While some argue that the summer items should be considered a "fun bonus," others feel that Blizzard is applying pressure for players to spend money for extra chances before time runs out.
     I agree with the latter, mostly because it worked. I dropped $5 for five boxes on the last day just to get myself to an even 50, but I didn't get anything worth mentioning for it.
     And that's the danger of the random drop system. It's one thing to assign a monetary value to a virtual item. It's another thing entirely to assign a monetary value for the mere chance at a virtual item. It's a predatory system that preys on the compulsions of people who can't resist throwing good money in after bad. The mobile games market is filled with "free" games that make money hand over fist using the same tactics.
     I get that Blizzard has to make a buck, but the event feels like they've changed the rules after people bought the game. Hopefully, since this is their first event of the sort, the reaction from the player base will make them step back and reconsider how they do things in the future.
 
     Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and hopes the next event comes with a skin for Bastion.

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