Start Mooing!

The world of micro transactions steps a little further into view today. The video game industry has decided that this is not only a lucrative way to take more money away from people, but they can sell it as a value added feature as well. I can’t stand the idea that after I pay hard earned coin for a game that I need to fork over more money for content that is either already on the disk or should have been. Here is what we have.

The Good:

It was just revealed today the Rockstar has teamed up with Amazon to allow you to purchase songs you hear in the game as MP3’s. This is a great use of Micro transactions, because it allows for a further expansion of the game world. Better in game music should be available because the artists will see a potential revenue stream beyond the game itself.   You would be hard pressed to find a game that featured a great soundtrack that allowed you to take the music away from the game. They are linked, and until this point you had to go elsewhere to buy the music. This venture joins the two.

The Bad:

EA Games… as a general entity. Having to pay for Stadiums in their sports franchises that used to be included in previous games. These tiny little additions to the game are almost as bad as paying to upgrade from ME to XP, which Microsoft should have begged you to do. There are other examples of this such as various Cars from GT4 being on the disk but only unlockable with a download code. But spend too much time here and you’ll go nuts.

The Ugly:

Its been done to death at this point but Battlefield Bad Company is the beginning of the end for even playing fields. That game allows you to, with real money, buy better guns than your online opponent. Even though the published has said on many occasions it doesn’t tip the balence. A ridiculous point, because if they didn’t give you an advantage why charge for them? A Boycott has even started. Although some people have argued that a boycott of the game would be going to far, just boycott the weapons. I think that is flawed logic, by buying the game your user experiance is affected adversely by this feature being in it. Don’t support the feature? Don’t buy the game. This is where I am.

So as we wind down this little informative posting I hope that people start wising up and only supporting content that adds value to you. Vote with your coin not your mouth. Thats why my show is free.