The Weekly Raid: What Does Pay-To-Win Mean To You?
Black Desert Online's cash shop spawned heated debates around the web during the CBT2 weekend, centered on cash shop shenanigans. Browsing forum posts, and articles, I see players raising concerns regarding overpriced cosmetics and debates about whether or not items such as skill resets (only available in the cash shop) provide a significant advantage. But no one seems to ask what exactly constitutes the term "pay-to-win."
Where is the line in the sand between acceptable cash shop practices and a pay-to-win scheme? Or, are all cash shops inherently pay-to-win? The question is undoubtedly contentious with passions flaring no matter who's voicing their thoughts.
Lately, I'm somewhat convinced that there are degrees of pay-to-win, so that a game like Golden Rush sits on the pay-to-win throne whereas Devilian is the bottom tier of pay-to-win, motivating microtransactions by annoying players with limited bag space and character slots.
Everyone seems to have an opinion on pay-to-win. And I doubt a majority consensus will be reached anytime soon.
What does pay-to-win mean to you? Let us know in the comments below!
Each week the MMOs.com crew posts a question about MMOs to you, coinciding with the weekly podcast. We hope to hear from you in the comments section below!
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From Mega Man II to Ape Escape, I've been playing games for as long as I can remember. I've spent months killing porings in Ragnarok Online and more recently lived a second life in Eve Online. I usually play as gUMBY, gUMBLEoni, or gUMBLes in-game.
