Valve Introduces Graffiti Sprays To Counter-Strike: Global Offensive As Monetization
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive finally has sprays thanks to Valve's latest patch, but they are a monetized feature with limited use. And you won't be expressing your inner artist like back in the day.
Players can obtain graffiti in one of three ways: as a free weekly drop for ranking up, by purchasing Graffiti boxes, or by buying them on the Steam market.
Unsealing a graffiti can grants players 50 charges of a single pattern. And they can be applied once per round or every 45 seconds. So you better not misplace your spray or you'll be losing a charge—something I've always managed to do in previous CS incarnations. But if you get a kill you can spray away to show off.
Some members of the community are not exactly thrilled with graffiti predicated on microtransactions. I can't blame them. The news makes me miss the days of 1.6 and Source when spawn points were covered in lewd gifs. Maybe it didn't make for the classiest game arena but it had its charm, and often resulted in some creative expression.
Paid sprays may actually offer a tactical advantage as pointed out by Redditor veRxy. Placing a spray on a window, or other transparent surface (does that exist?) will obscure a player hiding behind it, while still able to see enemy movements through the glass. It's an issue that could be easily fixed but still damning for now. Considering the backlash against rechargeable sprays it's possible Valve will change the model.
But if it changes I bet it will still require a one-time purchase to unlock a single spray for unlimited use, keeping the microtransaction and appeasing the community to some extent. I still wouldn't be a fan. I miss the anarchy of player-driven sprays.
If you are opposed to Valve's graffiti monetization there's a very easy solution: voice your discontent and then don't buy a can. There may be more than enough people willing to blow mommy's money on sprays but at least you chose to abstain, and if enough people are unwilling then it does send a message to Valve. They are watching the numbers. What's the fun in premade sprays anyway?
While sprays are really a harmless microtransasction in the abstract, it's a shift for Counter-Strike's legacy and a portent of more to come and another reminder that this is the direction of the industry.
I do find it amusing that this news drops just after a Washington State Gambling Commission ordered Valve to kill gambling practices in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
What do you think of the latest shenanigans regarding Valve? Will you buy a spray or protest?
And, how are sprays different than cosmetics if you believe cosmetic microtransactions are acceptable while sprays are not?
