Quote:Original post by Dinner
Dunno if its the cost though...
I don't beleive it's the cost either, because then how does one explain F2P MMOs like Maple Story and Runescape?
Quote:Original post by Dinner
Dunno if its the cost though...
Quote:Original post by LynxJSATechnically free to play and practically free to play[1] are very different things.Quote:Original post by Dinner
Dunno if its the cost though...
I don't beleive it's the cost either, because then how does one explain F2P MMOs like Maple Story and Runescape?
Quote:Original post by ExtrariusTechnically free to play and practically free to play[1] are very different things.
[1] While maple story doesn't cost anything to play, every person I know that played it for any decent length of time started investing in the game. Most for-cash items expire after a period of time, and once such an item has been bought, there is an incentive to play the game while the item lasts. On top of the investment incentive, the whole thing is like shopping and then enjoying your purchases, which adds a second layer to keep people playing.
Quote:Original post by LynxJSA
That's a very diffrent situation, though, thanQuote:
"I think it's part of people justifying their expenditure. If you're paying every month for a service, in order to justify it to yourself you have to make the most of it. Any time spent NOT using that service is money down the drain."
You're talking about someone opting to buy a new item (armor, weapon, outfit, etc) or buff (xp, speed, pet, etc) and then enjoying the item they bought, whereas he was saying the reason people continue playing MMOs was because they are paying a subscription for a service and then feeling like they're obligated to play the game since it is already paid for.
Quote:Original post by PaulCesar
That really sounds one and the same to me. You are saying that its one thing to feel obligated to use an item [in a game] because you paid for it, but your not obligated to play a game because you paid for it? That is some strange logic you have going there bub.
Quote:Original post by LynxJSAMy experience doesn't match with your explanation. People don't make tactical decisions to buy items, they impulse buy and then keep playing to "get their money's worth" out of however much they just blew on the game. IME, very few consumers are as deliberate in their purchases as you seem to believe they are.
[...]Your entire source refers to subscription and pre-purchase models and is a very different scenario than the way Item malls work - someone opting to buy something they intend for immediate use. The former is, as you described, an expense already paid and the feeling of obligation to use it. The latter is more of an impulse buy and a conscious decision to use it - it's something you are purchasing now solely because you decided you want to use it right now.
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Quote:Original post by ExtrariusQuote:Original post by LynxJSAMy experience doesn't match with your explanation. People don't make tactical decisions to buy items, they impulse buy and then keep playing to "get their money's worth" out of however much they just blew on the game. IME, very few consumers are as deliberate in their purchases as you seem to believe they are.
[...]Your entire source refers to subscription and pre-purchase models and is a very different scenario than the way Item malls work - someone opting to buy something they intend for immediate use. The former is, as you described, an expense already paid and the feeling of obligation to use it. The latter is more of an impulse buy and a conscious decision to use it - it's something you are purchasing now solely because you decided you want to use it right now.
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