Yesterday, it was brought to my attention that people really want Gold mechs. So, I naturally wanted to abide this request. A gold M.A.V. is, after all, a very impressive force to see on the battlefield.
So, after a about an hour of super hard coding and getting stuff figured out, I had created the first Alpha exclusive feature.
THE GOLDEN M.A.V.:
Well, if you couldn’t tell, this is a bit of a joke. You see, it all started when I saw a certain ‘Free to Play’ mech game came out with an update that included Golden Mechs, only they were charging $500 for the ability to use a SINGLE golden mech.
Now, when I saw this, it actually made me pretty upset. Not because there is another mech game out there (Actually there are 2 and I play them both), but because it really reflects on the entire state of the main stream gaming industry. Everything has become about finding ways to extract the very most out of your player base, then moving on once the proverbial well is dry.
To me, having grown up on games and being professionally involved with them, it’s a lot like watching aliens come in and strip mine your planet. These companies don’t seem to see the long term damage they are doing. They are affecting how we design games, how we can market them, the amount of depth we expect from games, and they are doing this to a WHOLE generation of gamers at once.
Here is a scary thought; In 10 years, gamers might not know any other way than micro transactions.
And sadly, I know for a fact it’s not just the suits in charge that are driving these choices, because I have been there and I at one point was a part of the damage.
I didn’t start this post expecting to get on a soap box, but I just wanted to express my beliefs on the whole thing. A lot of people have asked me why M.A.V. isn’t free to play, I mean it would be perfect with all the parts and options, right? No. It’s not free to play because I don’t believe that is what is best for the game, for the industry, or even for me, long term.
So, this post is dedicated to buying games and owning the game. Cheers to that.
-Chad