Well known MMO Opens InGame Gold Purchase

P3ZZL3

Not sure if can say WOW in a title..lol But very interesting and relevant based on ESO's cash shop recently opening and new items coming along.

The introduction of a way to use real money to buy virtual cash for World of Warcraft has prompted a big change in the value of the game's gold. The exchange rate for dollars fell by almost a third on the first day that Blizzard let people swap real cash for game gold. At launch, players could spend $20 (£13) to get 30,000 gold coins to spend on gear in the fantasy game world.

But 24 hours later the same amount of cash netted players about 20,000.

Before now the only way that World of Warcraft players could artificially boost the fortunes of their characters was by visiting a grey-market site and surreptitiously buying gold from unlicensed vendors.

The practice was fraught with peril because it was technically a violation of the WoW terms and conditions. Anyone caught buying gold this way could have their account closed down. Late last year Blizzard announced plans to introduce a $20 "game time token" that could be converted into WoW's internal currency. Currently only North American players of WoW can buy the token. The tokens can be traded on the game's internal auction house for gold - effectively giving people a way to turn real money into virtual cash. Those with lots of WoW gold can buy the token and use it to pay for their subscription to the online game.
The token trading system went live on 8 April and initially the exchange rate for each one climbed past the 30,000 starting point. But within hours the dollar exchange rates fell sharply and are now hovering around 22,000 for $20.

Some speculated that the dollar exchange rate would fall further to reach those seen on grey-market sources of WoW gold, which currently offer 10,000 to 15,000 coins for $20.

Before the launch Blizzard said the exchange rate for tokens would be set by internal game metrics. Alec Meer, of the game news site Rock, Paper, Shotgun, told the BBC that there had been some initial "overreaction" to the drop in value of each token.

"It doesn't spell doom," he said. "Blizzard is trialling something new. They went in high to see what would happen, and there's going to be a whole lot of fluctuation as a game with a population of several million adapts to it. "I'm sure the long-term plan is simply to bring more transactions within Blizzard's purview, and in doing so potentially reduce the influence of gold farmers and keep people playing for longer," he added.

Reference Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-32232608

Well well. This should be interesting to watch.

Sallington

And that's how we know WoW is on its way out...

Arkadius

That's the end. WoW will be F2P in 6 Months!

liammozzb16_ESO

Your title is miss leading you don't buy gold with RL money. You buy game time in the form of a token then sell that for gold to other players.

vovus69

So what's new? Ever saw EVE online and PLEX ? It is ~ 1B ISK as far as I remember and you can purchase it on local auctions in game. And this exists for ~5years or so. There is a whole bunch of guys who are paying for the game monthly this way. ESO will be there too, but it takes ~5-10 years to get to the point (if game survive that long).

Holycannoli

Sallington wrote: »

And that's how we know WoW is on its way out...

11 years later though. That's one helluva run.

But I really don't like the precedent this sets.

vovus69

Btw , the first sign of this is in ESO too - I know at least two guilds where 60 days subscription code is a subject of raffles. I agree, it is not the outright sell, but it is the start...

Rook_Master

Isn't that how it works in EVE Online? Except that you can betray other people and steal their timecards?

I've heard some crazy stories from that game.

Ashigaru

P3ZZL3 wrote: »

Not sure if can say WOW in a title..lol But very interesting and relevant based on ESO's cash shop recently opening and new items coming along.

The introduction of a way to use real money to buy virtual cash for World of Warcraft has prompted a big change in the value of the game's gold. The exchange rate for dollars fell by almost a third on the first day that Blizzard let people swap real cash for game gold. At launch, players could spend $20 (£13) to get 30,000 gold coins to spend on gear in the fantasy game world.

But 24 hours later the same amount of cash netted players about 20,000.

Before now the only way that World of Warcraft players could artificially boost the fortunes of their characters was by visiting a grey-market site and surreptitiously buying gold from unlicensed vendors.

The practice was fraught with peril because it was technically a violation of the WoW terms and conditions. Anyone caught buying gold this way could have their account closed down. Late last year Blizzard announced plans to introduce a $20 "game time token" that could be converted into WoW's internal currency. Currently only North American players of WoW can buy the token. The tokens can be traded on the game's internal auction house for gold - effectively giving people a way to turn real money into virtual cash. Those with lots of WoW gold can buy the token and use it to pay for their subscription to the online game.
The token trading system went live on 8 April and initially the exchange rate for each one climbed past the 30,000 starting point. But within hours the dollar exchange rates fell sharply and are now hovering around 22,000 for $20.

Some speculated that the dollar exchange rate would fall further to reach those seen on grey-market sources of WoW gold, which currently offer 10,000 to 15,000 coins for $20.

Before the launch Blizzard said the exchange rate for tokens would be set by internal game metrics. Alec Meer, of the game news site Rock, Paper, Shotgun, told the BBC that there had been some initial "overreaction" to the drop in value of each token.

"It doesn't spell doom," he said. "Blizzard is trialling something new. They went in high to see what would happen, and there's going to be a whole lot of fluctuation as a game with a population of several million adapts to it. "I'm sure the long-term plan is simply to bring more transactions within Blizzard's purview, and in doing so potentially reduce the influence of gold farmers and keep people playing for longer," he added.

Reference Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-32232608

Well well. This should be interesting to watch.

EQ2 did it back in the day, they had specially designed servers that had a trade system tied into a website for selling. Probably didnt explain that well enough but you could put items up on a website of soe's and then people could buy it with real cash and it would be sent in the mail to them and soe would get a cut of the proceeds (RL money)

I broke my foot and was off work for about 6 months and i used it to supplement my income lol. It worked well and then after a few years they closed the servers, they were called exchange servers.

http://news.cnet.com/Sony-scores-with-Station-Exchange/2100-1043_3-5842791.html

Sallington

Holycannoli wrote: »

Sallington wrote: »

And that's how we know WoW is on its way out...

11 years later though. That's one helluva run.

But I really don't like the precedent this sets.

One helluva run indeed. Some of my best MMO memories were leading raids throughout BC. It's a shame this is the current standard for MMOs these days.

I miss the days of "You give us $15/month, we give you a great game and support."

Zargorius

Evolve or perish. Accept F2P and it's mechanics or keep confined to private servers running last decade's MMORPGs. Fascinating how gamers can sometimes be increadibly conservative.

Nestor

It's so good that we don't need tons of Gold in this game. I mean really, after L10 to L15, is gold really a problem for anyone?

Yes, first few levels your poor, but you should be really. It forces you to learn the game play to make up for your lack of equipment. Otherwise you develop bad habits that won't serve you well at higher levels.

liammozzb16_ESO

Zargorius wrote: »

Evolve or perish. Accept F2P and it's mechanics or keep confined to private servers running last decade's MMORPGs. Fascinating how gamers can sometimes be increadibly conservative.

I'll never play a FTP game they are utter garbage and they are ruining the gaming industry. Across all genres they are invading.

Ashigaru

Nestor wrote: »

It's so good that we don't need tons of Gold in this game. I mean really, after L10 to L15, is gold really a problem for anyone?

Yes, first few levels your poor, but you should be really. It forces you to learn the game play to make up for your lack of equipment. Otherwise you develop bad habits that won't serve you well at higher levels.

I seem to be constantly broke lol. I get 20k or so and i blow it on a nirn piece for research lol

P3ZZL3

Ashigaru wrote: »

Nestor wrote: »

I seem to be constantly broke lol. I get 20k or so and i blow it on a nirn piece for research lol

Thanks for buying my Nirn I have loads of gold lol

P3ZZL3

liammozzb16_ESO wrote: »

Your title is miss leading you don't buy gold with RL money. You buy game time in the form of a token then sell that for gold to other players.

Yes you do, it's in the first paragraph. It references PREVIOUS work arounds using time cards for in game Gold.

liammozzb16_ESO

P3ZZL3 wrote: »

liammozzb16_ESO wrote: »

Your title is miss leading you don't buy gold with RL money. You buy game time in the form of a token then sell that for gold to other players.

Yes you do, it's in the first paragraph. It references PREVIOUS work arounds using time cards for in game Gold.

Do you play WoW? I just logged in to check it out. You buy a token with money. The token goes on the AH. You wait for a player to buy the token, when he does you get your gold.

That's how it works.

What your talking about with the game time cards is what people where doing without blizzards knowledge.

P3ZZL3

@liammozzb16_ESO Apologies - Stand corrected. IT was a slightly misleading article. It is indeed a game token. Just looked at it.

And no, I don't play WoW - Eso is my first ever MMO

Digiman

It's a 30 day game time token you can use your ingame gold to purchase, 30,000 gold. It seems very creative without pissing off their decade old fanbase. I admit I never saw it coming, thought they would go F2P. With this however you can also sell it to other members.

MCMancub

I don't see this as too much of an issue. GW2 does this. You pay money for crown point like in-game currency. You exchange in-game currency for gold. You pay ~$20 and you've got max gear the second you hit level 80.

But then again maybe that's why GW2 has next to no lasting value...

Fleshreaper

Notice the date.

Sallington

Zargorius wrote: »

Evolve or perish. Accept F2P and it's mechanics or keep confined to private servers running last decade's MMORPGs. Fascinating how gamers can sometimes be increadibly conservative.

Boy do I miss the LOL button.

So, disagreeing with the path most companies are taking is conservative? Being nickle and dimed for every little thing they can think of, and not bending over and taking it is not evolving? You are like a marketers wet dream.

Audigy

That's a very good and smart move by Blizz, but they didn't invent this system. Eve Online, WS, EQ and I believe also Star Trek Online offer these services.

Just like the Real Money AH, its a feature that will be a part of MMO gaming. Players will be able to buy benefits for the game with real money, like potions, item sets, mounts and pets, but also game time if they so desire.

Zargorius

liammozzb16_ESO wrote: »

Zargorius wrote: »

Evolve or perish. Accept F2P and it's mechanics or keep confined to private servers running last decade's MMORPGs. Fascinating how gamers can sometimes be increadibly conservative.

I'll never play a FTP game they are utter garbage and they are ruining the gaming industry. Across all genres they are invading.

You're not very updated on the market trends it appears. I'm afraid the truth will hit you in the face very soon.

liammozzb16_ESO

Fleshreaper wrote: »

Notice the date.

Like borris the blade here, WoW won't die no matter how many holes you put in it.

Zargorius

Sallington wrote: »

Zargorius wrote: »

Evolve or perish. Accept F2P and it's mechanics or keep confined to private servers running last decade's MMORPGs. Fascinating how gamers can sometimes be increadibly conservative.

Boy do I miss the LOL button.

So, disagreeing with the path most companies are taking is conservative? Being nickle and dimed for every little thing they can think of, and not bending over and taking it is not evolving? You are like a marketers wet dream.

Most business models can be sustainable or exploitative. It's up to whoever applies it to decide which way to go. Planetside 2 is F2P but nobody complaints about the Freemium service or cash shop. Your assumption that F2P = Evil only shows ignorance on the different ways it can be implemented.

MCMancub

Zargorius wrote: »

Sallington wrote: »

Zargorius wrote: »

Evolve or perish. Accept F2P and it's mechanics or keep confined to private servers running last decade's MMORPGs. Fascinating how gamers can sometimes be increadibly conservative.

Boy do I miss the LOL button.

So, disagreeing with the path most companies are taking is conservative? Being nickle and dimed for every little thing they can think of, and not bending over and taking it is not evolving? You are like a marketers wet dream.

Most business models can be sustainable or exploitative. It's up to whoever applies it to decide which way to go. Planetside 2 is F2P but nobody complaints about the Freemium service or cash shop. Your assumption that F2P = Evil only shows ignorance on the different ways it can be implemented.

That's because no amount of "stuff" in PL2 substitutes for skill, and that's a huge requirement. MMOs are a much more "cruise-control" type of game. It doesn't take much skill, just better "stuff".

So F2P in MMOs generally turn into pay-to-win models. Not always, but a lot of times they do.

Sallington

Zargorius wrote: »

Sallington wrote: »

Zargorius wrote: »

Evolve or perish. Accept F2P and it's mechanics or keep confined to private servers running last decade's MMORPGs. Fascinating how gamers can sometimes be increadibly conservative.

Boy do I miss the LOL button.

So, disagreeing with the path most companies are taking is conservative? Being nickle and dimed for every little thing they can think of, and not bending over and taking it is not evolving? You are like a marketers wet dream.

Most business models can be sustainable or exploitative. It's up to whoever applies it to decide which way to go. Planetside 2 is F2P but nobody complaints about the Freemium service or cash shop. Your assumption that F2P = Evil only shows ignorance on the different ways it can be implemented.

Planetside 2 works as F2P because it's not an MMO (Persistent multiplayer FPS, sure). There's not one F2P MMO that exists that isn't Pay2win or extremely watered down. F2P means that the main focus during new development is, "how can we convince players they need what we are selling in the cash shop", and not "how can me make the game better for our players."

darthbelanb14_ESO

Nothing new. Cryptic Studio's games, Neverwinter, Champions Online, and Star Trek Online, all allow you to purchase Zen, which is the cash shop's currency, and trade it for the whatever the high end currency is in game, for STO it's dilithium. You can also earn dilitium in game and trade it for Zen. This allows a player to never have to spend a dime to get something from the cash shop.

MCMancub

darthbelanb14_ESO wrote: »

Nothing new. Cryptic Studio's games, Neverwinter, Champions Online, and Star Trek Online, all allow you to purchase Zen, which is the cash shop's currency, and trade it for the whatever the high end currency is in game, for STO it's dilithium. You can also earn dilitium in game and trade it for Zen. This allows a player to never have to spend a dime to get something from the cash shop.

Conversely it allows those of us with jobs to drop $30 and have the best gear with no effort. See above post about GW2. It's a bad model, and it's one of the reasons all of these games have terribly low player bases.

Victus

The other side of this token not been mentioned, is that people are able to use in-game currency to pay for their subscriptions, by buying these 30 day game tokens off of AH. Interesting.