Why do you pay to play? (research purpose)

Hi everyoneI have just started to write articles for games for a major website. I want to write an article about why do people pay to play the MMORPG. What drives you?Why do you love playing even when you are payingfor it?Is paying for the game monthly a huge turn off? How much would you pay (max) to play? Any info you can think of is good. Other questions like, would you pay to play if the paying game offered a little bit more than the free ones. Which game(s) are you paying to play at the moment? These are just some questions I can think of at the top of my head right now but feel free to answer my original question as detailed as possible. If anyone makes a very good point I will quote them, so if you do not want me to quote you please say so in your reply. Thank you for your time.I will also post this at other popular forums as well to get a better sample populationJust to clear some things up (came up in other forums)I am not paid to write articles, I am a webmaster(paid) for the site but I volunteered to write stuff because I think I have enough experience in games to write some decent articlesXinWhy do you pay to play? (research purpose)
[QUOTE=''huangism2'']What drives you? Why do you love playing even when you are paying for it?[/quote]The unique interaction with other players. Usually when it's a pay game your interaction more closely resembles real life than it does a game. Players aren't merely split into 2 groups - enemies on one side your team on the other. You'll get to know the person behind the character, rather than merely recognizing how good or bad they are at the game. Guess the best way to say it is that it's a more personal experience.In addition to that, I'm also paying for the game's polish. Bug and exploit fixes, customer service etc. The game has to feel like it's worth the money I'm paying for. When you play a free MMO you can instantly recognize whyit's free. It feels extremely basic. That said, I'd never pay a monthly fee for a game that doesn't feature persistent online gameplay. It wouldn't matter how polished the game is.[QUOTE=''huangism2'']Is paying for the game monthly a huge turn off?[/quote]It depends on how the game is set up. For a game like Hellgate London having to pay a monthly fee is a massive turn-off. It is not a MMO. What you'll get for paying is an update every 2-3 months... but if that's the case why would a player be charged a monthly fee? It would make more sense to charge for those specific updates so players can pick and choose what they want, like how Oblivion's purchase option works.Not that I'm a fan of microtransactions (I've never done them, refuse to do them, and will never do them), but that makes more sense.Basically what I'm paying for is the game experience, not game updates. Considering most MMO's don't bring ina game update every month(not counting bug/exploit fixes) I think most players would agree they're paying more for the experience as well.[QUOTE=''huangism2'']How much would you pay (max) to play?[/quote]$15 maximum. I'd prefer to only pay $10-12, but $15 is the accepted amount these days.[QUOTE=''huangism2'']would you pay to play if the paying game offered a little bit more than the free ones.[/quote]Nope. For it to be worth paying a monthly fee for it would have to offer a LOT more than free games. It also has to offer a persistent online world without a tier-based payment plan. By that I mean I wouldn't ever pay for a game like Dungeon Runners where players can play for free but have limited gameplay options, while paying customers have the whole game open to them. It's either completely free or completely pay-per-play at a single fee.[QUOTE=''huangism2'']Which game(s) are you paying to play at the moment?[/QUOTE]None currently. Up until last month I had been playing Lord of the Rings Online. Don't have time for a MMO right now.Why do you pay to play? (research purpose)
Xin, are you interested in reasons why someone might not pay to play? If so, I'd be glad to explain in full.
Who doesn't pay to play? Those who play pirated games, of course.Why do we shell out $50 for that game? Because we think it (might) be worth our money. What a pointless question.
I pay to play because the measly little stipent required is far outweighed by the entertainment value that I get from it. Why pay to get into the movies when it will be out on cable in 10 years? Why pay for cable when you can get free channels from the air? Why pay for broadband internet when you can get dialup for $5 or even free? Whypay fortelephone servicewhen you have carrier pigeon?It's a matter of where we hold value and what each of us as individuals feel is appropriate $ for entertainment. If a MMO was charging $50/month I would not play it no matter how much fun it was. $5-20 a month is so little that I would never miss it. I spend more than that on Starbucks coffee every week.Currently the only pay-to-play game that I have now is Dungeon Runners which is free or $5/month to get unlimited use of item drops.Edit: Why are spaces still dissapearing?Edit edit: why did editing put the spaces back in?!?!
[QUOTE=''Erlkoenig''] Who doesn't pay to play? Those who play pirated games, of course.Why do we shell out $50 for that game? Because we think it (might) be worth our money. What a pointless question.[/QUOTE] I suspect you're misunderstanding the question. I could be wrong, but by ''pay-to-play'' the topic creator is referencing subscription-based games.
[QUOTE=''lokstah''][QUOTE=''Erlkoenig''] Who doesn't pay to play? Those who play pirated games, of course.Why do we shell out $50 for that game? Because we think it (might) be worth our money. What a pointless question.[/QUOTE] I suspect you're misunderstanding the question. I could be wrong, but by ''pay-to-play'' the topic creator is referencing subscription-based games.[/QUOTE]No, I understood the question. It's just that the answer to this question is so obvious I can't believe someone wants to write an article on it. The reason you pay $15/mo to play is the same reason you pay $50 to buy an offline game. Here is a similar question: ''Why do you pay more than $10 for a game?'' How would you answer that?
[QUOTE=''Erlkoenig''][QUOTE=''lokstah''][QUOTE=''Erlkoenig''] Who doesn't pay to play? Those who play pirated games, of course.Why do we shell out $50 for that game? Because we think it (might) be worth our money. What a pointless question.[/QUOTE] I suspect you're misunderstanding the question. I could be wrong, but by ''pay-to-play'' the topic creator is referencing subscription-based games.[/QUOTE]No, I understood the question. It's just that the answer to this question is so obvious I can't believe someone wants to write an article on it. The reason you pay $15/mo to play is the same reason you pay $50 to buy an offline game. Here is a similar question: ''Why do you pay more than $10 for a game?'' How would you answer that?[/QUOTE] Fine. I suspect you understand the question, but have no concept of research or journalism. He's stated that he's interested in writing about why people pay for MMORPGS, and frankly, it strikes me as a valid topic--after all, the game industry you and I patronize offers games which 1) are paid for once, enjoyed offline only; 2) are paid for once, and enjoyed in a MMO context for free; and 3) are paid for once, and enjoyed over time in an MMO context only through continuous subscription. The reasons that market can sustain itself with those options intact is, perhaps, worth a little investigation and discussion, framed in the proper piece of journalism. The finished article itself is likely not about a single question or an answer; what a nuttily over-simplified sense of what research journalism is about. The title of the piece might be: ''Pay to Play? Why We Live in a 3 Headed Market,'' for all you know.Without an explicit statement from this particular writer as to the anticipated aims of the finished piece, how can you argue that the research he's gathering is bogus? A piece of journalism rarely sets out to answer a question; it typically has a simple question in mind, but seeks to offer lots of insight into why and how. And often, the whys and hows desired aren't the personal insights of the author, however obvious they might be: it's the quote from the street that matters, and offers good foundations. (It's aboutintegrity in every line--even the one whichreads, ''Most gamersreport that they play MMOs because they're fun.'')Good journalism, as a standard practice, doesn't assume anything--it builds even the basic stuff from primary research.
mmorpgs suck. write an article about mmofps games instead.
I am currently subscribed to two online games: Phantasy Star Universe on the Xbox360 (which has a separate subscription fee unrelated to the gold Live membership), and the Reel Deal Casino High Roller and Mystic Forest for the PC. Both subscriptions are about $10 per month. I also have a gold xbox Live membership if that counts.I'll start with Phantasy Star Universe. The only reason I'm still subscribed is I can't figure out how to unsubscribe. I am not satisfied the the subscription. The game is too boring to merit a subscription fee, in my opinion. But unsubscribe info is not readily available and I've been too lazy to ''research'' this information. I wish I never subscribed. A game has to be really, really good to be worth subscribing to. This is not.As for High Roller and Mystic Forest I have subscribed for a year, and I don't see any reason to unsubscribe any time soon. The online game offers so much the offline game does not, it is very fun and never gets old, and best of all you get a free monthly download every month included with your subscription. These cost $6 each in their online store, and I'd buy them anyway. Which means I'm really paying $4 a month for my subscription. Very reasonable considering the fun factor.The Live gold membership is also well worth it. For about $4 per month (like buying one large Starbucks coffee) I get an excellent service where I can maintain a convenient friends list, invite friends to games, playa huge library ofgames online, gain acheivements, and download a ton of cool stuff. I know that Sony and Nintendo have free online play but the service is no where near comparable. This one is well worth it.There is a Pirates of the Caribbean MMO coming out later this year. You can play free with ads and limited content, or pay and get no ads and more content. That I'd be willing to pay the subscription for, as a huge Pirates fan who hates ads and wants to experience everything the game has to offer.I did at one time subscribe to Final Fantasy XI but cancelled the subscription after three boring, tedious months of unbearable grinding. Every penny I spent on that game and it's subscription was a big mistake.How much I'd pay would depend on how much fun I was having with the game and whether it included any ''extras'' like free download content. I'd be very, very hard pressed to pay more than $15 per month on a game subscription with no download content included. If I was really blown away by a game maybe I would, but it's extremely unlikely.
Not sure why I decided to play WoW so long. Maybe I was just a blind noobcake back then. I have no real interest in MMORPGs anymore, seeing as how they don't have PvP. First person shooters are PvP, and that's the only PvP that will ever take any skill to play.Ah...and it's free to play online, like any game should be if you go buy the damn retail box for it.
Easy answer, b/c I can afford it. If i couldn't, then I wouldn't. To me, the benefit of a persistent, always on, and dynamic world with tons of player interaction outweighs the cost.
I want to see evidence that the game is constantly being worked on rather than just release the game, make a few patches and then just leave it. That's what we get when we buy a standard non-MMO game.
As it stands right now I pay about $60 a month for two SOE Station Access accounts. I am willing to pay that amount every month as it is nice to have a game that is very frequently updated and well maintained, though I also enjoy the social aspects of the games I play (Everquest 2 mostly, and some Vanguard) just as much. MMORPGs, for me at least, allow me to almost have a second ''family'', thanks to being in a guild with such an environment. Though don't mistake my guild as being on the same level as my immediate family, but rather the people who you just feel you have a connection through from all the time you've spent getting to know each other throughout your ongoing adventures in game.
[QUOTE=''Erlkoenig''][QUOTE=''lokstah''][QUOTE=''Erlkoenig''] Who doesn't pay to play? Those who play pirated games, of course.Why do we shell out $50 for that game? Because we think it (might) be worth our money. What a pointless question.[/QUOTE]I suspect you're misunderstanding the question. I could be wrong, but by ''pay-to-play'' the topic creator is referencing subscription-based games.[/QUOTE]No, I understood the question. It's just that the answer to this question is so obvious I can't believe someone wants to write an article on it. The reason you pay $15/mo to play is the same reason you pay $50 to buy an offline game. Here is a similar question: ''Why do you pay more than $10 for a game?'' How would you answer that?[/QUOTE]Erlkoenig, if you don't have something constructive to say, don't say anything. The reason why I pay more than $10 for a game is because very few games are cheaper than that when they come out, and I like newish games. That's totally different to subscription-based games, because there are only a few of those, and many many more free ones. So the question was extremely valid...when someone has the choice of hundreds of free online games, why would they choose to shell out cash for a different game
Is paying for the game monthly a huge turn off?Well, if you have to pay for the game, and pay to be able to play, then the answer is an absolute YES!SoundslikeWoWtome;)
yes i would like to know why you would not pay to play as well
[QUOTE=''Erlkoenig''] Who doesn't pay to play? Those who play pirated games, of course.Why do we shell out $50 for that game? Because we think it (might) be worth our money. What a pointless question.[/QUOTE]i am not asking for the obivious, is worth paying to play enough to drive you to keep going? if so then are you playing every game that's worth it to pay and play?
The day I pay for a MMORPG, the sky will rain enormous purple froggs with orange tongues.
[QUOTE=''Mithrandir0x'']The day I pay for a MMORPG, the sky will rain enormous purple froggs with orange tongues.[/QUOTE]igf you don't mind, can you explain in detail? I got a lot of responses saying paying 15 bucks per month is a lot cheaper than buying single player games or going to movies and stuff like that. some people also have pointed out the p2p games usually offers more depth and content