Cost of online gaming

[Saintofsanto]

It seems a common thing for parents to be annoyed with kids for spending money in online games as if it's some kind of con (talking extension packs, robux etc NOT thousands of pounds worth of gold coin cons).

But why do people think they aren't 'worth' the money or not free? There are people making the games and they should be paid for that work, right? Same as people should be paid for designing and manufacturing Lego.

Why is there such a different attitude?

I think it's a generational thing in some ways. I enjoy some gaming but I wasn't broight ip with it and my instant knee-jerk reaction to some of your examples is that they're a waste of money. I know it's illogical - I think it's because you're not getting a physical 'thing'.

I feel the same about downloading music, books etc - it all feels very ephemeral. For example - I find it much harder to spend the same amount on a Kindle book as I would on a physical book. Even though it's the same thing I'm buying (the experience of reading it) and in many ways it's better (less clutter for a start) - it somehow feels less real.

But of course these things are 'worth it' if you're paying for the experience of playing and, unlike plastic toy-tat they won't end up in landfill.

I am a PC gamer, and find Robux/ fortnight coins/ minecraft coins/ fifa loot boxes etc a con. You generally pay for a game, and then play it, and hopefully enjoy it and get enjoyment out of it. I think the microtransaction culture is bad for gaming- in Fifa for eg its very similar to gambling, you pay money to see whats inside the box. Similarly with robux- the money you pay doesn't neccessarily go to the person who designed and made the minigame, but to other people in the chain. Yes, people should get paid for their work. But that should be from the base game or buying DLC expansions, not through lootboxes/ microtransactions/ pay-to-win games.

But Fortnite and Roblox are free to play @DinosaurOfFire. FIFA I can understand as it's not a cheap game to buy.

@Saintofsanto They are, with the caveat that you are expected to pay for microtransactions as part of it. So you are paying and expected to, just not for the initial base game. I personally think that paying for the game itself would be a better structure to follow, especially as it is so easy for children to unintentionally buy coins/ robux without their parents knowledge.

If the games company want to make the game free to encourage people (often children) to play, then they can release a demo version and then expect you to pay for the full game as a one off cost or as part of a subscription service. I do see value in digital content, my husband is a developer and I have friends in game design, I also agree the developers need to be paid. But the structure of the free-to-play games which turn out to not be free is, in my view, a manipulative and unethical business model which neither benefits the player or the developer.

This is interesting. My husband will think nothing of spending £60 on a PS5 game but will not pay 99p to buy some Pokémon coins for a mobile game he plays daily.

I often spend £5-£10 a month on my phone games, but I don’t buy any ‘proper’ games and only game on my phone.

@DreamingOfTowels

This is interesting. My husband will think nothing of spending £60 on a PS5 game but will not pay 99p to buy some Pokémon coins for a mobile game he plays daily.

I often spend £5-£10 a month on my phone games, but I don’t buy any ‘proper’ games and only game on my phone.

This is similar to me. I will (very ocassionally) happily spend 60ish on a new game and feel like I get my money's worth in play. But I never, ever buy those little extras in phone games (though tbh, I'm usually bored of the games by the time I 'need' to spend on them). That feels to me more like a slow, wasteful trickle rather than a considered purchase.

It would be interesting to read about some of the psychology behind this...

I'm the same - I don't mind my son using his pocket money to buy a game but won't let him buy robux or any of the game passes that you get on Fortnite, etc.

I think I just feel that he can still play the games without them?

And some of the game passes feel like gambling to me. Anyone else? Or am I misunderstanding them? There is a game he plays called Brawlstars - you can spend £10 on a pass where you open boxes. You don't know what you get, it seems similar to scratch cards!

I think the gambling element of online loot boxes should be banned, if you want to buy a player, skin etc and part with your money and know what your getting that’s fine,

Obviously there has been plenty of cases of children spending thousands because they’re parents are so dumb they leave a credit card on a device and don’t password protect purchases.

I play an MMO over the years it’s cost me a couple of hundred but I never buy cosmetics in game.