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[Column] General: We Are Not Entitled
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
The whole notion of MMO gamers being “entitled” is way overblown. There, I said it. We’re at the point where we’ve seen a couple of major releases this year so far, and we’re seeing talk all over the place --from gaming publications, to social media to forums--about whether the releases that came with subscriptions attached should or will go free to play, and how long that will take.
Read more of Christina Gonzalez's The Social Hub: We Are Not 'Entitled'.
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Comments
This whole article is just proof of the entitlement that you so decry. Consumers only have 2 real choices to make about an product:
1. Is it worth my time.
2. Is it worth my money.
It us up to the consumer to determine if a product works for them. In the case of gaming entertainment, the basic question is does it provide satisfaction in exchange for time used (that is the desired functionality of the product). If you believe that you can spend time with the product, and receive sufficient satisfaction.... then the product may be for you.
The next evaluation, is determining if the cost of the product is worth the satisfaction received. If you have lots of money, and the product is cheap, perhaps it is worth it, even if it is not that much fun. However, if the product is more expensive, then it has to provide a better in exchange for your money (especially if hard earned).
The 'entitlement' comes in when consumers think that they have any say in the product, or the business model... that is not covered by #1 or #2. If you are spending time and/or money on a product, you are providing the only feedback that has any merit. If you are not spending money, or time, then you are also providing the only feedback that has any real merit. Opinions on how the product should change, or how they should use a different business model are all irrelevant, and stem from a sense of entitlement.
This is also why many people are frustrated about the state of gaming. They think that they have an input that is relevant... and are frustrated that the feedback is not changing anything. The reality is that they have a form of feedback (time/money), but are instead focused on something that only exists in their mind.
It was never an issue of entitlement. It's, as mentioned, a mean to justify dismissing people as being "lesser" than yourself.
Asking for games to release as F2Ps isn't only a reaction to the popularity of the F2P model, but also a sign that many gamers do not trust MMOs developers anymore to invest $60 for a box and monthly subscriptions only to find out that they don't like the game or that the game is of poor quality, which we have seen countless times with every new releases over the last few years.
The so called great free2play games of today all started with subscriptions. (LoTRO, EQ2, SW:TOR etc.
I'd counter that none of them would have lasted more then a few months had they started as F2P. In most cases after these MMO's had years of fairly steady subscription income that allowed for expansions, improvement and paid off their development cost as well as being in the black for sometime (SW:TOR probably being the exception with its only 1 year of subscriptions before f2p) that allowed them to be able to convert to F2P and exist off cash shop without nickle and dimeing their players to the normal; F2P game extremes.
GW2 was B2P and did ok but obviously from the state of the living story these days their cash shop model is not bringing in enough money for decent , tested content. (yes you get what you pay for. Free content in this case being buggy, short, and lame. Sorry GW2)
Neverwinter suffers much the same fate. it started with what 4 classes and has gained a whole 1 and some moderate fluff content? Once again its free and what you get is what you get, it might be subpar like most f2p content but one can't complain really because its free. Personally I'd rather pay a sub for a game and play when I want to rather then feel forced to log in twice a day everyday to get coins, and bonuses that you loses if you miss even 1 day out of the week logging in. I won't even get into how it artificially level ones characters so you might well soon reach max level while still having little monwey only first level items and having never really played thus having no real idea how ones class/skills should really be played/used for decent effect.
In the end players have even less control over content in F2P games as most cash shops sell items not content, thus 90% of all development in these free to play games is directed toward making flashier mounts or snazzier item skins, and lock boxes rather then actual content.
Saying that the average "I'll wait till its F2P" gamer here that will generally follow up and admit they never pay a dime in their games and why should they when there are whales to support the game, aren't entitled is plan crazy.
Nothing wrong with complaining about a game. Doesn't mean they'll change it obviously but as a consumer you have a right to give your opinion of the game and the business model even if it just amounts to shaking your fist at the sky.
What does bug me is people who don't want a sub but also don't want the cash shop to sell anything. Just expecting a company to provide you with a full game totally for free is very childish and entitled and since F2P became popular I see more and more of that.
I believe the use of the word "Entitled" has been taken to a different strata by the writer of the above article. When I see it used within MMOs, it almost always entails a player believing they DESERVE to have things everyone else has, just because they are paying a "subscription" or are in any other way investing money.
Making it seem as though this word applies to the subscription vs F2P debate is a shortfall in the reasoning within the article.
"Entitled" players believe that they should have easy, or simpler access to higher rewards in the game, without putting in the same effort that other more dedicated player do. e.g. A certain group obtains a huge reward after putting in considerable effort downing a magnificent raid target, and the solo player, feels he is entitled to get the same reward by only completing solo-centric activities; or a crafter spent the better part of a year gaining levels and skills to be able to reach the pinnacle of his profession, yet a player that never bothered to do this, still believes that when new content comes out that requires maximum level crafting, that he should be able to make it without investing that time, only cause he jumped through the hoops to obtain the materials for said item.
Subscription Vs. F2P is more about how companies get their money, and honestly, either is fine, as long as people understand that they are BOTH methods of getting money, one being more underhanded than the other (F2P). One charges up front and shows you what you get, while the other dangles a carrot in front of you, tells you it is yours with no money, but then continually pulls it away from you until you feel compelled to pay several times its cost to get just a bite. In F2P, not all pay, but those that do pay, usually compensate for all those others that do not. No reference for "entitlement" needed here. IMO
You are right and wrong. True your #1 & 2 are correct but your saying a consumers opinion is irrelevant is wrong. I will grant that a single consumer (player) who voices an opinion about how something should be is almost to the point of irrelevance but a larger group holds more sway.
So if enough people back an opinion/idea that they believe will improve a product it is of the best interest of the company/developer to listen and evaluate if that idea is truly for the best. Granted it still is the companys ultimate decision to make the change.
But yet these same entitle gamers will go to a movie they may well know nothing about and toss down their money for 2 hours of what might be total crap, or go to a restraunt they've never been too and haven't read any reviews about and spend as much for a meal they find they hate.
If someone is not even bother to try the pre release betas which almost ever MMO has, or check out some utube videos etc. to see what they are buying then why should they be able to go running to the phone to do charge back on their credit cards after playing a the MMO for for 2 weeks to a month and deciding then they don't like it?
While not all gamers do that more then enough do and proudly post about it here so Yes there IS a hell of a lot of entitlement among gamers.
Psssst, Turbine converted DDO first, and then in light of it's success converted LOTRO as well.
Or rather they took down the subscription based DDO and reworked and relaunched it as a F2P model. Credit where credit is due. (Even if you like LOTRO more)
My SWTOR referral link for those wanting to give the game a try. (Newbies get a welcome package while returning players get a few account upgrades to help with their preferred status.)
https://www.ashesofcreation.com/ref/Callaron/
Agreed. MMOs are like food, if it smells bad, looks gross and is still wiggling then don't eat it.
Watch videos, read opinions and just do some basic research (Don't be lazy and cry about it afterwards).
Of course there will always be some fool that comes along and tells you, "you will never know if you like it or not unless you try it".....................no thanks.
The code of the pessimistic loner: "We unpopular loners are realists, who follow the three non- popular principles: Not having any (Hope), Not making any (Gaps in your heart); And not giving into (Sweet talk)".
I have to agree. Public opinion is something that matters a lot for companies. Otherwise they wouldn't spend that much time and money with all their marketing instruments. In the past PR was pretty much a one-way road. But with the presence of internet this has changed quite a bit. Forums and social media are very powerful instruments when it comes to forming public opinion.
So consumers don't have only the choice between paying or leaving. They now can also express their opinion in a public way. And they are "entitled" to do so by all means. They should use their possibilities in its entirety.
We are entitled to games that deliver what they advertise, nothing more.
Unfortunately we rarely get that much.
This is my feeling 100%. As an old mmo player i've paid for my fair share of crap games and just don't want to do it anymore. Its not about being cheap its about finding a game you think is worth it. I haven't found one game since Earth & Beyond or Anarchy online that i feel is worth a long investment. The only reason i don't play AO still is because it runs crappy on newer pc's. The so called new graphic engine was to take care of that. And of course i like sifi mmo's over fantasy mmo's.
"I'm fine with F2P as long as the cash shop only sells minor cosmetic stuff I don't care about anyways. And it should all be obtainable in the game some how too."
As far as complaining about the actual game goes and wanting it to be more their style. I think it's fine to be upset that a game isn't for you. But the way people word things can just come off bad.
I'm often disappointed a game didn't end up being right for me. But I voice my opinion as my opinion and then move on. I don't militantly proclaim the game sucks and is a failure because it's all about hardcore PVP and I don't like pvp. That's so silly. People too often voice their opinions as if they are fact and it comes off really childish and entitled.
Are most MMO gamers unable to pay $15 a month? I would rather pay for a product so that they are able to produce regular quality content rather than playing a game for free where I have to go through dry patches of nothing to do.
I am a big fan of the subscription model! Fifteen dollars a month is cheap entertainment, heck you can't go to the movies or buy a large pizza for that much, so not sure why it's such a big deal these days??
I think all of us players are entitled to get quality when it's payed for. These developers are not running charities and are here to make money off of us. If you feel a game isn't worth your time or money you then should feel entitled to walk away or stay away from it. It's the devs jobs to give value to their game, not ours. There is too much competition for them to make garbage. It's a players' market and the devs need to adapt or they will fall to the wayside.
"If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor
I agree, for some reason people find it acceptable for developer's to deliver unfinished, bug-ridden games, often after having payed to test the thing. If it was any other product on the market they would return it and get a refund.
I have two simple things. I get sick of hearing people say months even years before a game is released, " Is it free to play ??". What the hell do people think ? Do they think the developers are making game to just "give" away? Those developers are not doing this to just say look what we made. They do this stuff to make themselves money. Just like anyone who goes to work every day. All I ask is that is the game good. And if I decide I like it. I will pay for the game and a sub to enjoy the product that the hard working people made. Not ask is it ftp.
My 2nd thing. If you can't get money to pay for a game , or your mom and dad want but it for you. Do like I did when I seen a game come out that I wanted. Just get a job and do it myself. Or has the younger "gimmee" kids know what work is ???
Jymm Byuu
Playing : Blood Bowl. Waiting for 2. Holding breath for Archeage and EQN.
It has nothing to do with ability to pay, but rather a willingness to pay. Far too many P2P mmos have simply not delivered the past number of years. The fact that most of them have gone to some hybrid F2P model states how "not willing" the majority of us were to pay a regular fee to access the game. Also, don't kid yourself that P2P games don't go through dry spells of no new content. WoW is one of the biggest offenders of this with multi-month periods in between expansions where there has not been any new content while waiting for an expansion to release.
As to the "why is it such a big deal", well think about it for a moment. In the early years of mmos, very few games had online multiplayer capabilities, let alone the ability to play with dozens of other people all at the same time. MMOs were very unique in that regard. Compare that to what has happened over the last 5 or so years, where nearly every game now has online multiplayer capabilities. Not only do these games have online multiplayer, but they also have some form of a progression system via weapon unlocks, skill unlocks, mission unlocks, etc. Thus, there is more of a reason for the online side than just the experience of people playing together. There is some version of "carrot-on-a-stick" progression for people to chase.
If you purchase a game (or an expansion) once per year and then pay $15 per month to access that game, you're looking at $240 per year to play that one game. For the same amount of money, you can purchase 4 games at $60, all of which we can assume has some type of online play. If you do your research, there is the potential to get hundreds of hours of gameplay out of each of those games as well. If those 4 games are from different genres of games, then you're also getting a very wide variety of gameplay options from those 4 games as well. An MMO experience starts to look less appealing to the less hardcore mmo player when you're looking at it from that angle.
In terms of cost effectiveness, P2P mmos practically don't make any sense in comparison to being able to purchase 3-4 games across the year for the same cost (that doesn't include sales or games sold for less than $60), unless you are a die hard fan of the mmo genre (or the specific mmo title).
i call most gamers this last year entitled for very different reasons.
theyre bitching about grind in new game, when the old game they came from was twice as grindy. or theyre bitching about running around too much, when they had to run 4x further in the game they came from. or theyre bitching about action combat, because they didnt need to actually target something in the game they came from. (both planetside and firefall are still dealing with tab targetters that couldnt shoot themselves in the head if they tried).
i have good reasons, most kids these days, wont even make the minimal effort to play the game. they just want to pick their character and have the next screen be a rainbow vomitting unicord with the on screen text that reads "YOU WIN EVERYTHING BETTER THAN EVERYONE!"
and people wonder why i have a "gank anything gankable" policy....
Games i'm playing right now...
"In short, I thought NGE was a very bad idea" - Raph Koster talking about NGE on his blog at raphkoster.com
A good article with many good points, unfortunately it was very painful to read in places. You might want to put some additional work into proper sentence structure and have one or two others do some early editing before you post future articles. This thing reads like you dropped out of english class, or at the very least you wrote it up at the last minute.
Here's wishing you all the best for the next one.
I've got a feevah, and the only prescription... is more cowbell.
Its not the sense of entitlement, but the extent of that entitlement that is at issue.
Sorry couldn't resist -
We are entitled to a well written article on MMORPG.com.