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Free: I am numb to you


Like the word "sale" I am completely numb to you and your marketing efforts. "Free download", "Free to play" ... it doesn't matter. I glance over you just as I would Google AdSense.


 


Sometimes you talk yourself up and say that you have "unlimited free play" or even that you are "subscriptionless." It just makes me laugh then die inside. You're like an inviting box of chocolate, with an overpriced vending machine inside. Silly, sad, and utterly true.


 


I hope you find what you're looking for out there. There are plenty of fish in this sea.

Comments

  • MalcanisMalcanis Member UncommonPosts: 3,297


    TANSTAAFL

    Give me liberty or give me lasers

  • AxehiltAxehilt Member RarePosts: 10,504


    Automatic rejection and careful consideration are two different concepts.  I'm honestly a bit curious what the OP's stance is.


    I mean, you'd have to be crazy to automatically reject "sales" simply because they're a marketing scheme -- sometimes sales are worth it.  At some point, certain F2Ps will probably be worth it.


    League of Legends was worth it enough for me to pay, but we're not even talking about that.  We're talking about whether it's worth it to even try -- that box of chocolates is free, and nothing forces you to buy anything from the vending machine inside.

    "What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver

  • merieke82merieke82 Member Posts: 165


    My post was primarily a rant about F2P MMO advertising. I integrated this rant into my opinion and personal disappointment with F2P titles so far.


     


    I'm not really making a point about whether F2P has it's place or is a viable market. I'm just tired of having the word "free" shoved in my face from all of these flash ads. At some point you just become numb to it all. As I type this message now I'm viewing an ad to the left that says "14-Day FREE Trial" ... and that's for a P2P game.


     


    I ... can't ... take ... seeing this word on ALMOST every single MMO advertisement.

  • merieke82merieke82 Member Posts: 165


    As soon as I posted the last message I clicked Submit and viewed my post.


     


    While viewing this post I noticed another advertisement for a game, "Free to Play." Now I'm in the middle of writing this post and there is a browser game being advertised to the left, "Play now for free!"


     


    It's like you can't even make a flash ad anymore unless it has the word FREE in it somewhere.


     

  • ButtermilchButtermilch Member Posts: 208

    Originally posted by merieke82


    It's like you can't even make a flash ad anymore unless it has the word FREE in it somewhere.


    Yeah, man. It's due to the flash compiler. It always says "Error" in the latest version if there is no text that contains the word "free"... :-p


     


    To be on topic:


    Yeah, it's a bit disturbing, but I can understand why they do it. Just imagine there is an ad for a game (which is an "F2P" title) that doesn't claim to be free...

  • merieke82merieke82 Member Posts: 165

    Originally posted by Buttermilch

    Originally posted by merieke82




    It's like you can't even make a flash ad anymore unless it has the word FREE in it somewhere.


    Yeah, man. It's due to the flash compiler. It always says "Error" in the latest version if there is no text that contains the word "free"... :-p


     


    To be on topic:


    Yeah, it's a bit disturbing, but I can understand why they do it. Just imagine there is an ad for a game (which is an "F2P" title) that doesn't claim to be free...


     


    Damn, here I was blaming marketers and it was the application programmers all along. :)


     


    I do agree that it would be stupid to create a F2P title that doesn't advertise that it's free, but it's not just F2P titles using the word anymore. P2P titles use it every chance they get to try to steal market share back.


     


    I just think that consumers are getting spammed so hard with the word "free" that it's not even registering anymore. There is nothing out there that's really 100% free. Next we'll see single player games go F2P. Imagine downloading and playing ME2 for free, but if you want more than 3 characters you have to pay. If you want to explore more than 5 worlds you have to pay. If you want to stand a chance completing the last mission you have to pay.


     


    The average consumer is quickly becoming oversaturated by this word. (Not that I have any statistics to back that opinion up)


     


    I call shenanigans on the whole marketing ploy.

  • swyndleswyndle Member Posts: 52


    So: OP's actual problem is not using the Ad Blocker Plus plug in on Firefox...


    Which are both completely free by the way.


     


    >:)

  • ET3DET3D Member UncommonPosts: 325


    I agree there's just so much free stuff that stressing that aspect in ads doesn't add anything. However, D&D Online is "free" and I like it a lot, and I generally think that free stuff and sales are the way to go. But they do get on your nerves if you they don't give you some actual value. (Personally, I feel the same as the OP regarding sales at TheHut.com.)




    (This message is freely offered for your free consumption by ET's free site.)

  • merieke82merieke82 Member Posts: 165

    Originally posted by swyndle


    So: OP's actual problem is not using the Ad Blocker Plus plug in on Firefox...


    Which are both completely free by the way.


     


    >:)


     


    True, but I use Chrome. Also, I support pop up blockers but I don't support blocking inline advertisements. Websites like MMORPG.com need to generate revenue.

  • AladyleynaAladyleyna Member Posts: 269


    Heh, I'm kind of like that as well actually. I also tend to not really pay much attention to any ads that have the word "free" in them. However, I do end up paying attention to free games when mentioned in forum threads, and if I like what I hear, I would download and try them out. I just don't pay attention any of their ads.


    But that is not to say that I am completely against free to play games though. I treat them like I would for pay to play games; if they are good and I enjoy them, I would support them.

    Main characters:
    Jinn Gone Quiet (Guild Wars)
    Princess Pudding (Guild Wars)

  • swyndleswyndle Member Posts: 52

    Originally posted by merieke82

    Originally posted by swyndle


    So: OP's actual problem is not using the Ad Blocker Plus plug in on Firefox...


    Which are both completely free by the way.


     


    >:)


     


    True, but I use Chrome. Also, I support pop up blockers but I don't support blocking inline advertisements. Websites like MMORPG.com need to generate revenue.


    I agree, they do. However whether or not my ad blocker intercepts a given banner or not doesn't factor. Sites that run ads are paid to post the ad on their site, not based on whether or not it actually makes it to my visual cortex.


    Also, it allows my browser to load information faster, and doesn't clutter the page with things I'm just going to "glance over just as I would Google AdSense."


    As to the free problem, I dunno, I'm not really seeing a downside to the word. I've also not encountered any use of "free" that was actually misleading in the context stated by a given game advert. "Free to play" does not translate in context to "free to experience every item, event, or other aspect of gameplay." It simply means "free to play."


    In some offerings I'm told that a game is free to play but you have to pay to win. I've never encountered that. Just about every F2P I've played has had no advantageous or necessary items in a c-store but rather fluff. I suppose Exteel does, I play that now and again, but I've crunched the numbers on that and the only advantage to using the shop in Exteel is that you can access higher end stuff earlier without working for it. Stat wise there is no advantage either way. And someone who buys a store mech early on is at a disadvantage because they don't have the experience to use it properly against those that earned their high end gear.

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