Microtransactions

Microtransactions are becoming a popular way to monetize online games. Talk about a game that, in your opinion uses microtransactions well. Then, talk about a game that doesn’t use microtransactions well and suggests ways the game could improve its methods.

A game that uses microtransactions very well is World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft allows plenty of different options to pay for your game time, the higher payments having leeway in terms of monthly payments. Blizzard allows you to pay monthly for $15, so you can unsubscribe at any time, but they also allow you to pay for 3 months at $14 dollars per month, or even pay for 6 months for $13 dollars. They also have physical games cards which can be bought for $30, which grants 2 months play time when applied. This gives plenty of options in payment, depending on whether you like knowing what you buy before you do or don't like to deal with the hassle of remembering to pay for your game every 2 months with game cards.

Recently they added the ability to receive a free copy of Diablo 3 on release if players agree to a year long commitment. This commitment basically means that you agree to pay for your World of Warcraft account for 12 months before you can get your copy of Diablo 3. However, this 12 month commitment locks you into paying for the game for the entire time. The 12 month commitment says that you plan to pay for 12 months concurrently. The player has the option to choose their payment types still, so they can choose monthly payments, quarterly payments, or semi-annual payments. Additionally, Blizzard allows for game cards to be used in the 12 months.

A few games that don't fair so well in terms of microtransactions would be a lot of games that are bought with Xbox live currency. I say this because I don't like the idea of having a virtual wallet that I have to remember to fill with appropriate cash value to buy an expansion to an existing game. Also a lot of times, with Microsoft points you can only buy a certain amount per money put into the account, and this frustrates me. For example, I bought Sonic Adventure with Xbox Live points, and they didn't have the option to get the exact amount of points I needed, so I bought extra and had to spend it on something else, which annoyed me. While a lot of games are going with this route, including Blizzard which is also adding a virtual wallet along with allowing for subscription payments as mentioned above, I feel that being able to pay directly for all of your games and expansions really allows me to have the freedom to pay exactly for what I have, not need to buy virtual currency to then buy software.

Game Comparisons

Compare two games that have the same theme. Analyze how they are alike and how they differ. Analyze the strengths and weakness of each.

 Super Mario and Spyro the Dragon have very similar qualities, even some that are done in many different ways. Where Mario relies on powerups like the Fire Flower and Super Mushroom to stay alive longer, Spyro only needs to kill passive creatures to replenish his energy, or rather his guardian Sparx's energy.  The Starman in Super Mario which gives limited invulnerability is very comparable to all limited powerups in Spyro's realm of the dragons in that they are scarce but very cleverly placed. Starman in Super Mario helps Mario traverse through very dangerous terrain with no worry on damage; in Spyro the Dragon, Spyro can run through Flight or Fire gates which give him the limited ability to Fly freely through the world and spit devastating fireballs respectively, thereby making certain sections of a world a whole lot easier.

Lives in Mario and Spyro are also very similar; both are given scarcely, in the same locations, or for completing certain tasks. Where in Mario defeating a certain number of enemies, usually 8 or more, yields a live per consecutive kill above 8, in Spyro there are glass jars containing magic butterflies which give a life. They are also sometimes given in place of regular health, or when you complete a tough task, usually yielding in a skill point which has no effect on your player other than bragging rights and the ability to see different endings in the game.

The game worlds are also very similar for these games, each has a main hub (the overworld), and several worlds inside followed by a boss level at the end of the world. While in Mario you must progress through each level completely to reach the next (or choose a branch world to go through, if it branches), in Spyro you probably don't finish every level 100% near the end, until you acquire certain abilities, like the head smash to break powerful jars, or the hyper run to break through tough walls. Also similar in each game is the secret world given after you defeat every boss in the game. Using Mario Galaxy 2 as an example, after you defeat Bowser in the final world, you are given the option to go to World-S, which is an extra world filled with the toughest worlds imaginable. In Spyro the Dragon, once you acquire 100% (both gems and orbs, dragons, eggs based on which game you play), a final world appears which tests your ability to glide, hyper run, and fly to acquire extra gems and another dragon, magic orb, or dragon egg to complete the game at 120%.

Mario's main strength and attraction to me as a player is the innovation put into each game; by that I mean no game using the same gimmick, unless those in a series. All Super Mario Bros. games are side scrollers, The Galaxy games used the same star power, and Mario Sunshine used the power of FLUDD to help you. However, aside from games in the same saga, non of the games ever overlap their gimmicks aside from the basic jump and powerup mechanics. One of its weaknesses, one may say, is that the game revolves around the same story; saving Princess Peach from Bowser. However, this "weakness" is highly overshadowed by the quality of each game. The non Super Mario Bros. games are the same collecting games, but each new gimmick helps set them apart from each other, making for a collectively fun experience.

Spyro's main strength and attraction to me is the fact that although you are an all powerful dragon, even a child at that, you don't have the entire power of a dragon. You can't simply launch fireballs to annihilate your enemies (at least until you complete the second game), and you can't just fly around every obstacle in your path. You are given whatever power up you may need at the exact moment you need it. This allows you to savor the power of a dragon for what little time you have it for, by decimating anything and everything in your path to wreak havoc like a dragon should do. One of its weaknesses is the fact that it is basically the same game reskinned in the main trilogy. In the first game, you must save crystallized dragons from Gnasty Gnorc. In the second, you must acquire power orbs through tedious tasks to go defeat Ripto from destroying the realm of the dragons. In the final game in the main trilogy, you must run around the old dragon's realm collecting baby dragon eggs to prevent them from being used to destroy the entire race of the dragons. In essence, Spyro is the same collecting game every time, but with each game you gain more experience that allows you to progress through the game solidly and is still a fun experience.