Microtransactions

The Darker Side of Modern Gaming

As technology becomes more advanced, so too does the gaming community which is in turn mutually beneficial for developers and consumers. However, one of the most recent and controversial changes to gaming is the arrival of things called Micro-transactions. These are small, almost innocuous financial transactions that take place in-game to give some sort of benefit to the buyer, introducing an almost pay-to-win era of gaming. These micro-transactions are present across a multitude of platforms and games, from Farmville on Facebook (left), to Candy Crush Saga on Mobiles (below).

Micro-transactions are controversial as they often offer bonuses or abilities that are otherwise unachievable my simply playing the game, giving an advantage to those willing to pay for extras. Candy Crush for example, individuals were able to buy ‘extra lived’, second chances, to enable them to re-tackle a level for the modest price of $0.99. This may seems small, but these transactions can be completed at the click of a button, reports show about 15% of the gaming community makes up for about 80% of all in-game transactions. People have went into debt as they had unknowingly spent thousands on these micro-transactions over the course of only a few weeks as they approached each with the idea that 'its only $1 or only a few dollars'.

This is a negative aspect of gaming as things like Grand Theft Auto, which can retail for about AUD$80+, is still riddled with these mini-payments to access things that would otherwise be free if not for the greed of the developers. Some have also begun to rely on these transactions for capital and in turn delayed, or refused to release additional games, rather building extra content to add to existing games. This greed is a huge factor in the gaming community’s refusal to allow this to become common practice, as even games which cost in excess of AUD$100 are purposely creating, or putting aside content which must be paid for on top of the retail price to access data.

Content Used
*GTA Timeline - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game
*COD Purchase Screen - https://www.callofduty.com/blackops3
*Candy Crush Purchase screen - http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/iosapps/how-get-free-lives-in-candy-crush-two-dots-other-iphone-games-3596744/
*Farmville Purchase Screen - https://www.gamesparks.com/blog/looking-at-in-game-currencies/

 - Chris