Why Would Players Pay?

July 21, 2008 · Filed Under Musings, Online, Marketing

Most online games today are based on F2P or Free-to-Play model. Countries in Asia are more used to this type of business model than Westerners. In this part of the world, F2P games have been hugely succesful businesses. Only WoW has been the exception, most notably in China and Korea where it is bigger than some local F2p MMORPGs.

F2P games are based on “microtransactions”. You get the game for free, register for free and then you’re in. But if you want added value for your character, usually in the form of either a “premium service“; where you get more EXP and mods, or in the more common item mall, you’ll have to shell out cash.

This is where you separate the men from the boys. Those who know what they’re doing, both in terms of running (developing) the game and marketing (publishing) it will excel in getting players to pay.

But why would your players pay? Let’s find out.

Last March, I wrote about how experts in the industry debated on F2P vs subscription. Now that we know those insights, let’s analyze why F2P players would open their wallets or credit cards for their characters.

Why They Won’t Pay

Repeat after me - Your players will not pay if…

There’s something wrong with the game - cheats, exploits and bugs are your top bane. Work with the developers to fix the game FAST… or else, you’ll start losing players. Technical problems are a fact of life in the industry. Suffice it to say that I’ve seen some through my watch. But trust me, we hate it just as much as you do when there’s something wrong with the game.
You can get away without paying - if the game design is poor… i.e. you can just farm your way and get strong even without paying, then there’s something wrong with the game (see above). The average joe must spend a little more time doing this than someone buying items from the item mall or paying for premium. If they don’t… Houston, we got a problem.
It’s a damn boring MMO world - that’s where the creative genius of the community team comes in. This is why publishers do events… all to make the players happy, have something to do, and yes, to eliminate boredom. Besides, you don’t want to kill monsters 24/7 eh?
Service Sucks - Customer service is an integral part. Not just in the gaming industry but in any business. And any company would welcome changes to improve upon this. A satisfied customer is more likely to play more and THEN pay.

Why They WILL Pay

Right Pricing - The key to a good F2P game is how the Item Mall is designed and how the prices are managed. A lot of conflict boils from developer vs. publisher debates on pricing. Don’t model your price on the country where the game was designed, damnit! Price the items too high and you’ll get a very small conversion rate. Price it too low and you run the risk of damaging game balance and integrity. In this war, it’s the consumable items that will win you the battles.
There’s nothing wrong with the game - This is the direct opposite (obviously) of the above. There might be MINOR bugs, but not enough for the community to be pissed off. This means that the game is great and you’ll just have to work your butt off for it to stay that way.
The items give VALUE - perhaps one of the most important reason why players will pay. Case in point, if all the items you sell are just better versions of the normal loot. Example, a potion that just slightly heals better - then that’s just a lazy excuse for game design. Chances are, you could play without it. During testing, you should’ve spotted this like a wolf inside a sheep’s pen. Look at the how specific items give real value to the players - not just as individuals but also as groups (when going on instances, at arenas or during territorial battles). Buyers of games seldom check this fact.
It’s a fun game - If the game isn’t like 80% of other MMO’s out in the market (which are basically clones of each other), then you’ve got your work cut out for you. At the end of the day, when you yourself play the game, if you don’t have fun, don’t expect your future players to enjoy it either. That’s a no-brainer.
There’s nothing new - A good game will soon fall to pieces if there are no new updates. I’ve often observed games going through the hype of pre-launch, launch and then they go spiraling down for a crash landing a few months into it because there’s no new content. Make sure you have something new at least every quarter. You don’t want a community of gamers (all into the level cap) without anything to do, right?

Like what I always say

It’s the game that will make them PLAY

It’s their friends (community) that will make them STAY

Then it’s content (and how you manage everything) that will make them PAY

If you really look at it, MMORPGs are just like a guy’s Barbie doll. You may get the doll for free (or cheap) but spend a lot to make it look good and impressive.

Strength and Honor,

GM T

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Comments

20 Responses to “Why Would Players Pay?”

Lix Tetrax on July 21st, 2008 9:45 am

I still prefer Premium P2P Games rather than cheap F2P, yeah you will not spend some cash on F2P but the time you spend on playing the crap is worst than spending some money. Money spent can be earned but lost time can’t. This is what PW-ph taught me. I wasted 10 months playing a crap version of PW. I just hope the upcoming PW international won’t suffer the same fate.
Blood on July 21st, 2008 4:49 pm

Like RF? ROFLMAO
cm jhay on July 21st, 2008 4:52 pm

yep PW is crap. no new/future content. just endless grinding. and the same old boring pvp/tw maps. even tw/gw here doesnt have any strategies. you just need to create a dummy guild and bid on your maps to defend your area. sucky game/
Pinoy Gamers on July 21st, 2008 11:21 pm

I don’t want to pay for playing games on a monthly basis. What I want is like guildwars did, buy their game and you will get a lifetime free to play on their server with all the features.

Most MMORPGs are giving their game as free to install but with a catch of… it isn’t free to play.
issai on July 22nd, 2008 12:10 am

i bought guild wars, but ignored it. can’t get my hands off wow, but now i’m ignoring it too. ummm… mario kart anyone? rock band? they can be online too, and free but still good quality.

oh am i off topic? is this only for mmorpgs?
Jeppe Gernale on July 22nd, 2008 2:34 pm

Players won’t pay if it’s under LUG management..

Players will pay if it’s NOT an LUG game!
Dong Abay on July 22nd, 2008 3:48 pm

Dudes, when have you last checked PW? they patched 2 major updates in like a month! april for dusk palace and july for frost city. there are tons of new maps and shit to do there.

still needs improvement on the in game events though, but they opened up an events suggestion thread so at least they’re listening now.

Join my clan in Serpent (Soulless)!
I quit before and i came back due to the updates.
TheGift on July 23rd, 2008 5:22 pm

Im still hanging on to RF even if has been plagued by bugs, cheat etc.

I still believe that CCR and levelupgames can fix the problem and bring balance and intergrity back to the game.
Blood on July 23rd, 2008 9:55 pm

Just suck it all up till diablo 3 comes out
GM T on July 23rd, 2008 11:37 pm

Patience… everything will have its time…
Erwine on July 24th, 2008 4:50 am

Call me an old bastard (Get off my lawn!) but I refuse to play F2P mmos due to the population it tends to attract. Typically kids and freeloaders. Plain and simple.
issai on July 24th, 2008 6:33 am

even with non-F2P, there are other kids and freeloaders with rich parents to pay for it.
lolroflcopters on July 24th, 2008 8:51 am

I didn’t know Captain Obvious played MMOs. So let me get this straight… a player won’t pay because a game sucks, but they will pay if the game is good. Very insightful!! I hope you didn’t spend too much time researching these incredible facts genius.

Actually who cares. Different games have different pricing models to fit what they are trying to achieve. Games like WOW and LOTRO charge a flat ~$15 a month and in return you get regular updates and server stability. Games like Guild Wars can afford not to charge a monthly fee because they use a much cheaper client distributed server setup, and still make money from expansions. Other games use in game advertising to fund their operations. Then you have games that are free to play, but charge for premium upgrades and in game items (this is worst IMO because player achievements are a direct result on how MUCH they will pay).

I don’t even understand why this is a discussion, and why so many people argue either side. The thought process is simple. A player evaluates a game and determines two things, how much does the game cost, and what is the value of the games fun worth to me. If the game cost more than the player values it, then they don’t play.

Duh
GM T on July 26th, 2008 2:16 pm

If it weren’t a discussion, why did you leave a comment?

Duh.
Dong Abay on July 26th, 2008 4:55 pm

Captain Obvious po ka guild ko ngayon. kumusta daw po kayo?

saka di ka naman nag basa or binasa mo lang pero di mo inintindi eh.

ran player ka po?
GM T on July 26th, 2008 7:17 pm

Malamang nde po Pinoy yan at di ka po maintindihan pareng Dong!
REQUIEM ONLINE on August 15th, 2008 11:35 am

Hi may balak din kaya level up kuhanin requiem online gravity din kc un dba ^^,.
fatfoogoo - There is Money in Your Game on September 12th, 2008 2:57 pm

What will gamers pay for?…

gmtristan recently published an outstanding article regarding what gamers will and will not pay for when it comes to free to play, micro transaction based games.
……
fatfoogoo - There is Money in Your Game on September 12th, 2008 2:57 pm

What will gamers pay for?…

gmtristan recently published an outstanding article regarding what gamers will and will not pay for when it comes to free to play, micro transaction based games.
……
fatfoogoo - There is Money in Your Game on September 12th, 2008 2:57 pm

What will gamers pay for?…

gmtristan recently published an outstanding article regarding what gamers will and will not pay for when it comes to free to play, micro transaction based games.
……