My displeasure at Turbine post didn’t leave much room for this, but I’d like to point out it shouldn’t be confused with my opinion of Free2Play as a business model.

Given the right game, Free2Play is okay by me. I’d prefer a pay-once-and-own-it model (ala Guild Wars or any traditional videogame), but we cannot always get what we wish for. For an ever-evolving content game like an MMORPG, I still feel subscriptions deliver the content I would prefer to play. I dislike content measured out in bite-sizes and gated, which is typical of the Free2Play model.

So on a purely gameplay perspective, it really depends on the game. I’d rather gameplay directed the business model rather than the other way around, that’s for sure.

One part of Free2Play that irks me is the psychology of it. It’s not entirely “free”, it’s more of a free trial. To enjoy the whole game, you usually have to purchase something and quite often it ends up more expensive than a subscription. It’s a bit insidious. Just like many gamblers will claim they’re always up regardless of overwhelming statistics against them, many Free2Play players convince themselves they’re saving money, but that just doesn’t add up considering how insanely profitable it has been.

I have to give kudos to Tesh again, for often pointing this out: Subscriptions favour hardcore players while Free2Play favours casual (at least in time-played). If you play only occasionally or in short bursts, Free2Play gets a lot closer to free. Counterwise, if you get really involved, then subscriptions are cheaper. Most MMO players put in a good deal of time and effort into these games. I can’t recall what the quoted average gametime is for WoW players, but it isn’t “casual”.

The terminology lies to us. Most players consider themselves casual, but most players will also accumulate a lot of purchases via microtransactions.

On a cost basis alone, the best scenario is to have both choices and wisely choose between them: Subscription or Free2Play. Turbine provides this and that’s a saving grace. I may not like how they’ve gotten there, but they do have some better options than elsewhere.

I wish it was more about the gameplay. I really do.