Pay to play

For years now, gamers have been able to play games online with one another for a small price or free.  Microsoft's Xbox 360 system uses Xbox Live which is $60 a year or for Playstation owners, they get to play online for free.  However, a new trend with major game companies such as Electronic Arts and Activision are now beginning to usher in a new era of paying to play each game individually in what seems to be an effort to battle renting and used games.

To start, a little history to better understand pay to play.  The first games to do this were massively multiplayer online role playing games(MMORPG).  These are games that let people assume a character of their own creation and essentially lead a new live through the game.  The price per month for these games were around $10 - $15 a month.  This price was understandable as well since multiple servers has to be running continuously and most of games have massive content in them.  So having to pay to keep those up and to help update the game makes sense.

Now EA is doing something similar by packaging games with a special code that allows people who play those games free access to online content.  Whether the game is a single or multiple player game, it comes with the code.  This doesn't hurt people who buy the game, but it does hurt people who rent it or buy it used.  Gamers who decide to buy their game used or rent it have to pay an extra $15 to access that new content.  They also have to pay for the content it's self which adds up. 

Why is EA doing this one might ask?  Well the speculation is that EA feels it is losing money when people rent or buy games used.  There is no proof that this is true, however EA believes it is.  The reason for this is because with less people buying the game new equals less money.  Again, there is no solid statistics to back up this claim.

The problem is that people who rent or buy used are penalized.  Why should gamers who opt for a cheaper choice still have to pay?  Many gamers don't want to buy a game because they know they won't keep it for long.  I know when I buy a single player gamer, i usually buy it used or rent it because theres no replay value in many single player games.  Play the story and then I'm done with it. 

The simple fix for this is easy, get rid of it.  EA is only hurting there consumers by telling them to buy new by hurting those that don't.  If EA is hurting, though i feel it is VERY small, then they should bite the bullet.  Doing this in the long run should help them gain new customers than alienate current customers.

This code for buying a new game also affects multiplayer games.  The fix for this is easier and game companies should follow what Mortal Kombat 9 is doing.  If one buys the game used or rents it, there is an option for a two day free trial.  Giving 48 hours of a trial is more than enough time to see if the online component is worth the price. 

 I'm not against paying to play a game.  If it helps the overall experience and keeps the game fresh, then more to it.  Game companies should be willing to help their customers rather then make it harder.  According to an article in Electronic Gaming Monthly, EA inferred that another reason to this change was because they feel game stores like GameStop are reaping massive amounts of money from the used game business.  To battle with another company over profits is fine, but not when this many gamers are the casualties.