So you've got the games where they're 'free', provided you don't mind paying for every weapon for your character.

Then you've got the games which are 15.- per month, and people sell high-class characters for hundreds of dollars on Craigslist.

Why don't the game firms combine the two models:

You can get a level 1 character for free and grind, or you can buy a built-to-order level 10 for $50 (akin to buying a retail boxed game) , or a level 50 for $200 (akin to buying a pre-made account from someone else, but you get to custom-design it)

It would eliminate-- or at least price-cap-- the secondary market in accounts (why pay any more than you could get the new account for). It's also an alternative revenue stream which could reduce or eliminate monthly fees.

A well-thought out game could even bond it to expansions-- new territory could be balanced to be best enjoyed at level 50, but a new user could still jump in by writing a cheque.

Just pondering. The economics of these games are probably more interesting than the games themselves.