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.

Classism in real life is enough thanks

seriously though I think that's a good idea

Its a good idea in theory, but I don't honestly think it would work. Even if it was a great game, the developer would somehow have to encourage people to constantly create accounts. The idea behind the subscription fee is to make money, that is correct. But servers have to be maintained, and people have to be paid to maintain them. GMs and developers need to be paid as well.

So if the game flat lines on new accounts after the first couple of months, the game would fold and your $200 bucks, you just paid for your level 50 character is wasted.

Quote: Originally Posted by Sk8forMaple Its a good idea in theory, but I don't honestly think it would work. Even if it was a great game, the developer would somehow have to encourage people to constantly create accounts. The idea behind the subscription fee is to make money, that is correct. But servers have to be maintained, and people have to be paid to maintain them. GMs and developers need to be paid as well. So if the game flat lines on new accounts after the first couple of months, the game would fold and your $200 bucks, you just paid for your level 50 character is wasted.

You would have to pay $15 a month for a year and a month, just to give them $200. Every person I know that falls into the WoW ends up with three accounts and either buying one pre-made (which Alot of people steal back) or end up playing for two years and selling there accounts.

If Blizzard setup a say $100 player generator, make your own character and some things are additional. So you make some orc lvl50 and give him some awesome skills (can you tell I played WoW once) now say every 10 or 25 lvls increase the cost, so you get up to lvl 10 for $100 its $15 more for up to lvl 20, so 50 would be $60 so $160 for lvl50 say some skills were additional, say around $5 or maybe more. Thus making a secondary revenue, and capping the outrageous prices of aftermarket characters.

But even for $160 that nearly the annual cost for most players. Bam ten of them and thats now ten years they don't have to wait to make the same cash. Now WoW has what 10Million players say 20% of that buy 1 pre-made character . Thats 320 Million dollars.(assuming everyone paid $160)