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MMORPG Subscription Economics Discussed
Thanks to GamePro for their article discussing why MMORPGs charge a monthly subscription fee, discussing the "extra developer attention and player community" a monthly payment allegedly brings. It quotes a Blizzard spokesman as saying "running a massively multiplayer game like Blizzard's upcoming World of WarCraft costs about three times as much as running an online server like Battle.net, because MMO games require constant maintenance, 24/7 customer support, and an ongoing dedicated development team", and NCSoft's Robert Garriott, brother of Richard, says: "Think of it as running a small city. Many of these games have hundreds of thousands of 'citizens.' NCsoft operates the 'government' that builds new roads, puts criminals in jail, and digs new caverns for citizens to explore and enjoy. All of that costs real money."
That's right!
I want my city to have indoor plumbing.
I was with a girl once, her name was Kathryn, she liked to play Everquest. She was on one day, we started talking. She had an idea. The pay-for-play system of Everquest and other MMORPGs sparked an interest in her, she had an epiphany. She decided to take this payment system to a realm in which she was more comfortable: the sex industry.
Kathryn set up a pay-as-you-go system for her prostitution down at the local massage parlor. She had customers pay for services, ramping up the cost as the session continued. She always started slow, with a little oral here and there, moving on, turning it up, usually finishing in reverse cowgirl.
Of course she had her fair share of customers who just wanted a quick wank to avoid paying too much. Several prematurely ejaculated on her. But for the most part, no one wanted to be seen as a cheap bastard; in fact, they wanted to last as long as possible.
How does this tie in to MMORPGs? Well the companies are the prostitutes. And the players are the johns. And the companies are whining about the effort it is to maintain the system, just as prostitutes complain when the get a rash downstairs, or they develop soreness or lockjaw. But above all, never forget: the prostitutes are making a living. The companies are making money off MMORPGs. So, I say, ignore their complaining, they're just whining.