gamer's den

There are 2 models used in paying for playing online games. I have discussed this in my previous article F2P or P2p. F2P is the free to play model which do not require the players/users to pay in playing the games instead it uses an item mall or item shop to enhance characters ability and attributes. Next is the P2P or pay to play games which are common in the western countries wherein players need to buy subscription to be able to play or to continue playing their games.

Because of the term "free to play" players and potential gamers thinks that plaing f2p games will save you money rather than paying a monthly subscription for games you won't play the whole day. Well, THINK AGAIN. These games will lure you to spend more on rare items which can only be acquired thru the item mall.

How?
You might be wondering how one can say that you can spend more in a f2p game than p2p games. As explained earlier, f2p games do have these item malls which features items are cannot be acquired in-game. These are luxury items which are not necessary for leveling but players and publishers of the game encourages the use if it since this makes leveling fun and easy (e.g x2 and x3 exp gain when used by the players)

Tips:
How can we avoid over spending for the games we play? Basically, we choose to play the f2p mmos to spend less in playing. Self control is needed, do not be an impulsive buyer. I've listed a couple of things to consider to make the best out of you f2p mmo experience without destroying your pocket:

1. Avoid being envious. - There are playerswho likes to dress up their characters, buy lots of power up items, pets and hover boards and mounts. These items aren't really needed for leveling, it just added the good look to your character. Be contented with what you have and what you're character can afford.

2. Be a wise shopper. - Again do not be an impulsive buyer. Sort out your priorities and buy only what is needed. You never played online games to shop in the first place. You play to relax and unwind.

3. Do not think back and regret. - Often when we feel that the items we bought aren't that useful or not as what you have expected. Result is an unhappy player and almost unuseable item.

Are you a hardcore gamer who prefers free to play MMORPG? Or the one who thinks subscription fees for MMORPGs are long term investments? There is no doubt that the F2P (Free to Play) MMORPG’s market is growing rapidly compared to P2P (Pay to Play) MMORPGs today. Given that scenario, gamers are enjoying the option whether to go P2P or F2P given the wide range of choices from free, to pay to play mmos.


F2P games nowadays are not the typical “good for a free game” but rather highly competitive like any other P2P games in the market. They offer games with no subscription fees and can be played anytime which is a good marketing strategy to compete with P2P MMORPGs.


Being a free game, getting the desired number of players is not a problem for F2P publishers. All they need to do is to make the game interesting and fix any bugs and exploits as soon as possible to maintain the quantity of their subscribers. F2P developers/publishers earn profit by selling virtual items through an item mall or offering premium subscriptions (X2 experience/drop rate etc.) for a specific time, but still, it is not required to pay to be able to play the game.


The main issue in F2P is the balance of the game, it is common that some financially well-off players will dish out several hundred bucks just to get strong and pawn other players in the game, which really suck for a normal gamer or for some “wise-spender” in the F2P world. Also, Free MMORPGs are prone to spammers and scammers; anyone can join and create a new account making an annoying and negative impact to the F2P world. But none the less, it is still free; anyone can still experience a decent MMORPG without the subscription fee.


On the other hand, P2P MMORPGs that requires a weekly/monthly subscription before one can play are having a hard time going up against the less expensive F2P games. The pressure is so intense that they need to come up with something new and give their respective games an edge over F2P games. If a developer is too slow to fix an exploit or inconsistent with content updates, odds are players will shift to a new game.


One strong edge of P2P MMORPGs is the integrity of the game. Being a P2P game, players that have malicious intent like hackers, scammers, spammers cannot penetrate the game easily because of the money they will spend just to fool around.


Either way, discipline and spending money wisely is the key. Whether you are playing a F2P or P2P game, you still have the most powerful item in your hand… and that is your freedom to decide.