Board Thread:Online Discussion/@comment-5107008-20130420101529/@comment-7153552-20130515213229

Dylanisthebest123 wrote: Many MMOs i have played are more like "You can do the basic stuff, but to do (awesome stuff) you need money.

That's the "Pay to Win" version of the games. Even true Free to Play games have a certain amount of Pay to Win aspect behind them. Like I said in a previous, albeit long-winded, post; you have the option to get the same items that people are paying money for, you just have to work harder and it takes longer. The best business models out there right now, in my opinion, are the Free to Play and the Pay to Win (as far as making money goes), but I prefer the Free to Play and the Buy to Play (which is a one-time purchase of the game and you're good, like Guild Wars). All of these business models, even the subscription-based, are going to have the microtransaction for in-game items and such. It's what makes the money and difference. If you can offer a cooler, randomly useless item than the other guys then people will play your game this week. If the competitors decide to make it so you can pay ten bucks and level faster for a week, guess where the players will be? It's supply vs demand vs laziness in this market.