[Jazuela]

I skimmed most of the posts. But the last time this question came up, I posted, and I don't think my opinion has changed since. I'll post again, because I'm bored and this has turned into a very silly thread of "whose e-peen is bigger."

US Law be damned, this isn't a US courtroom and many games aren't even written or run in the USA, so what US Law has to say about it is irrelevent for this particular thread.

For me, it's a pretty simple matter to determine if a game is free. It's what kind of non-free game, that's the issue.

If you have to add the word "if" or "but" to a statement of "free," then it's not free. Simple isn't it?

"This game is free IF you don't want the premium IMM-run wedding with member-only access to the Honeymoon Suite."
"This game is free BUT you can get that map for a donation."
"This game is free IF you don't mind the stripped-down version."
"This game is free BUT if you give us $50 we'll start your character out with extra skill points, which you -could- get without the money, if you just put 10 extra hours into playing."
"This game is free for one month, and IF you want to play after that, you'll have to pay for the download/monthly subscription."

Now - what kind of non-free game, is a game that isn't free? What kind of criteria -should- go into making the decision about it? Well here's my ideas, for what they're worth.

a. Payment accepted with in-game reward given; reward is ONLY something that non-payers can ALSO get.
b. Payment accepted with in-game reward given; reward is ONLY something that non-payers can NOT get.

c. Payment required with same limits as a.
d. Payment required with same limits as b.
e. Payment required to play.

e-1. Subscription service - monthly payment required.
e-2. Registration service - one-time up-front payment required.
e-3. Non-standard service - payment required each time you level up, or each time you want to get past your latest 100 exp points, or each time you encounter a mob that picks its nose and whistles Dixie.

I mean if you really want, we can add another dozen more categories. But I don't think anyone, at this point, will agree that "more search options" is the best way to go on this.

What I think will work best:

FREE CATEGORIES:
1. Free to play - means free to play, period, no ifs, buts, or exceptions.
2. Free to play, with opportunity to pay for perks that you CAN get if you don't pay.
3. Free to play, with opportunity to pay for perks that you can NOT get if you don't pay, but that have no significant impact on game play.
PAY CATEGORIES:
1. Standard subscription - membership system.
2. One-time payment required.
3. Free to play a strip-down version, AND/OR "limited trial period", payment required to play the "usual and generally preferred" version.
4. Any combination of the above pay categories in any proportion.



As for the whole thing about professional vs. hobbyist, shoot. I am a certified computer technician, which makes me a professional. However, I don't work in the field. I -do- fix my own computer when it has problems, but I don't charge myself for the service. That doesn't make me any less a professional, but it does mean that I'm not "just" a hobbyist, either. Yes, knowing -could- be useful, but so far as I've seen in this thread, only ONE person really cares about it. I personally wouldn't waste my time trying to come up with a "fair" inclusion of the category for a search engine, based on the fact that only one person actually has an interest in knowing.