|
A more comparable example would be going to your local amusement park, going in, and then being charged for individual rides. Is that somehow "unfair?" You seem to be looking at MUDs as inherently competitive experiences. They are competitive for some people. They are not competitive for others. These are entertainment experiences for most people, not a way to validate yourself .
In terms of competitive activities, what about all the money Lance Armstrong spends trying to gain an edge via superior equipment. Is that unfair? Does that diminish his achievement? How about Valentino Rossi (best motorcycle racer ever)? His team spends tens of millions trying to eek out an extra half a horsepower for his bike. Is that unfair? How about pro sports? Why do you think the Yankees do so well? It's cause they can and do spend more money than small market teams.
Now, you might argue that none of the above is fair. That's fine. I'd argue that people generally don't care. In nearly EVERY professional competitive endeavour, people buy advantages, and hundreds of millions of fans the world around tune in with bated breath anyway. That, to me, says that this mythical 'fairness' is a chimera, which I believe is only of concern to a narrow segment of the population.
Besides, unless you completely eliminate all asymmetrical item trading, you cannot stop people from obtaining things using out-of-game resources, like friends. I don't know any sane developers that want to tell people, "You can't get help from your friends." Why should those who are friends OR free time rich have an advantage over those who are money rich? I see literally no fundamental difference between your rl friend helping you out and your rl bank account helping you out.
I mean, don't get me wrong. I don't care what kind of business model people put in games. I don't care if they charge blondes double and let wheel-chair bound parapalegics with Hispanic surnames use a Sword of UberLeetness on full moon nights. I don't actually understand anyone getting upset about any of it, since you can just not play the game. I don't play games that require character apps, for instance, as that's my personal preference, but I wouldn't call it "offensive" to ask for character apps.
--matt
|