In the last week, Electronic Arts pulled their leg back and placed a kick squarely in the nuts of all casual gamers out there...twice. By offering on Xbox Live Marketplace (for
The Godfather and
Tiger Woods PGA Tour '07) the sale of in-game assets and performance enhancing content (previously available by cheat codes or unlocking only), EA has put in motion something that will impact the near-future of gaming, and ultimately be determined successful or not by the wallets of Xbox 360 owners.
In fairness to EA, I decided to take a look at this controversial decision to figure out whether it is a good move or not. I will analyze some of the pros and cons of the two primary pieces of content for sale (Previously available as a cheat code and Performance Enhancing) and determine what may be the possible outcome of this move.
Sale of Cheat Codes
Lets start with the Pros and Cons of EA selling content on XBL that previously could be unlocked using the cheat inserted by the developer, or completing certain aspects of the game. One thing to note is that since these games are relatively new, there hasn't been confirmation as to cheat codes NOT existing in the game to allow this content. We do know that the Tiger Woods content can still be earned by playing through the game, but based on its existence on Marketplace for a fee, the answer is probably no to content previously gotten with cheats.
Pro
Right now, EA is the only company that has released content of this type that I am aware of. The cost has been nominal (Weapons in
The Godfather at 100 pts) to exorbinate (The "Don" Bundle at 800 pts). However, the median price on XBL seems to be settling in about 200-300 pts ($2.50-$2.75) based on the two releases so far. In my opinion, the best reason to pay for this content is to help gamers that are extremely busy or bogged down with too many games and too little time. They can immediately get into the meat of a game without putting in all the mundane hours needed to power up characters or complete certain game levels. It will also allow the casual gamer opportunity to experience the completion or full capabilities of a game. Something they may not have previously if they didn't know where or how to find cheats to assist them.
Con
Cheat codes have been around for nearly two decades, found on PCs, handhelds and consoles. It has always been part of the gaming experience to figure out if, or what, cheat codes were in the game and what they did. In addition, a player knew they could always use a cheat if they got hung up in a game and needed help. However, the mindset was "let me beat this thing on my own, and only use the cheat if forced to." Clearly, with the advent of pay to cheat, a couple problems pop up immediately. Unless EA packaged a switch with them, the cheats may always be "on" and could allow the player to take the easy way out (even inadvertently) more than they used to. Also, the fee favors those that purchase games versus those that rent. I find it hard to believe that the casual gamer that rents and plays for fun, but uses cheats to help complete games, will be wanting to fork over additional money for a game they are returning next Tuesday. I could be wrong, but it would be like spending a $1 to buy a
Caribou Cofee branded cardboard ring to slip around the disposable cup to keep you hands from.......uhh, never mind.
Sale of performance enhancing content
This is probably the most controversial of the content available. The biggest fear/complaint, is that it allows for players to unfairly pay to level up their characters versus those that cannot or choose not to. While these are valid concerns (
Chromehounds consumables), lets take a look at both sides of the issue.....
Pro
I see some valid reasons why EA would sell performance enhancing content such as in-game money or max power to your character. The first one that jumps out would be to deter the third-party vendors from getting a foothold in the console world like they have the MMOs. EA uses its own servers instead of Microsoft's, so I imagine they want to keep the type of transactions that take place out of their world to eliminate the problems that have befallen Blizzard and ArenaNet. Also, EA did do one thing right with
The Godfather, they limited each of the in-game money downloads to a single time. So if you purchase all three levels, you add $400K of in-game cash for the real-world price of $3.31 and make your Mafia Don one happy paison.
Con
Buy in-game cash for
The Godfather with real world dollars? Are you kidding me? EA just validated the existence of those third-party companies that mine the hell out of MMOs (destroying their economy in the process) for gold, money and high-level weaponry. The real question is, does EA see this as a deterrent or just grabbing a piece of the pie? Either way, it is a poor decision and opens the floodgates for developers to continue to hold back content or make available "one-time" offers to those that don't mind spending a few Microsoft points to advance their game.
The Wrap Up
Truly, this whole buying of game content will ultimately be swayed by the consumers out there. We can always say "no" and not purchase the content, but what if if means the difference between beating a game, or getting to the top of a leaderboard? What if the people that buy this content have a clear advantage over those that choose not too (
Chromehounds consumables anyone?) in a multi-player contest? And what happens if, god forbid, it allows for faster Achievement accumulation! (have to take a shot at the Xbox 360 Gamerscore Whores here, lol)
I'm not going to even guess what these answers will be, because it ultimately depends on how each individual feels about the topic. I can see both sides, and the game companies and Microsoft are 'For Profit' entities. So maybe the best decision is to look at any future content on a case-by-case basis and make the determination if it is worth it or not. Xbox Live Marketplace is still in its infancy, and Microsoft and the Game Developers are still learning how much and what we will (and wont) pay for. With some of the most anticipated Xbox 360 titles hitting shelves very soon, the best advice is to use your wallet to determine what downloadable extras are worthwhile and which ones aren't.
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