Is it just me, or will gamers generally do anything to get a vanity trinket ingame?
A while ago, when I was playing SWG, there was some talk of serrver merges. Well, in SWG there is always talk of server merges. Almost as much as there is negative comments about the game from people who don't actually play it. But during this particular outbreak of merge-fever the question was raised about how SOE could persuade people to voluntarily move to another server in anticipation of closures. Some people wanted a t-shirt, others free game time. The truth, as I saw it, was that around 90% of the game's population could be persuaded to move server for the reward of yet another painting to hang on the wall of their virtual home. Many would probably also change their name to Buttkisser, swtich sides in the Civil War, and wear a dress for the remainder of their playing time.
I recently attended Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational event in Paris. Inside the goody bag every attendee received was a card. On the card were two codes. One for entry to an 'undecided' beta test of a future Blizzard game, the other for an ingame pet in WoW. Turns out the beta was WotLK and the pet was a mini-Tyrael (like the archangel in Diablo).
Both these gifts are pretty sweet. The pet dances with you and the beta is the beta. But both are still fetching quite amazing prices on ebay. A couple of cards I was watching both went for excess of £200 this week. In fact, the complete goody bags, full of promotional crap and a pack of cards for the WoW card-game, were going for £400 the week after the Invitational (when I saw this I bemoaned the fact I didn't buy my wife a ticket as well - we could have sold the spare pack and recouped the travel costs to get to France).
It just so happens that I needed a new bicycle last week. Long-story short: my old one is too small. I cycle a lot being self-employed in a small town. I checked out a few shops and found the perfect bike for me - for £210. I'm not made of money (not that succesfull as a small businessman yet!). So here was my dilemma: sell the card I had for just enough money for a new bike, thus saving £200 for other more noble purposes such as the impending birth of my child, or get a funky little pet and a chance at a beta.
Well, I reckon you can all guess which way I went with this.
I now have a nice little mini-Tyrael following me around in WoW and I am playing the beta for WotLK most days. And I blew 200 quid on a new bike. Its very nice, thanks for asking.
What kind of attention whore am I though, that I threw away the opportunity for a free bicycle, exchanged it for a vanity pet in a make-believe world populated only by people I have never met? One point of view is that I have spent £200 for a few admiring whispers and slight jealousy amongst my comrades. And, as mentioned earlier, the very dubious credibility of playing the beta or WoW's next expansion while everyone else is grinding out heroic badges in Kara.
Does anyone else find themselves making completely irrational decisions over ingame objects or gameplay benefits?
yawn
Mon Jul 28 2008 7:00AMStupid spolied attention whore blogger.
Mon Jul 28 2008 7:46AMSpoiled for the grammar nazis.
Mon Jul 28 2008 8:16AMHaha, thanks for taking the time out of your days to comment. And then correcting your comment. And still getting it wrong.
Mon Jul 28 2008 12:11PMInteresting how such a thing as virtual game can hook you and let you make irrational decicions. But if I had been in your shoes I would probably do the same thing.
Thanks for good and funny post, keep up the good work :)
Mon Jul 28 2008 12:34PMWell thats what you deserve for being so entrenched in the lamest game that is WoW. Am i the only one that nationally hates WoW and theyre players? i mean its a real snow-balling effect of sleezy noob tards, i remember when MMORPGS really meant somthing other than buying everything meaningless the game represented and carrying on to think you were a badass in the virtual world... You and alot of other ppl need to be shunned and cast into virtual genocide!
Mon Jul 28 2008 3:00PMits actually very sad what this games do to people.
Mon Jul 28 2008 7:11PMI'm not a cunt sock, so I don't find myself making such decisions.
Mon Jul 28 2008 7:40PMIn a game like wow, where individuality is screwed from your first mission, you had a chance to deviate and you took it. SWG was a different lot, there are many ways to express your toon. Note, I said WAS.
If it makes you feel better the kid could give two shakes about your bike or your toon.
200 quid don't mean that much. You made a good choicem cause the kid will give -1 shakes.
Mon Jul 28 2008 8:21PMLol, what is it about this post that's drawn so many fools to leave childish comments? Is it because there's a semi-rude word in the title (ooh! it says whore! that makes my pubescent hormones rush! I'd better go type something rude!)?
Please note I'm not referring to everyone that's commented. Thanks to those of you with something constructive to say.
Tue Jul 29 2008 6:17AMMMORPG.com writes:
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