Ehmmm...this is in Korea, where they have to put such limitations due to laws, Aion will have a different pricing setup here in US/EU.

i wouldnt play a p2p game with a 10 hour/day time limit even if i dont use it all. what if one day i have a complete free saturday or sunday off and i want to do an ever so rare now hardcore day?

if it were a f2p game it wouldnt be a problem cuz 99% of them arent worth putting much time into anyways.

Originally posted by nomadian

I read recently that Aion have imposed some limit on playtime to a maximum of 300 hours in a month. (This works out approx. at 10 hours/day.)

What are your thoughts on this being say applied to other mmos? Would it stop you playing it or do you think it could be a useful addition to curb excessive playing? I personally think that number could very easily be brought down to 250 and still allow 99% of people to play as much as they liked.

First of all: This is only working for Korean Market, Not the western one. Aion is not having this time limits in the western market, as far as I know.

Second: No it shouldnt be applied. Everybody have the right to die playing if he wants, really. No mmorpg should have such limitation unless it allows for a lower monthly cost. for example:

14,99 $ monthly without time limit

9,99 $ monthly with a max of 100 hours monthly.

See, this way carebears and people with little time to play will have deal. In fact this may open the mmorpg market to a lot of players: The ones thinking "Im not spending 14,99 a month to play only on weekends".

I think 10 hours a day is ok. I have set limits like this myself in the past when I am on holiday or something. however pushing the limit anymore would probably result in me not subbing ever.

Originally posted by Salio69

i wouldnt play a p2p game with a 10 hour/day time limit even if i dont use it all. what if one day i have a complete free saturday or sunday off and i want to do an ever so rare now hardcore day?

 

if it were a f2p game it wouldnt be a problem cuz 99% of them arent worth putting much time into anyways.

You can play 24h/day, but then you'll run out of your 300h faster. It's not about 10h a day, it's about 300h a month.

Originally posted by Ephimero

Originally posted by Salio69

i wouldnt play a p2p game with a 10 hour/day time limit even if i dont use it all. what if one day i have a complete free saturday or sunday off and i want to do an ever so rare now hardcore day?

 

if it were a f2p game it wouldnt be a problem cuz 99% of them arent worth putting much time into anyways.

 

You can play 24h/day, but then you'll run out of your 300h faster. It's not about 10h a day, it's about 300h a month.

 

I think 300 hours a month for $14.95 is a fair deal.

I would not mind if the company said you could play beyond your 300 hours, if you paid an additional fee. The vast majority of players would not bother, becuase they wouldn't need it.  Again, I think this will help stop bots, shared accounts, gold farming, and the like, and cut down on bandwidth usage, which is beneficial for MMORPGs.

Just look at the gold farming issue alone. 14.95, and you can play an account 24/7 for 30 days generating gold. With this system, that is cut down to only 12.5 days for 14.95 if you play 24/7. This means gold prices should increase, cutting down the purchase of in game gold.

Well, there are better ways to control then there is limited to play.I for one wont pay the extra fee on top of a fee that you pay to play in the first place.

Why pay for something when you are limited? Only the dumb ones will pay. I want more for my hard earn dollar!

And those who think it a great idea needs to see there Doctor right away. Or don't play the game.We don't want your kind! Its people like them who destroy the MMO's.

Whats next? Should  Big Brother send the gamers to see a PSYCHOLOGIST to see if they are capable to play a MMO and for the extra hours to?

For me, the "pros" outweigh the "cons."  Limiting the impact of buffbots, farmers, communal accounts, and powerleveling services can only help this genre.  The playing times of hardcore addicts whose gaming addiction is so advanced that they neither sleep, nor eat, nor engage in basic hygene to satisfy their gaming habit is simply not an important interest to consider.

This is an absolutely retarded idea. Never ever should an MMO company restrict how much a paying customer can play. I would never play over 300h a month, but if I wanted to I should be able to. I realize this is a Korean law, but enforcing this on U.S. players would be a dumb idea. I would never play a game that made me pay and then restricted how much I played.

I think this is a poor choice and I am unsure of the actual intended goal by the company.

If it is to control buffbots and gold farmers then find a better way. Do not let paying customers be impacted by that.

If it is to limit gameplay to conserve or condence resources (like the amount of game servers) I say the same thing. This is a company issue that should not impact the customer.

If the intended goal is more benevolent and to help people not be too addicted, etc. which I doubt. This is not the way to go.

I recall the things that EQ did to "suggest" limiting gameplay like "rest' period XP bonuses so if you limit your own play you get a bonus when you do play. A timer that notifies you how long you have been on that YOU the customer can set, etc.

Conversely, If you agree to the terms of service with this clause clearly identified then you are saying "I will pay and I am OK with this restriction". For me, I would be OK with it becuase as much as I love my games I have a wife, kids, and a job and can't really play 300 hours a month on any one game anyway.

I personally think the idea is retarded.  If people like the game enough they will continue playing over 300 hours regardless... Nothing can stop them from opening a second account and I think the bigwigs behind aion realize this and are exploiting it in an indirect way.  The game could be amazing but if it releases in NA with these restrictions it's definately on my boycott list.  Nobody tells me, a grown man, how long I can fucking play a video game.

It's a shit for brains idea from a fucked-up communist country. So my opinion about that should be clear, but for the slow, nope it's a horrible idea. Everyone should be able to decide for themselfes how much they want to play. 300 hours a month on an mmo is some sick hours though. 10h/day omg... I'd be so damn tired of the entire concept of gaming and computers I would most likely sell my pc and consoles if I played that much each day. I know there are people that do though.

Originally posted by slask777

It's a shit for brains idea from a fucked-up communist country. So my opinion about that should be clear, but for the slow, nope it's a horrible idea. Everyone should be able to decide for themselfes how much they want to play. 300 hours a month on an mmo is some sick hours though. 10h/day omg... I'd be so damn tired of the entire concept of gaming and computers I would most likely sell my pc and consoles if I played that much each day. I know there are people that do though.

I don't get your logic at all, sorry.

So, you're confortable with paying 15$ to play a month? Aren't they limiting the ammount of time you play? Why can't we play 45 days with our 15$? or 32?

IT'S A DIFFERENT PAYMENT METHOD THAT IS ACCEPTED IN THAT CERTAIN COUNTRY (which btw, isn't communist, you're confusing it with China, which then again, is capitalist nowadays).

I like the idea.   The only people doing 300 hours are Gold Farmers,  and people whom have NO life at all.  It  levels the playing field so that working professionals can compete with the lifeless 20'somethings living at home with mom.

Originally posted by FE|Tachyon

I like the idea.   The only people doing 300 hours are Gold Farmers,  and people whom have NO life at all.  It  levels the playing field so that working professionals can compete with the lifeless 20'somethings living at home with mom.

Well, you show me how your casual dollar is somehow worth more than a hardcore players dollar. Last time I checked, a dollar was a dollar no matter how much you play.

It shouldn't be applied to any game, if you can't control how long you play a game I don't care if you die.

Originally posted by ManJunk

... Nobody tells me, a grown man, how long I can fucking play a video game.

Wanna bet? You are already told to do thousands things and you obey or meet the law enforcement sooner or later.

When at the beginning of 20th century countries started to limit driving speed, the common reaction was the same: nobody will tell me how fast can I fucking drive my own car...and look now :-)

Anyway if the limit is set to 300h/month then the issue stays almost exclusively ideological - because  how many players will get even close too that limit? Except of gold farmers and bot-ers that is... I definitely see good sides of introducing such a limit, but think it should be an server-based limit for those who choose it.

Originally posted by Ephimero

Originally posted by slask777

It's a shit for brains idea from a fucked-up communist country. So my opinion about that should be clear, but for the slow, nope it's a horrible idea. Everyone should be able to decide for themselfes how much they want to play. 300 hours a month on an mmo is some sick hours though. 10h/day omg... I'd be so damn tired of the entire concept of gaming and computers I would most likely sell my pc and consoles if I played that much each day. I know there are people that do though.

 

I don't get your logic at all, sorry.

So, you're confortable with paying 15$ to play a month? Aren't they limiting the ammount of time you play? Why can't we play 45 days with our 15$? or 32?

IT'S A DIFFERENT PAYMENT METHOD THAT IS ACCEPTED IN THAT CERTAIN COUNTRY (which btw, isn't communist, you're confusing it with China, which then again, is capitalist nowadays).

Well, I ment that to force a limit on your playtime each month is a bad idea and stinks of communism ie. the goverment decide what you're allowed to do.

Korea been under communism though and North Korea still is. They call is socialism but it's under communist rule. South Korea is a republic though, with democracy at it's core even though this idea stink communism a mile away.

We got the same shit in my country(Norway). The government want to decide what good or bad for me. I'm a bloody adult and should be able to choose for myself ffs. The bad thing in my country is that while people may be upset about the laws being passed around by powerhungry morons, all we do is sit in our homes and shake our fists. We never go out and protest it. The government should fear the people and what we can do to them if we are unhappy with their rule, not the opposite way around. A revolution now and then is a healthy thing for a country I think.

...venting over

Spending more than 10 hours a day playing a computer game is not healthy. All games should impose this not only as a bot deterrant but as a welfare issue.

Completely awesome idea. These game producers set out to make their game the most addictive it can be to retain subs for as long as possible, with no consideration of a gamers well being. The only enforced balance to that is the government. I assume that anyone who is so vehemently oppossed to this are the slobs who wont go get a real job and substitute MMO gaming for one.

this timelimit lockout dose not apply for the US. Only the asian countrys. Though its probly a good idea to a point. Unless for ppl like me who get paid to play and review games then we would be losing time

Originally posted by Zorvan

Originally posted by FE|Tachyon

I like the idea.   The only people doing 300 hours are Gold Farmers,  and people whom have NO life at all.  It  levels the playing field so that working professionals can compete with the lifeless 20'somethings living at home with mom.

 

Well, you show me how your casual dollar is somehow worth more than a hardcore players dollar. Last time I checked, a dollar was a dollar no matter how much you play.

Obviouisly your NOT an economics major here.   If you paid 15 dollars and got 400 hours out of it,  your Dollars would have MORE value.      I understand why you say this.  You want to have an EDGE over most other people.  I want an level playing field.

Originally posted by slask777

Originally posted by Ephimero

Originally posted by slask777

It's a shit for brains idea from a fucked-up communist country. So my opinion about that should be clear, but for the slow, nope it's a horrible idea. Everyone should be able to decide for themselfes how much they want to play. 300 hours a month on an mmo is some sick hours though. 10h/day omg... I'd be so damn tired of the entire concept of gaming and computers I would most likely sell my pc and consoles if I played that much each day. I know there are people that do though.

 

I don't get your logic at all, sorry.

So, you're confortable with paying 15$ to play a month? Aren't they limiting the ammount of time you play? Why can't we play 45 days with our 15$? or 32?

IT'S A DIFFERENT PAYMENT METHOD THAT IS ACCEPTED IN THAT CERTAIN COUNTRY (which btw, isn't communist, you're confusing it with China, which then again, is capitalist nowadays).

 

Well, I ment that to force a limit on your playtime each month is a bad idea and stinks of communism ie. the goverment decide what you're allowed to do.

Korea been under communism though and North Korea still is. They call is socialism but it's under communist rule. South Korea is a republic though, with democracy at it's core even though this idea stink communism a mile away.

We got the same shit in my country(Norway). The government want to decide what good or bad for me. I'm a bloody adult and should be able to choose for myself ffs. The bad thing in my country is that while people may be upset about the laws being passed around by powerhungry morons, all we do is sit in our homes and shake our fists. We never go out and protest it. The government should fear the people and what we can do to them if we are unhappy with their rule, not the opposite way around. A revolution now and then is a healthy thing for a country I think.

...venting over

You are an adult, but there are lots of non-adult players who can't control themselves, If Im selling a product and people start dying cause of misuse of it, it's not going to be good for my image/bussiness.

This is just about a different payment method, it's been a long time since time cards were implemented, in China, you also pay per hours, in Korea, with all the internet cafes and such being a popular thing, it's understandable.

By the way, it seems that the government of Korea doesn't have any restriction or law, it's just that Korean gamers are used to such payment systems and that NCsoft wants to control the abusement of account sharing and powerleveling services over there. The government isn't dictating how many hours they play, the game sets a sales model, and if people accept them, they pay. With a 90% of retention after Aion's open beta over there, one would think that they trully accepted the payment method.

Originally posted by protoroc

Completely awesome idea. These game producers set out to make their game the most addictive it can be to retain subs for as long as possible, with no consideration of a gamers well being. The only enforced balance to that is the government. I assume that anyone who is so vehemently oppossed to this are the slobs who wont go get a real job and substitute MMO gaming for one.

I was thinking the same thing.   I gotta fiend who plays about that much.  His room consists of dirty laundry and cigarette ashes.   Perhaps something like this 300/month Thing could save his life.  Its the Christian thing to do.  -joke

Originally posted by jircris

this timelimit lockout dose not apply for the US. Only the asian countrys. Though its probly a good idea to a point. Unless for ppl like me who get paid to play and review games then we would be losing time

IF your IN 1 game for more then 10 hours a day for 30 days strait,  HOW many games could you possibly review.   I call BULLCRAP on this post.