I've been working on my own MMO for awhile now and could probably get the base game done within less than a year.

But I was wondering, how viable would it be to not charge anything for the game but accept donations instead?

 

The only real costs I'd need to cover are ISP and power costs since I'd be running the server from my house. Of coarse it would be nice if I could live off donation money too but let's not get ahead of ourselves :).

I would suggest some sort of freemium model rather than straight up donations.  A lot of times, players will view buying extras or bonuses in a freemium game as donating and do so partially because they want to support the game and partially to get the bonus or whatever.  It would help to encourage the "donations" and also reward those who donate.  It is a bit more work, since you have to somehow integrate the payments with your game, but I would guess that the increase in donations/payments would make it worth it.

Originally posted by JeffL

I would suggest some sort of freemium model rather than straight up donations.  A lot of times, players will view buying extras or bonuses in a freemium game as donating and do so partially because they want to support the game and partially to get the bonus or whatever.  It would help to encourage the "donations" and also reward those who donate.  It is a bit more work, since you have to somehow integrate the payments with your game, but I would guess that the increase in donations/payments would make it worth it.

 Freemium only works if he has considerable content and a relatively finished game.  

 

I think you would be better off offering cheap year long subscriptions.  IMHO, I would probably start at $50 if you have a month or less of content.  If your game is more basic, then I would consider a cheaper price.

Depends on who the game is aimed for. If it's kids or teens, You'll never get donations. Also games like WoW couldn't but I could see games like Eve getting donations. I would suggest maybe a freemium or one time payment with long free trial, similar to what Global Agenda Had.

Go with donations as you work on it. Unlike the others, I actually know that if your game is good, people would donate. People in jtv donate to the broadcasters they like. Private servers earn money through donations. It wont be a lot of earning nut it will be enough to keep you afloat

Originally posted by JeffL

I would suggest some sort of freemium model rather than straight up donations.  A lot of times, players will view buying extras or bonuses in a freemium game as donating and do so partially because they want to support the game and partially to get the bonus or whatever.  It would help to encourage the "donations" and also reward those who donate.  It is a bit more work, since you have to somehow integrate the payments with your game, but I would guess that the increase in donations/payments would make it worth it.

This one looks like a good idea.