Online Gaming a waiste of money, to expensive? Or worth it?

[Assassin X]

***WARNING this post "will" cause debate . So since we all know we cant change each others minds lets try and be friendly***

I recently got done playing the Matrix ONline free testing thing and now thats its ove rim not interested in getting it. SO heres my questions to you all.

Is online gaming really worth all the money?

You pay $15 for the average MMO game a month which comes to $180 a year. $1800 after 10 years.

Dont you think your blowing cash on a game that doesnt get you anything? All you get is a charecter that levels up and you run around doing the same thing day in and day out, basically real life but with more ficiton.

Most people tell me, $!5 for a month of enetertainment is worth it or that you spend more just renting movies and games in a week. I have a good response then...

PLay free games.

I can play for instance CS:S, yes while it may be full of assholes sometimes i can get new maps, mods, skins ...etc for free and i dont have to pay a dime, besides Paying the $50 for HL2 one time obviously. And i get HL2DM and DOD and even MORE mods, maps ...etc which means more online gaming. I mean there already talk of Teamfortress 2. That will be free and have free stuff.

I have about 15 games that i can play online with stuff i download every day and play online and offline everyday for FREE. So why waiste $15 again?

Now i know what your saying. Have you actually played an MMO? Yep, had Everquest for 2 years. Had Galaxies for a few months and recently tried the Matrix Online. REPETITIVE and who wants to pay for that even if i get some new content and lets not forget you have to for every little thing.

So:
MMO = $$$
Everything else that comes with community free released things that never stops = Free

So whats your opinion? Online gaming waiste of money? Or worth it?

[Sharpshooter]

"My flame sense is tingling!"

Is online gaming really worth all the money?

That depends upon the gamer's style/preference in gaming and the games in question.

Dont you think your blowing cash on a game that doesnt get you anything? All you get is a charecter that levels up and you run around doing the same thing day in and day out, basically real life but with more ficiton.

I wouldn't say that. There's an entire market on E-Bay for stuff people find on their games - by selling rare and powerful weapons from Diablo and Diablo II, a person can make quite a tidy sum (Zod runes go for something around fifteen bucks a shot).

I can play for instance CS:S, yes while it may be full of assholes sometimes i can get new maps, mods, skins ...etc for free and i dont have to pay a dime, besides Paying the $50 for HL2 one time obviously. And i get HL2DM and DOD and even MORE mods, maps ...etc which means more online gaming. I mean there already talk of Teamfortress 2. That will be free and have free stuff.

They're also fairly limited, in a sense. Sure, you have numerous maps and features built in and can add more - but that's peanuts compared to the whole of a world a person can get in games like Ragnarok Online and Ultima Online.

I have about 15 games that i can play online with stuff i download every day and play online and offline everyday for FREE. So why waiste $15 again?

See the above responses.

Now i know what your saying. Have you actually played an MMO? Yep, had Everquest for 2 years. Had Galaxies for a few months and recently tried the Matrix Online. REPETITIVE and who wants to pay for that even if i get some new content and lets not forget you have to for every little thing.

I suppose that's a thing of taste, and can't really be helped - some people, however, love the idea and action in these games. There's something about being able to meet up with several other people and do a massive dungeon spelunk, with creepy critters at every turn and your life at stake, and the interaction between these people can make it worthwhile. You can have wars between two different player factions playing out right before your eyes, you've got the competition to become the strongest, smartest, or fastest character or the most skilled clan, you've got the desire to explore every square inch of this massive gae world - for some gamers, there's nothing that can top that.

And how, pray tell, is an on-line game any more repetative than a regular single-player or single-consol title? AI certainly doesn't have as much spontinuity as a human opponant - and it's so much more satisfying when you rape a living opponant and watch them panic in the last few seconds before they die.

[Lord Pounder]

I've been an avad MMO player for a few years now and i consider it worth the money. Prior to starting MMO's i would have bought roughly a game every month or so, however due to the fact i'm an obsessive gamer i'd complete it or get bored with it in less than a month. With an MMO i am paying £7 - £10 a month depending on the game, but it's a game that never ends and with a good guild at your back you can have tremendous fun.

Try WoW and see what a MMO looks like when it's done right.

[lPeregrine]

It's just personal preference. I would consider it a waste of $15 a month for myself, because I don't enjoy that kind of game. I'd consider it no different than wasting money on renting a bad movie. But if there was a good game with a monthly fee, I wouldn't really mind.

Most people tell me, $!5 for a month of enetertainment is worth it or that you spend more just renting movies and games in a week. I have a good response then...

PLay free games.

But that argument is perfectly valid. Look at it in perspective, I can easily spend $15 on a night or two of dinner. The $15 a month fee is not a huge burden like some people claim it is. Actually, if you enjoy the game, $15 a month gives a better cost/hours of entertainment ratio than most things.

As for free games, not everyone likes them. While I think they're boring, some people love the gameplay provided by MMORPGs. And the only free ones that exist are clearly inferior. Telling someone to play a different kind of game that they may or may not enjoy is pointless.

[IRG CommandoJoe]

I've never tried a MMORPG game because of the monthly fees and also because I find them boring. Now if they made a MMOFPS or something combat-oriented I might find it more interesting. But then again, there is the money issue. Perhaps if I enjoyed a combat-oriented MMO game demo I might be persuaded to pay.

[General Brock]

I've downloaded maps, but actually seeking other players online didn't seem worth the trouble. If you want it, spend it, though.

$15 a month is a movie and snack, and only lasts a couple of hours. $15 is a couple of paperbacks, magazines, or a discounted game, or a restaurant meal. There is an 'owned' thread in G n'C, and some online players seemed to have found the experience well worth the price.

[Terr Fangbite]

My reason for hating mmorpgs is this:

All games no matter what their playability is cost 50 dollars when they come out. Evercrack (sorry everquest) and half-life 2 both cost 50 bucks. The difference betweent the two is that with Evercrack is that for that 50 bucks you may only get 3 months if any to play. After those 3 months you must pay more money to continue playing. With Half-Life 2, even if you had to pay for servers, you can still play the game alone, or at lan parties. For that 50 bucks you get a life-time membership to play city. For Evercrack and similar games, If for any reason that you stop paying, or the game decides to stop hosting servers, you now have a pretty coaster and a paper weight manuel. I still play games I bought ten years ago. I can't do that with mmorpgs.

[phongn]

As others noted, it is a matter of personal preference. $15 may be less than an hour's wages for many people yet provide much more than an hour of entertainment. Or it might not be worth it to them.

[lPeregrine]

My reason for hating mmorpgs is this:

All games no matter what their playability is cost 50 dollars when they come out. Evercrack (sorry everquest) and half-life 2 both cost 50 bucks. The difference betweent the two is that with Evercrack is that for that 50 bucks you may only get 3 months if any to play. After those 3 months you must pay more money to continue playing. With Half-Life 2, even if you had to pay for servers, you can still play the game alone, or at lan parties. For that 50 bucks you get a life-time membership to play city. For Evercrack and similar games, If for any reason that you stop paying, or the game decides to stop hosting servers, you now have a pretty coaster and a paper weight manuel. I still play games I bought ten years ago. I can't do that with mmorpgs.

But you are paying for servers, just like your HL2 example. A MMORPG has long-term costs for the company to continue to provide you with a server to play on. Especially if you want frequent content updates. So it makes sense to charge a monthly fee to keep the game going.

Of course you do make a good point about the final fate of these games. I'd like it if whenever they shut down the official servers, they released a patch that allowed you to run your own.

[Assassin X]

I know someone online that plays 5 MMos.....5!!!

Thats a total waist of money. I mean im all for having fun and what not but im also for being responsible to in life. And blowing that mouch money on 5 games is just ridiculous.

Personally i just havent found any MMO to be interesting after awhile, they feel repetitive even with everything the companies try to do to freshen them up its basically the same thing but with a change here and a change there. And the money adds up after awhile so in my mind i think of it as money i could have spent on needed food or bills or even that nice new game i wanted...etc.

But hey i cant complain in some ways because it does help fund the companies and at least a little of that money might go towards better game in the future!

[lPeregrine]

I know someone online that plays 5 MMos.....5!!!

Thats a total waist of money. I mean im all for having fun and what not but im also for being responsible to in life. And blowing that mouch money on 5 games is just ridiculous.

If you've got the money and interest, why not? What makes MMORPGs less valid a use of entertainment money than all the countless other things we waste money on?

Personally i just havent found any MMO to be interesting after awhile, they feel repetitive even with everything the companies try to do to freshen them up its basically the same thing but with a change here and a change there. And the money adds up after awhile so in my mind i think of it as money i could have spent on needed food or bills or even that nice new game i wanted...etc.

Which is personal preference. I agree, the games that exist now don't interest me enough to be worth paying a monthly fee. I'd rather do other things with my entertainment money. But that's a problem with what they're offering for $15 a month, not the principle of a pay-per-month game. I'd willingly pay $15 a month if I found a pay-per-month game I enjoyed.

[wautd]

I the game gives you what you were looking for, than how can it be a waste of money?

I play 1 MMO. The first and only game I ever payed a monthly fee for. 1 acount is enough, I doubt to have 2 (like so many). Even more is madness

I know someone online that plays 5 MMos.....5!!!

I guy in my MMO had a player with 10 acounts for the same game. Madness I tell ya

[ArmorPierce]

I've never tried a MMORPG game because of the monthly fees and also because I find them boring. Now if they made a MMOFPS or something combat-oriented I might find it more interesting. But then again, there is the money issue. Perhaps if I enjoyed a combat-oriented MMO game demo I might be persuaded to pay.

There are MMOFPS

[Utsanomiko]

If you generally buy one less game every four months due to the amount of time you regularly spend playing an MMO, you're not wasting money. You're paying for services and maintenance for a game that's larger and contains more gameplay than a normal game, and for most people that means they can focus on their MMO and require less new games a year for their gaming needs.