“Get Over” the Pay to Win Controversy: Almost two weeks after it was released, Lost Ark, a Korean free-to-play MMO, is still very popular. Part of the reason the game has been so popular on Twitch is that popular streamers like Shroud keep playing it. Some people don’t like Lost Ark, though.
“Pay-to-win” is a term used to describe the game’s aggressive monetization. Shroud recently talked about this during one of his Twitch streams. He told his more than 10,000 viewers to “get over it.”
Get over it, and Shroud tells his Twitch viewers when they ask what he thinks about Lost Ark being pay-to-win.
To Shroud’s credit, he doesn’t deny or try to hide the fact that Lost Ark has pay-to-win monetization, which is what most people say when they ask. He’s just fine with how Lost Ark makes money and disagrees with the current debate.
Shroud does try to say how he feels about how Lost Ark is made money, though. Shroud thinks all MMOs are pay-to-win. Because even in games that don’t change the gameplay, there are people who “cheat.”
Outside of a game’s terms of service, gold miners like these can sell gold to other players and give them in-game advantages like better loot or runs through complex content. Shroud thinks that game developers should offer these kinds of services to make money.
“Get Over” the Pay to Win Controversy
When he talks about Lost Ark’s monetization, he says that the MMO’s current microtransaction monetization “can be pricey.” He even says it’s “not worth it.” The only thing that bothers him is that “some rich shmucks spend a lot of money to get a little ahead.”
If the heating system is built into the game, it helps the game grow and be better in the future.
There is a good point Shroud is making. There will always be people who cheat or spend money on pay-to-win microtransactions to get ahead in online games, no matter what.
Try to enjoy games your way and not compare yourself to these other players. On the other hand, much of what Shroud says isn’t always true. People who sell gold, hack accounts or run premium gear runs don’t go away if you make a lot of money.
Systems like Lost Ark’s subscription service make it more difficult and time-consuming to play the game in a traditional way, which is why put them in place.
Because Shroud is so angry, it’s easy to see why. He’s both rich and has as much time. As he needs to play any game he wants in any way he wants. It’s more complicated for most people who play MMOs because time and money are essential to them.
Getting rid of exploitative monetization systems isn’t as easy as it sounds for them to do. Shroud isn’t going to solve the problems with pay-to-win games like Lost Ark and other games like that.
On PC, Lost Ark is out now.
