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Play Games Free History

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Free-to-play sometimes derided as Pay-To-Win refers to any video game or social or mobile application that has the option of allowing its players/users to play/download without paying. The model was first popularly used in early massively multiplayer online games (MMO) targeted towards casual gamers, before finding wider adoption among games released by major video game publishers to combat video game piracy and high system requirements. Since games using the concept are available at no cost to players, they use other means to gather revenue, such as charging money for certain in-game items (like powerful bonuses which are usually available for real money only) or integrating advertisements into the game. Free-to-play can be contrasted with pay-to-play, in which payment is required before using a service. Pay-to-play games usually offer equal gaming experience for all players while free-to-play games give advantage to premium players. Free-to-play games are similar to freemium, a more general term and a business model in which a product is offered free of charge while a micropayment is charged for users to access premium features and virtual goods. Shareware by contrast typically only offers a portion of the game, such as Id Software's first-episode shareware versions of many of their early first-person shooters. If there is no charge payable for any feature in a game, it's known as freeware.[1]

Contents [hide]

1 History

2 Concept

3 From free-to-play

4 Criticism

5 Examples

6 P2P to F2P conversions

7 See also

8 References

9 External links

History[edit]

The free-to-play (F2P) model can trace its roots back to MMOs targeted towards children and casual gamers, such as Furcadia (1996), Neopets (1999), RuneScape (2001) and MapleStory (2003), or further back to text-based dungeons such as Achaea, Dreams of Divine Lands (1997).[2] RuneScape has approximately 10 million active accounts per month, nearly 200 million registered accounts,[3] [3]and is recognised by the Guinness World Records [4]as the world's most popular free MMORPG. Neopets and MapleStory are also among the largest MMOs available today in terms of number of users and profits since their launches. Games by larger video game companies soon followed, such as Battlefield Heroes (Electronic Arts, 2009), Free Realms (Sony, 2009), and Quake Live (id Software, 2010). Independent video game developers also took advantage of the model by providing inventive and innovative titles that do not need the larger budgets usually required by blockbuster games, while earning significant amounts of revenue due to the fact that these development teams often consist of only one or two people.[5]

The Internet has been cited as a primary influence on the increased usage of the free-to-play model, particularly among larger video game companies, and critics point to the ever-increasing need for free content that is available wherever and whenever as causes. On the PC in particular, two problems that are specific to the platform are video game piracy and high video game system requirements. The free-to-play model appears to solve both these problems, by providing a game that requires relatively low system requirements and no cost, and consequently provides a highly accessible experience funded by advertising and micropayments for extra content.[5]

Some of the earliest games that adapted the free-to-play model after using another model were subscription-based games, such as The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (2007), Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (2008), Champions Online (2009) and Heroes of Newerth (2010).[6]

Free-to-play is still a fairly "young form of gaming", and the video game industry is still attempting to determine the best ways to maximize revenue from their games. Gamers have cited the fact that purchasing a game for a fixed price is still inherently satisfying because the consumer knows exactly what they will be receiving, compared to free-to-play which requires that the player pay for most new content that they wish to obtain. The term itself, "free-to-play", has been described as one with a negative connotation. One video game developer noted this, stating, "Our hope—and the basket we're putting our eggs in—is that 'free' will soon be disassociated with [sic] 'shallow' and 'cruddy'." However, another noted that developing freeware games gave developers the largest amount of creative freedom, especially when compared to developing console games, which requires that the game follow the criteria as laid out by the game's publisher.[5]

In comparison, Charles Onyett says in an editorial for IGN that "expensive, one-time purchases are facing extinction". He believes that the current method of paying a one-time fee for most games will eventually disappear completely, perhaps after the next generation of consoles has arrived. He admits that major video game franchises will continue to have few problems selling many units, but notes that smaller companies with lesser known games will have trouble selling their games due to prohibitively high prices and will instead have to switch to the free-to-play model to survive.[6] Onyett continues by describing pricing models in video games as being in a "state of flux for some time now", concluding that this would naturally lead to the decline of one-time purchase prices. He claims that the reason that it feels as though the free-to-play approach is new is due to the fact that it has mostly been limited to computer games and outside North America until only recently.[6]

Concept[edit]

Some games have both a free version, and a pay-to-play version that offers the full version of the game and all available updates. Free-to-play games with pay-to-play components utilize the freebie marketing technique to draw in a user base with this advanced type of game demo. The term "free-to-play" is frequently heard in the context of MMOs. In comparison, the term "forever free-to-play game" (FF2P) is used to distinguish MMOGs that promise to never charge a subscription fee from those that are currently free-to-play, but may become pay-to-play in the future. It applies only to online games, because while a conventional single-player freeware game becomes free forever as soon as it is downloaded to the player's hard drive, a free online game may start charging a fee and instantly convert into a pay-to-play game.

From free-to-play[edit]

Many game developers keep a free-to-play version available so people can try the game before paying the membership costs. It also helps attract more players to the game. Other developers generate revenue by selling in-game items that enhance the player's in-game experience. Games with this option may be known as freemium games. [7][8][9] In-game items can be purely cosmetic (vanity items), enhance the power of the player (power items), or accelerate progression speed (booster items). A common technique used by developers of these games is for the items purchased to have a time limit; after this expires, the item must be repurchased before use can continue. Another commonly seen mechanic is the use of two in-game currencies: one earned (relatively easily) through normal gameplay, and another which can be purchased with real-world money. The second, "premium" currency is sometimes given out in small amounts to non-paying players at certain times, such as when they first start the game, or when they complete a quest or refer a friend to the game. Many browser games have an "energy bar" which depletes when the player takes actions. These games then sell items such as coffee or snacks to refill the bar. [10]

In-game advertising is another method that can be used by game developers to supplement income lost from providing a game for free.

Free-to-play games are free to install and play, but once the player enters the game, the player is able to purchase content such as items, maps, and expanded customization options.[6]

The free-to-play model has been described as a shift from the traditional model in the sense that previously, success was measured by multiplying the number of units of a game sold by the unit price, while with free-to-play, the most important factor is the number of players that a game can keep continuously engaged, followed by how many compelling spending opportunities the game offers its players. With free games that include in-game purchases, two particularly important things occur: first, more people will try out the game since there is zero cost to doing so and second, revenue will likely be more than a traditional game since different players can now spend different amounts of money that depend on their engagement with the game and their preferences towards it. It is not unlikely for some players to spend tens of thousands of dollars in a game that they enjoy.[11]

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