11–15 of 15 posts
Do I think it's a good business model for certain games and game-like interactions? Absolutely.
Do I think it's silly to pay money for virtual goods? Absolutely not. You pay for hapiness plenty of other ways, who cares what the vehicle of that emotion is?
Have I ever purchased virtual goods? Yes. Over $2,000 across 8 games.
Whether they know it or not, most people already buy virtual goods.
Every time you buy $150 sneakers, you're buying $120 worth of virtual goods.
Bottle service at a club. $450 worth of virtual goods, $50 worth of alcohol.
An engagement ring. $10,000 worth of virtual goods. $1,000 worth of diamond.
A tier 7 rainment in WoW. $99.999 worth of virtual goods, $0.001 worth of goods.
Etc.
This works well in Asian markets due to emerging markets and Asian culture. While it is more understated in Western culture, Asian culture is all about progress, and monetary progress is reflected by conspicuous consumption. Therefore, virtual gifts/goods is a display of that same progress. Furthermore, Asians are educated through a largely abstract approach, which allows them to understand the worth of virtual items…
Asia is home to a great diversity of cultures and languages, a little more discretion would be appropriate when talking about it in such definite terms.
With the focus now advancing in social media and virtual worlds, I am sure a large portion of users are willing to pay to "look good" or for a show of status.
From what I gather this is kind of like playing poker, except you can just go out and buy more decks to stack your hand. Just doesn't seem fair or fun to me.
A similar partly-virtual good I can't wrap my head round is intentionally limited-edition goods such as beanie babies.