Maybe we need a pornography-like definition ("I know it when I see it") but I think there is certainly a continuum from high-quality DLC / expansions to existing games (which can be basically a new game) down to crystals which allow you to instantly buy something which you'd have got anyway if you had waited.
So, consider a basic, Mario-kart like racing game - which of these are OK, and which are micro-transactions?
- buying additional courses,
- buying additional characters (drivers), vehicles, or components of vehicle (e.g. wheels, engines, bodies),
- buying permanent upgrades to your vehicle(s) (i.e. more speed, better acceleration, better handling)
- buying one-off power-ups that last for a single race, or are time-limited (+50% acceleration for 1 hour)
- buying 'cheats' - obvious play-to-win items (e.g. needing to complete 1 fewer lap than your opponent),
- buying regular game-progression; e.g. maybe 100 races/wins/hours of play are normally required to unlock all courses, but this can also be instantly purchased.
- any of the above options, but not bought directly, but rather via purchasing 'crystals' which can be exchanged for the above.
- any of the above options, but in a 'gatcha' style (i.e. loot boxes; you cannot choose which upgrade you want),
I think I'd be totally OK with the top three, maybe OK with buying permanent upgrades, and unlocking game progression (in this case), but the others are too far for me.
Some micro transactions are tolerable, some of the time, but every single one of these commercializes the product. IMO if they exist, the game should be free-to-play. Where I really get annoyed are games like Lego2K (racing game) where you pay $60 to play, and then it's also full of microtransactions (for cars, courses, cosmetics, you name it).
I think it's a different matter when it's a content-filled DLC add-on to the game. Yes, the line for that is a bit arbitrary, but the classic example would be Starcraft: Brood War (well, technically that was an expansion pack, but same idea). Adding a single additional course to a racing game blurs the line, I generally think content should be bundled so the gamer isn't constantly making financial decisions while playing.
I think all of those are micro-transactions. A nice blanket rule would be no additional payments past the initial purchase. Of course it doesn't stop a developer releasing v2/v3 etc., but it would ensure that the original application is maintained as per the promised features and service standards. Perhaps most importantly, it would reduce the incentive to build dark patterns into applications to encourage micro-transactions.
I don't see governments doing this, but I think we'll see something like this soon in the EU when we can install competing app stores.
Maybe we need a pornography-like definition ("I know it when I see it") but I think there is certainly a continuum from high-quality DLC / expansions to existing games (which can be basically a new game) down to crystals which allow you to instantly buy something which you'd have got anyway if you had waited.
So, consider a basic, Mario-kart like racing game - which of these are OK, and which are micro-transactions?
- buying additional courses,
- buying additional characters (drivers), vehicles, or components of vehicle (e.g. wheels, engines, bodies),
- buying purely cosmetic changes (e.g. driver outfits, vehicle colours),
- buying permanent upgrades to your vehicle(s) (i.e. more speed, better acceleration, better handling)
- buying one-off power-ups that last for a single race, or are time-limited (+50% acceleration for 1 hour)
- buying 'cheats' - obvious play-to-win items (e.g. needing to complete 1 fewer lap than your opponent),
- buying regular game-progression; e.g. maybe 100 races/wins/hours of play are normally required to unlock all courses, but this can also be instantly purchased.
- any of the above options, but not bought directly, but rather via purchasing 'crystals' which can be exchanged for the above.
- any of the above options, but in a 'gatcha' style (i.e. loot boxes; you cannot choose which upgrade you want),
I think I'd be totally OK with the top three, maybe OK with buying permanent upgrades, and unlocking game progression (in this case), but the others are too far for me.