08.September.2014

Have you ever played a massively multiplayer online game that claims to be free to play and instantly thought to yourself "If I paid into this game, I'd be better off"?

In the modern day of gaming, most MMO gamers can tell you that most of the time the label of 'free to play' is not all that free after all.  Whilst most gamers would happily pay for a great game on a subscription-only, such as games like World of Warcraft, we all prefer the idea of playing a game for free. So why aren't they free anymore?

Since most games can't compete with the main subscription-only MMOs, any new MMO is released as 'free to play', but you need to be wary of the games which use this label. Since these games do not have to be purchased, they all now come with a mini-transaction store. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Games such as Rift and Path of Exile may have cash shops in-game, but they do not result in you being able to buy major advantages over other players. The cash shop is merely there for the cosmetic and catch-up purposes of the player.

For other MMO games, the cash shop is there to improve your character in ways you can not improve in-game. In the game Forsaken World, for example, you can buy gems, fusion agents, pets and their pet skills on the in-game store. All of these things improve your character and can improve them from the start. They give the players an advantage over every other player who doesn't buy in, and most of the time you need to buy into the game to actually have any success generally, not just with the PvP aspect. These are the claimed 'free to play' games you need to look out for, as they are more 'pay to win' than anything else. Most of the time, you can tell that these games aren't all that free by reading the chat window in-game for about five minutes as it tends to be spammed with people buying and selling for high amounts of in-game gold. Whilst the games themselves never say you have to spend money to win, there is always the competition to be better than the rest which fuels the spending of the hard earned money lining your wallet and the 'sales' they have frequently on in-game items that you need to improve your character.

Do 'free to play' games still exist in the MMO world? Yes, but you need to search to find them. Check the reviews online and always remember to try the game. There may be a buying aspect to the game, at certain points, but the choice to buy is always your own. Every game out there is worth a trial, and there may even be one worth spending for.

~ Kirks