How In-App Purchasing Has Not Really Destroyed the Games Industry

Interesting counterpoint, from Drew Crawford:

See, in the in-app purchase model actually predates phones. It predates video game consoles. It goes all the way back to the arcade, where millions of consumers were happy to pay a whole quarter ($0.89 in 2013 dollars) to pay for just a few minutes. The entire video games industry comes from this model. Kids these days.

I think the comparison to coin-op arcade games is fair, but I’d say it only proves that some forms of in-app purchasing in games are reasonable. Clearly, some of the techniques we’re starting to see are inexcusable.

Update: Interesting thread on ADN regarding this retort; I agree with Neven Mrgan that it doesn’t really address the points in Thomas Baekdal’s original argument. One argument is about the artistic integrity of video games; the other is about how to make money.

★ Monday, 3 February 2014