Guild Wars 2

B.C. Lottery slogan = “Know your limit, play within it”

Makes sense to me. I spent 25 dollars on keys, knowing full well I was guaranteed a few boosters, tonics and a very rare chance at something special. Did I get it… NO, but I felt it was beyond generous to give us a second kick at the cat. Did I get it the second time around.. NO, but I’m not bitter. I came into it wanting to show support for an awesome company, and I succeeded.

Tommyknocker.6089:

B.C. Lottery slogan = “Know your limit, play within it”

Makes sense to me. I spent 25 dollars on keys, knowing full well I was guaranteed a few boosters, tonics and a very rare chance at something special. Did I get it… NO, but I felt it was beyond generous to give us a second kick at the cat. Did I get it the second time around.. NO, but I’m not bitter. I came into it wanting to show support for an awesome company, and I succeeded.

Same. I only spent around $25 on gems, bought 10 keys and converted the rest to a couple gold. Got mostly junk but that was to be expected. Not bitter about any of that.

What I am bitter about is here I am, farming and scrounging for gold rather than enjoying the event. I started coming into this even with curiosity and intrigue about the story and here I am, wondering what I get for doing the extra junk events to see if I can profit and buy what I want. If I’m bitter, it’s because this whole debacle has turned things away from being a festive holiday to a rush to get the inexplicably rare goodies before the event disappears.

I don’t even want a skin because it’s rare but because I like the look. See this book on my back? I don’t care if a billion people are wearing them, I like the way it looks on my Asura so I’m wearing it. If the same were true for a scythe or a shield, I’d still want it just as much and wear it just as often.

Leo, I have a feeling that by Christmas, we will all be chasing after a whole new set of items and these skins will be largely forgotten. I applaud your willingness to do what it takes to get the one you really want, but don’t make yourself miserable over it. Without a doubt there will be many more cool items to collect in the future and I bet that not all will require a grind.

Exactly people.

Only thing each and everyone of us can do is not give Anet anymore money. Im ok with that.

We can complain , which shows them we saw what they did , but honestly , i dont think they care.

So lets just close the wallets.

That’s it.

I’m unsubbing! =P

If you spent triple digits on gems, that was your choice. ArenaNet is not responsible for your choice. If you spend a bunch of money on Powerball and your numbers don’t come up, do you go around saying that the Lottery is to blame? Random number generators are random. Choose to gamble on randomness and there is a good chance you will lose.

Edit: Voloman, are you aware that it is entirely possible to buy 100 $1 lottery tickets and not recoup ANY of your initial investment in winnings? Just because there is a one in five chance of winning does not guarantee you WILL win anything. Learn about probability.

Wow. I couldn’t even imagine spending real money to open BL chest. I’ve never done it and I never will. In game gold, sure, but never real money. I’d use actual cash on the costumes or inventory, bank and character space, but never keys or boosts. Sorry you guys lost out on that stuff, but it smelled like a rat from a mile away.

@everyone saying “it’s perfectly fine for all the rewards to be cash based because you don’t have to spend cash if you don’t want to”

Events are supposed to be fun. Why do you want that fun tainted by having all of the event rewards locked away behind real money barriers? Do you really prefer playing a game where you only get rewarded by entering your CC info, when you could be playing the same game but get rewards from actually playing the game?

Some people think “well, the items are supposed to be rare”, and they’re absolutely right. But items can be rare without requiring cash stores. Other MMOs have had incredibly rare items that didn’t require a cash store involved at all for over 10 years. Why do you want GW2 to use anti-fun methods for getting rare items instead of using methods that promote having fun?

edit: I’m fine with there being a cash store in the game and I support it being there. But the game would be a lot more fun if the event rewards were part of the event, instead of being a reward for entering your CC info.

It’s really starting to get annoying that some people are trying to validate the cash shop by comparing it to a casino or lotto tickets.
Yes, we all know casino’s have games of chances, we all know that lotto is a game of chance. And we all know buying BLC keys are a game of chance.
But is everyone missing the point?
This is a video game with a PEGI rating of 12, and an ESRB rating of T, “real money” gambling should not be encouraged in a game with these ratings.

“Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, blood, simulated gambling, and/or frequent use of vulgar language.”

This is the official stance on titles with these ratings, the key here is “Simulated gambling”, a substantial portion of people buying these keys were buying them for the chance of a skin, and probably wouldnt be interested in buying the keys for any other reason, this is an encouragement to “real money” gamble in a game that is not ESRB or PEGI rated to reflect this.

I understand why people are getting angry at the whining about feeling ripped off, but i also have sympathy for these people. It essentially wrong for “real money” gambling to be in a game of this nature, and attacking people who feel ripped off serves no purpose. People have a right to be feeling upset over something that should not be in the game. Keep the gambling to “simulated ingame gambling”, this game is wildly and legally available to 12 year olds here in the UK, did PEGI or ESRB realise real money gambling would be involved when ratings were given?

The odds of receiving a skin were never given, although I suspect most people knew the odds were fairly low, but there was a lot of people parting with hard earned cash without having the fullest comprehension how much of a gamble this would be.

So please folks, if people are feeling ripped off and need to have a rant and a moan, let them, don’t flame and attack them. At end of the day they were duped out of their money as no information from ANET of how much of a gamble this would be.

The difference with Lotto, Casinos, Horse Racing tracks, are that they are regulated, and are obliged to provide the odd’s and probabilties, and also age restrictions. So comparing GW2 to these is way off the mark.

This is a game available for purchase from 12 year olds, that encourages real money gambling with no regulation and no information on odds. People have the right to moan.

I been a long-term Anet supporter, and have backed them verbally and also with purchases for years now, and I will probably continue to back them. But no more with my money as I cannot support this philosophy they have introduced into the cash shop.

And I would suggest those that are angry and upset at feeling ripped off to lock their wallets up too as at the end of the day this is a game for entertainment purposes, and if being ripped off is souring your experiencing so badly, then do what I am doing, spend money elsewhere.

The game is supported by people spending in the cash shop, flaming and attacking people who are pumping money into the cash shop is not constructive. So when someone is ranting about feeling ripped off, give them a bit of support rather than attack, as this game will only survive as long as people are spending.

aliquis.9180:

Leo, I have a feeling that by Christmas, we will all be chasing after a whole new set of items and these skins will be largely forgotten. I applaud your willingness to do what it takes to get the one you really want, but don’t make yourself miserable over it. Without a doubt there will be many more cool items to collect in the future and I bet that not all will require a grind.

Good thing Halloween is my favorite holiday and Christmas, while festive, isn’t a ‘dressy’ holiday. That is, I doubt whatever they put out I’ll care much about…I don’t even care for most of the skins for Halloween beside the scythe and avian shoulder pieces.

But I figure it’s best to get it and get to the goal before it’s unobtainable. When I first started to ponder how I was going to get the skin, they were around 18 gold on the market. I’m barely half way to 18 gold and the price has jumped to 29 gold as of tonight. It’s possible the supply may increase as the holiday continues but afterwards, unless ANet keeps the skins in the boxes past the holiday, the supply will get smaller. I’m aiming to get the scythe before it jumps past 50 gold.

Cerise.9045:

@everyone saying “it’s perfectly fine for all the rewards to be cash based because you don’t have to spend cash if you don’t want to”

Events are supposed to be fun. Why do you want that fun tainted by having all of the event rewards locked away behind real money barriers? Do you really prefer playing a game where you only get rewarded by entering your CC info, when you could be playing the same game but get rewards from actually playing the game?

Some people think “well, the items are supposed to be rare”, and they’re absolutely right. But items can be rare without requiring cash stores. Other MMOs have had incredibly rare items that didn’t require a cash store involved at all for over 10 years. Why do you want GW2 to use anti-fun methods for getting rare items instead of using methods that promote having fun?

Developing a game of the size and quality of Guild Wars 2 is immensely expensive. The latest figures I was able to find on the internet were that it costs $100,000,000 + to make a game like this, another $100,000,000 to market it, and many millions more to keep it up.

There is a limited number of ways to get this money to come in. Monthly fees are one, pay to win is another. I don’t particularly mind either one, because I can afford it.

But GW2 was the first game I bought in several years because they promised a more player friendly shop, by selling only cosmetic and convenience items which are entirely voluntary. I support that effort and so far, they have kept their promise.

I find it assinine and foolish to attack Arenanet for making any money at all. If you prefer a different business model, then there are other choices out there for you in the market place. But if you expect a game developer to act like a charitable organization, then you need to wake up.

aliquis.9180:

Developing a game of the size and quality of Guild Wars 2 is immensely expensive. The latest figures I was able to find on the internet were that it costs $100,000,000 + to make a game like this, another $100,000,000 to market it, and many millions more to keep it up.

There is a limited number of ways to get this money to come in. Monthly fees are one, pay to win is another. I don’t particularly mind either one, because I can afford it.

But GW2 was the first game I bought in several years because they promised a more player friendly shop, by selling only cosmetic and convenience items which are entirely voluntary. I support that effort and so far, they have kept their promise.

I find it assinine and foolish to attack Arenanet for making any money at all. If you prefer a different business model, then there are other choices out there for you in the market place. But if you expect a game developer to act like a charitable organization, then you need to wake up.

While true , there is no excuse for the RNG chests , im not giving them one more cent , and that is my protest.

I also advise other to do the same and drop this matter , it is pointless , they will only care if on the next event they get much less money , till then? We can complain all we want nothing will change.

@aliquis
before you go about advocating corporate greed and cash grabbing read this
http://www.arena.net/blog/is-it-fun-colin-johanson-on-how-arenanet-measures-success

But what if your business model isn’t based on a subscription? What if your content-design motivations aren’t driven by the need to create mechanics that keep people playing as long as possible? When looking at content design for Guild Wars 2, we’ve tried to ask the question: What if the development of the game was based on…wait for it…fun?

Having event rewards be tied into participating in events = fun
Having event rewards be tied into entering your CC info = anti-fun

Having outfits in the cash store is fine, it’s great even. I bought outfits in GW1 and am doing it again in GW2. But the halloween weapon gambling? It averages out to about $70 per weapon skin, but it’s tied to a gambling system which entices people to keep trying and trying instead of offering as a directly purchasable skin. If they wanted the weapons to be rare they could have just as easily made it so you had to trade 250 of some soulbound event token in order to keep the item rare.

I do feel left out with the gem store items, in a sense. The costume brawl is best won with gem purchased items, for example—like flat out the costumes are over powered compared to free stuff. However, this is the first free-to play post purchase model game I have been in and I figure it will take some adjusting and give-and-take. You can get potions normally obtained with gems from completing the tower jumping puzzle, for example. They have to make money some how.

I disagree with the gambling method to obtain skins and apparent reduction in looting keys from opening chests, which from speaking to people on TS during WvW, a lot of people pumped money into with little result. It’s a more manipulative gimmick, and those things always turn me off. Expect those type of things to diminish as this business model is copied and there’s more competition.

I mean, yes ANET may be encouraging you to buy Gems for all these knick-knaks but ultimately, it’s your decision to dive into it or not.

I personnaly spent some Gems for bank slots but thats pretty much it. Boosts are overrated and unessary so Black Lion Chests don’t ever really need be opened. And costumes are just that, costumes.

I don’t feel ripped off because I am enjoying the game without Gems, you should do that too if thats how you feel about it.

Just pretend it dosent exist!

Cerise.9045:

@aliquis
before you go about advocating corporate greed and cash grabbing read this
http://www.arena.net/blog/is-it-fun-colin-johanson-on-how-arenanet-measures-success

But what if your business model isn’t based on a subscription? What if your content-design motivations aren’t driven by the need to create mechanics that keep people playing as long as possible? When looking at content design for Guild Wars 2, we’ve tried to ask the question: What if the development of the game was based on…wait for it…fun?

Having event rewards be tied into participating in events = fun
Having event rewards be tied into entering your CC info = anti-fun

Having outfits in the cash store is fine, it’s great even. I bought outfits in GW1 and am doing it again in GW2. But the halloween weapon gambling? It averages out to about $70 per weapon skin, but it’s tied to a gambling system which entices people to keep trying and trying instead of offering as a directly purchasable skin. If they wanted the weapons to be rare they could have just as easily made it so you had to trade 250 of some soulbound event token in order to keep the item rare.

All I said is that a high quality product that is expensive to make is worth paying for. The fact that you twisted that into me advocating corporate greed says much more about you than it does me.

aliquis.9180:

Cerise.9045:

@aliquis
before you go about advocating corporate greed and cash grabbing read this
http://www.arena.net/blog/is-it-fun-colin-johanson-on-how-arenanet-measures-success

But what if your business model isn’t based on a subscription? What if your content-design motivations aren’t driven by the need to create mechanics that keep people playing as long as possible? When looking at content design for Guild Wars 2, we’ve tried to ask the question: What if the development of the game was based on…wait for it…fun?

Having event rewards be tied into participating in events = fun
Having event rewards be tied into entering your CC info = anti-fun

Having outfits in the cash store is fine, it’s great even. I bought outfits in GW1 and am doing it again in GW2. But the halloween weapon gambling? It averages out to about $70 per weapon skin, but it’s tied to a gambling system which entices people to keep trying and trying instead of offering as a directly purchasable skin. If they wanted the weapons to be rare they could have just as easily made it so you had to trade 250 of some soulbound event token in order to keep the item rare.

All I said is that a high quality product that is expensive to make is worth paying for. The fact that you twisted that into me advocating corporate greed says much more about you than it does me.

You’re trying to twist a complaint regarding the fun factor of the Halloween event into an argument about whether or not we should give our money to ANet. You may believe the two issues are completely inseparable but plenty of other MMORPGs over the past 10+ years have proven that they are not the same thing. By pretending they’r the same thing you’re just creating a strawman argument that nobody can argue with because it has nothing to do with the issue at hand.

Cerise.9045:

aliquis.9180:

Cerise.9045:

@aliquis
before you go about advocating corporate greed and cash grabbing read this
http://www.arena.net/blog/is-it-fun-colin-johanson-on-how-arenanet-measures-success

But what if your business model isn’t based on a subscription? What if your content-design motivations aren’t driven by the need to create mechanics that keep people playing as long as possible? When looking at content design for Guild Wars 2, we’ve tried to ask the question: What if the development of the game was based on…wait for it…fun?

Having event rewards be tied into participating in events = fun
Having event rewards be tied into entering your CC info = anti-fun

Having outfits in the cash store is fine, it’s great even. I bought outfits in GW1 and am doing it again in GW2. But the halloween weapon gambling? It averages out to about $70 per weapon skin, but it’s tied to a gambling system which entices people to keep trying and trying instead of offering as a directly purchasable skin. If they wanted the weapons to be rare they could have just as easily made it so you had to trade 250 of some soulbound event token in order to keep the item rare.

All I said is that a high quality product that is expensive to make is worth paying for. The fact that you twisted that into me advocating corporate greed says much more about you than it does me.

You’re trying to twist a complaint regarding the fun factor of the Halloween event into an argument about whether or not we should give our money to ANet. You may believe the two issues are completely inseparable but plenty of other MMORPGs over the past 10+ years have proven that they are not the same thing. By pretending they’r the same thing you’re just creating a strawman argument that nobody can argue with because it has nothing to do with the issue at hand.

Your post I was originally responding to was an attack against even having a cash store in the game, even if it is entirely optional. According to you, paying money is anti-fun, period. You’ve since revised your position a bit so that you don’t sound like a complete lunatic. I congratulate you on that.

Sorry to correct you, but your first response to me was a response to a post urging people to consider that the game would be more fun if the event rewards were actually tied into the events, instead of the current system where 95% of the rewards that are a part of the event are a reward for entering your CC info. The other things you claimed I said are just a misunderstanding probably. It just seems like we are arguing about 2 different things.

Edited my original post to hopefully be less prone to misinterpretation.

Cerise.9045:

Sorry to correct you, but your first response to me was a response to a post urging people to consider that the game would be more fun if the event rewards were actually tied into the events, instead of the current system where 95% of the rewards that are a part of the event are a reward for entering your CC info. The other things you claimed I said are just a misunderstanding probably. It just seems like we are arguing about 2 different things.

Edited my original post to hopefully be less prone to misinterpretation.

95% of the rewards are cash oriented? What about the book, the pvp games, the crafting, the forge, the costume brawl, the aesthetics, the events, and the puzzle?

This will generate some bad word of mouth publicity. But in the end the final outcome will be determined by the bean counters. Anet will run stats and see how much money they made vs potential loss of customers.

Just realize that even though Anet is a US company it is OWNED by a company that is not American hence a different philosophy on gambling than you might expect.

As for me I feel sorry for those who spent money on keys and I do think the odds are way too low. I personally spent my gems on a Witches outfit which was a sure bet.

I don’t feel ripped off, for I don’t feel the need to buy gems in the first place; there is plenty of fun to be had without spending hard earned cash on gems.

However, I the business model needs the store, so Anet should be careful to maintain the right price/balance between investment and reward, which I am sure the bean counters are doing. If they get that wrong we will see changes in the store, but right now it seem that enough of us a prepared to use the store at current prices.

Snix Spoonman.3871:

It’s really starting to get annoying that some people are trying to validate the cash shop by comparing it to a casino or lotto tickets.
Yes, we all know casino’s have games of chances, we all know that lotto is a game of chance. And we all know buying BLC keys are a game of chance.
But is everyone missing the point?
This is a video game with a PEGI rating of 12, and an ESRB rating of T, “real money” gambling should not be encouraged in a game with these ratings.

“Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, blood, simulated gambling, and/or frequent use of vulgar language.”

This is the official stance on titles with these ratings, the key here is “Simulated gambling”, a substantial portion of people buying these keys were buying them for the chance of a skin, and probably wouldnt be interested in buying the keys for any other reason, this is an encouragement to “real money” gamble in a game that is not ESRB or PEGI rated to reflect this.

I understand why people are getting angry at the whining about feeling ripped off, but i also have sympathy for these people. It essentially wrong for “real money” gambling to be in a game of this nature, and attacking people who feel ripped off serves no purpose. People have a right to be feeling upset over something that should not be in the game. Keep the gambling to “simulated ingame gambling”, this game is wildly and legally available to 12 year olds here in the UK, did PEGI or ESRB realise real money gambling would be involved when ratings were given?

The odds of receiving a skin were never given, although I suspect most people knew the odds were fairly low, but there was a lot of people parting with hard earned cash without having the fullest comprehension how much of a gamble this would be.

So please folks, if people are feeling ripped off and need to have a rant and a moan, let them, don’t flame and attack them. At end of the day they were duped out of their money as no information from ANET of how much of a gamble this would be.

The difference with Lotto, Casinos, Horse Racing tracks, are that they are regulated, and are obliged to provide the odd’s and probabilties, and also age restrictions. So comparing GW2 to these is way off the mark.

This is a game available for purchase from 12 year olds, that encourages real money gambling with no regulation and no information on odds. People have the right to moan.

I been a long-term Anet supporter, and have backed them verbally and also with purchases for years now, and I will probably continue to back them. But no more with my money as I cannot support this philosophy they have introduced into the cash shop.

And I would suggest those that are angry and upset at feeling ripped off to lock their wallets up too as at the end of the day this is a game for entertainment purposes, and if being ripped off is souring your experiencing so badly, then do what I am doing, spend money elsewhere.

The game is supported by people spending in the cash shop, flaming and attacking people who are pumping money into the cash shop is not constructive. So when someone is ranting about feeling ripped off, give them a bit of support rather than attack, as this game will only survive as long as people are spending.

I, for one, am not comparing the Cash Shop to the Lottery. I am comparing the keys to open chests to the Lottery. BIG DIFFERENCE. You know what you are getting with most of the goods in the Cash Shop. But you DON’T know what you are getting when you buy a key to open a chest. THAT is what is like playing the Lottery.

The bottom line is this: Anything from the cash shop is NOT necessary – its cosmetic… its FOR FUN.

You have to know your limits before going in, or else you will be dumping a lot of money in. Everything is laid out on the table from the keys, to the gem to gold conversion… and you have the choice to buy or to not. Your character will still perform the same.

That being said, I do sympathize with those who dropped a lot of money and feel jipped or cheated, because I’m sure that’s not ANet’s intent.

I agree with a lot of the OP. I was really looking forward to this event and to be fair, all the decorations are very nice to look at. I also really liked the Act 1 activities. However it soon became clear that what you could get from the event was mostly timed items like in most asian MMOs. Arenanet is based in WA but maybe it was originally an asian company? I really dislike timed items and I hope this isn’t indicative of a trend…

Anyway, I disagree with complaining about spending money in the store except for the opening of chests which I also thought would be a much better return. Luckily I waited until the reports came in about how bad your chance was of getting anything good and avoided that trap.

I guess for some reason fluff items are considered really valuable in this game. I enjoy costume items but not to the point that I’m going to spend that much money in the store. I guess I’m spoiled by the other MMO I play where events give real gear that is often the best in slot item for the level.

Snix Spoonman.3871:

It’s really starting to get annoying that some people are trying to validate the cash shop by comparing it to a casino or lotto tickets.
Yes, we all know casino’s have games of chances, we all know that lotto is a game of chance. And we all know buying BLC keys are a game of chance.
But is everyone missing the point?
This is a video game with a PEGI rating of 12, and an ESRB rating of T, “real money” gambling should not be encouraged in a game with these ratings.

“Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, blood, simulated gambling, and/or frequent use of vulgar language.”

This is the official stance on titles with these ratings, the key here is “Simulated gambling”, a substantial portion of people buying these keys were buying them for the chance of a skin, and probably wouldnt be interested in buying the keys for any other reason, this is an encouragement to “real money” gamble in a game that is not ESRB or PEGI rated to reflect this.

I understand why people are getting angry at the whining about feeling ripped off, but i also have sympathy for these people. It essentially wrong for “real money” gambling to be in a game of this nature, and attacking people who feel ripped off serves no purpose. People have a right to be feeling upset over something that should not be in the game. Keep the gambling to “simulated ingame gambling”, this game is wildly and legally available to 12 year olds here in the UK, did PEGI or ESRB realise real money gambling would be involved when ratings were given?

The odds of receiving a skin were never given, although I suspect most people knew the odds were fairly low, but there was a lot of people parting with hard earned cash without having the fullest comprehension how much of a gamble this would be.

So please folks, if people are feeling ripped off and need to have a rant and a moan, let them, don’t flame and attack them. At end of the day they were duped out of their money as no information from ANET of how much of a gamble this would be.

The difference with Lotto, Casinos, Horse Racing tracks, are that they are regulated, and are obliged to provide the odd’s and probabilties, and also age restrictions. So comparing GW2 to these is way off the mark.

This is a game available for purchase from 12 year olds, that encourages real money gambling with no regulation and no information on odds. People have the right to moan.

I been a long-term Anet supporter, and have backed them verbally and also with purchases for years now, and I will probably continue to back them. But no more with my money as I cannot support this philosophy they have introduced into the cash shop.

And I would suggest those that are angry and upset at feeling ripped off to lock their wallets up too as at the end of the day this is a game for entertainment purposes, and if being ripped off is souring your experiencing so badly, then do what I am doing, spend money elsewhere.

The game is supported by people spending in the cash shop, flaming and attacking people who are pumping money into the cash shop is not constructive. So when someone is ranting about feeling ripped off, give them a bit of support rather than attack, as this game will only survive as long as people are spending.

I have yet to see someone compare the whole of the gem shop to gambling, the lottery…. Only the Black Lion chests, which some people payed real money to obtain keys but was not the only method of obtaining keys. The gamble is using the virtual keys to open the virtual chest which is indeed “simulated gambling”. I had 5 keys drop over the entirety of this event. Haven’t had to buy keys yet and wouldn’t even if I had had no keys drop because I know they DO drop. So instead, I farm for them and at the same time get to experience the rest that Halloween has to offer.

koopatroopa.5360:

Why do you feel entitled to have everything that’s available? Do you go to a casino and expect to come out with a return? Do you feel you are required to buy gems for something that’s completely optional?

Get over it. They are rare skins for a reason. You can’t always have everything. I want the shield skin badly but I don’t feel like I’m entitled to have it.

Casino ? Seriously?

@Volomon.9147
You are not the only one feeling that way… T,T

We know many player feel like that , so do I.

All we can do is not give Anet any more money , if they lose enough they will fix this , if other people buying still makes them profit … well this is the way it is going to be, the good side will be we keep our money.

dont use ur money, just farm mats, sell em and give it a go if you really want them skins, good luck anyway!

Just gonna throw in my 2 cents here, all this BLC non sense is one of the main fundamental problems with this game. It feels as if the “END GAME” content has become either an ingame money grind or one stop cash in at the gem store for anet… (i dont mind supporting I have spent a bunch of real cash in there, i was just smart and bought what i wanted so it felt worht it)

Im not complaining about the skins or the event but the whole game design in general… I prefer an MMO to have something for me to strive towards, have team oriented goals that make me want to go out and acomplish them. For example make the legendaries more then just mother kitten skins… at least make the god kitten stats 2 points higher then an exotic so it feels worth it somewhat.

As it is this game is nothing more then a reflection of our society right now, its like a flashy kitteny rap video, where the most succesful person with the most money looks the coolest… but is still hallow as the kitten they have doesnt net them anything more for the effort they may have put in.

It also has to do with the loot tables in this game (Magic Find is a kitten stat that needs to die) nothing of worth every drops, and you dont ever get any sense of rewad for your time spent… you wanna look cool spend money or grind… and yes raiding in other MMOs is grinding but at least its team oriented and fun (I came to this game from RIFT, not the greatest MMO but it had amazingly well crafted boss encouters that required team work and there was actual useful drops to look forward to… not just bashing heads on big HP walls)

Anyway the risk/time invested vs. reward is way off in this game… and the end game is rather lame… Also with the halloween skins, if they are just RNG (true RNG) from chests then that is kitten as the odds of getting one is technically 0%, if you know how a slot machine works you know RNG = 0% as its 100% kittening random!!!!!!

P.S. I still love this game as the PVP is well done and keeps me entertained.

“But I can go to a casino, walk in with $500 and walk out with 5 grand. What can I do with 5 grand? Pay my bills, down payment on a car, put it into a college fund, high dollar hookers for some fun.

I can spend $500 on a game and do what? Nothing you buy can have any value outside of that game so STOP COMPARING THIS GAME TO CASINO GAMBLING!!!”

Sorry Leo G, but I’m going to have to slap you with a bit of reality. Yes, there is a small chance you can go into a casion with $500 and walk out with $5000. That chance is rediculously slight, but there is a chance. More likely you are going to walk out with very little to nothing left. Maybe you broke even. Maybe you are even deeper in the hole than your original $500 because you lost that, then hit the ATM for more chances. It’s a gamble, that’s why they call it gambling. The fun and excitement of the games, and that really small chance of you actually making money, keeps people coming back for more. It’s called entertainment value. And any value is purely in the eyes of the beholder. Some feel the cost is really worth it, because they have a blast, and they keep coming back. They even have a gambling budget. Others see zero value in throwing your money down the toilet, so they spend zero on that activity. Again, value is different to everyone. If you go to a casino manager, and complain that you aren’t getting your value for your money, you’ll get laughed in your face.

Money spent in game doesn’t get you anything tangible, you are correct there, but to say you aren’t getting anything of value is rediculous. If I spend $100 on the gem store and buy a bunch of minis, a couple of skins, some extra bank and bag slots, and the rest converted to gold so I can power level a crafting profession, whether or not I feel like I got my money’s worth is up to me, not you. If I take my kids to the movies and buy snacks and drinks, pay for parking, etc. I can easily drop $100. Was it worth it? Should I complain to the theatre manager because I don’t feel like I got enough out of it?

You know EXACTLY what you are getting when you spend $$ on this game. For keys to open chests, for skins, for whatever. Don’t like what you got from your chests after spending loads of $$ on keys? Then don’t do it anymore and buy what you want from the TP. Too expensive? Then grind. Don’t want to grind, and still pissed you can’t get what you want? Now we are heading to the entitlement arguement.

Spending real $$ on gems to buy gold or keys to purchace CHANCES at the contents of unopened chests is exactly gambling. The comparison is valid. Value is decided by the person spending the cash. Tons of people think the entertainment value is worth it, and that’s who ANET is feeding off of. Good for both of them, they are both getting what they want. Sorry you aren’t. You should find something that provides adequate entertainment value for yourself.