You know, if I actually wanted to get “moar subs” when it comes to this little blog of happiness and sunshine, I’d try to keep up on current events and respond to them as they happen. The whole idea of “breaking news” and being able to comment on the things that are currently occurring is wildly valuable to blog traffic. I’m sure if I inserted my little bit of optimism into everything right away, I’d probably have people who A)read me more and B)got annoyed with my perpetually bright outlook on things.
The advantage of waiting, however, is to be able to speak with a bit more knowledge considering everyone else has already put in their two cents. It’s like being fashionably late to a party – you’re confident and content in your ability to stick to your own schedule and you know the lay of the land just a bit better in your quest to make friends or get laid or both.
Such as it is that I’m a bit late commenting on this whole news about Blizzard selling its first in-game item that isn’t just a pet. The Celestial Steed, even though it apparently is not something that provides a buyable advantage, has had people railing against Blizzard, microtransactions, and greed in general.
To be honest, and not surprisingly, I can’t see the inclusion of such an item for sale as some kind of MMO apocalypse on the horizon. For one thing, the fact that alternate pricing models (stress on the alternate) exist shows flexibility on the developers’ part. It balances perks for players while creating revenue streams for investors, something that MMOs who have depended purely on subscriber numbers have had trouble with. For another, the slippery slope of pet items moving to wholesale abilities or other such game breakers is probably a long ways away, if it ever happens. C’mon – if you were a developer making things that were under great scrutiny by people who could praise you in one breath and rake you over the coals the next, you’d want to take the cautious approach too. Besides it could be a lost worse in terms of items. I don’t care how well-organized they are, trying to sell a Flying Purple Monkey Dishwasher is hard, damnit. What about a Giant Giraffe? A Ferocious Anteater? Just be happy they thought of a shiny ghost horse before those things and I think you’ll be a little less upset.
Ultimately, because you have a choice to purchase the item, I’m not too bothered by the whole affair. Sure, good marketing and the lure of shiny are hard to resist, but considering all it is is shiny, I think I can live without it being a problem.