All over the internet, you can find tempting invitations for those tired of routine: “Slay a dragon!”, “Kill a monster!”, “Liberate the planet from invaders!”, “Unleash the warrior within you!” (or perhaps a mage, a farmer, etc.). The ads are countless. These are all free online role-playing games. That is, you register completely free, log in, and start creating an artistic montage of virtual villains.
It's very convenient, by the way. Were you treated rudely on public transport? Had a fight with a loved one? Had a bad time with your boss? Having problems at school (college, work, kindergarten)? Kill the virtual monster – and your soul will immediately feel lighter, and the nightingales will sing.
There's just one thing that bothers me: the enticing advertisement for “free.” Since childhood, I've known the truism about free cheese, which, by definition, is always found in the same place. Where no decent mouse, no matter how much they love cheese, wants to go.
So, if you still believe in free cakes, if you're convinced that someone just dropped a wallet with a million dollars at your door just to make you happy, I can tell you – all free online games are anything but. To slay a dragon, a monster, free a planet from invaders, and so on—in short, to use a virtual psychological simulator and unleash your negativity into the vast expanses of the internet—you'll have to pay. And it's not a small price to pay.
Let's say you're planning to destroy a brazen fire-breathing lizard. Therefore, you'll need weapons, armor, a helmet, and preferably a mount (aka a combat mount). The bare essentials for a knight-errant, so to speak. They'll provide them!
In the early levels of the game, you'll be killing rather feeble and weak (relatively speaking) monsters, and they'll generously share various gadgets with you, from good weapons to luxurious boots. By levels 3 or 4, you'll discover that this wonderful outfit is hopelessly outdated, out of fashion, and you need a completely different set of gear.
Incidentally, by this time you've become firmly entrenched in the game. You've made friends and acquaintances, perhaps even joined a gaming clan (those delightful communities of like-minded people who enjoy slaying virtual monsters). Basically, you simply must spend at least a couple of hours a day playing the game. Maybe not just for the game itself, but to chat with interesting people. Just like chat rooms and forums. And if you're already there, how can you resist killing a monster or two? Completing a couple of quests? And for that, as mentioned above, you need weapons, armor, a mount, and a combat mount.
That's when you realize you're in deep trouble. Seriously. You're taking down monsters of your level in droves, but they're in no hurry to share anything decent. You rush to the in-game stores and discover that everything is available for purchase, and what can't be bought in stores can be bought from other players—on the open market, so to speak. But you need in-game money.
You pounce on the monsters again. After all, each one rewards the killer with a bit of money. But then it turns out that the monster you painstakingly sharpened into toothpicks gives you 30 copper coins, and the sword, which is appropriate for your level and can last for another 3-4 levels, costs 17 gold coins. How many monsters do you need to kill? Impossible.
Then you remember that you have (or can have) an in-game profession! And, for example, catching fish, collecting gems, herbs, crafting various potions, etc., can also bring in in-game money. You rush off to fish.
Let me tell you right away: I spent two days fishing in one such game. I earned one gold coin. Unfortunately, what I needed to continue playing and advance through the levels cost about 250 gold coins. You don't have to be a mathematician to figure out how many fish you need to “dress up” a bit.
And that's when they creep up on the player with an offer. Game money can be… bought! Don't get me wrong, there's no crime or anything like that. Everything is honest and open. You pay, say, from your WebMoney account (or other electronic money), and full-fledged gold game coins are deposited into your game account.
That's exactly it, they're in-game… And each gold piece costs 40 Russian rubles (maybe it's different in other games, but in the one where I honed my fishing skills, that was the exchange rate).
So, for about 200-250 real dollars, you can finally enjoy the game. Gone are the humiliating batons and bare feet; now you're a hero, a knight on a white camel, equipped with the latest military technology.
And then the inevitable happens. You advance to the next level. Now, instead of harmless, medium-sized skeletons, you're confronted by saber-toothed tigers. It immediately becomes clear that your two-handed axe, which, by the way, cost you $20 (real, not in-game!), is no more dangerous to these tigers than a toothpick. They require a completely different weapon. Which, conveniently, is sold around the corner. One caveat: this new piece of equipment now costs around 200 gold coins…
The principle, of course, is clear even to a child. If you're not prepared to spend days and nights fishing (say, while writing articles for SHZ or during the workday), if you're interested in quickly advancing through game levels, etc., then a “free” online role-playing game will cost you, on average, between $100 and $300 per month.
Are you still playing? Great. Then check what your child is doing in the same (or similar) game. Your husband. Your wife. Calculate where the family money is going (by the way, where does the child get the money to buy in-game gold coins? Unfortunately, it's often not all that harmless). And consider whether you're willing to work a very real (and often quite difficult) job just to eventually “kill” a cartoon dragon?
Incidentally, it seems the global financial and economic crisis has also impacted “free” online role-playing games: in-game monsters have become even more reluctant to share various items, and the payouts for killing them have become significantly lower. So now you have to kill twice as many monsters to get a gold coin! Or skip the hassle and just transfer real money directly to your game account…
