Free to play

It's understandable if the free-to-play whiners and chronic complainers in gatcha games are children or teenagers.

Especially if they are used to getting things handed to them - just for showing up. 



In reddit, whales would ignore such free to play minions. I mean when was the last time you stopped by the path and try to have a conversation with ants?

But sometimes, when the whining gets too strident as in crying "unfair" when the game developer introduces changes that favour the pay-to-win players, some exasperated dolphins will come with rebuttals to put these chronic whiners in their place...



In the social/political arena, we see this all the time too.

The loudest critics of ministers' pay are those who hardly pay any income tax at all. As if the ministers' pay are coming out of their pockets....

And then there's the perennial favourite about the wealth gap - the rich gets richer, the poor gets poorer. The "system" favours the wealthy... This not fair, that not fair...



Let's explore this "free-to-play" business model that's becoming more and more prevalent with technology companies. I find it so interesting!

In the old days, companies make money by selling products and services. Simple and clear-cut to understand.

Then came companies that offer their products and services to us for "FREE"!?

Do you pay Goggle for the convenience of making a search in the internet?

How about Facebook? Free to use, right?

Netflix must pay, but watching videos on Youtube is free!

Those older like me may remember we once had to pay for our own email accounts by subscribing to those dial-up internet providers. Now? Anyone can get multiple free email accounts from Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo! Now that's cool or what?



Guess what? We are not the "customers" of the above companies.

How are we customers when we don't contribute to these companies' bottom line?

Their customers are "pay-to-win" advertisers, public relations firms, political parties, mind control consultancies, puppet masters, pied pipers; etc.

What are we?

We are the "product". 



Now back to gatcha gaiming. 

If only the complaining free-to-play gamers realise their role in the game...

They are part of the game design.

There's only so much fun in beating non-player characters (NPCs) in a game.

But if we design a game where we offer whales and dolpins the opportunity to trash real people in a cyber setting...

$$$$$ Kaching!

Or-yi-oh! 

Who doesn't want to be Tarzan or Master of the Universe?



So there you go!

Next time you grab the next "FREE" offer, subscription, or workshop, just have awareness of your role - whether you are the product or a customer. Wink.



Its OK lah!

If the other party is just trying to milk or fleece you. Won't die one.

But if the other party is a glue factory or abattoir, sometimes its better to say, "No thank you. I'm good. I'll pass."

Walk away.