Quick Links
Many games, especially the free-to-play variety, are sneaking in pay-to-win mechanics, offering players ways to make the experience better using real-world money. Luckily, it’s not that hard to tell if a game is pay-to-win. Here’s how I do it.
1I Can Pay to Make the Game Less Frustrating
Manypay-to-win video gameswill introduce an artificial difficulty spike somewhere along the line, requiring you to have stronger characters, better equipment, or boosters to progress. Some might also limit XP and currency gain or decrease the drop rate of items, makinggrinding for better in-game rewardstedious.
But you can make it easier for yourself by heading to the in-game store and purchasing what you need (“time savers”) with actual money. The developers may even design the gameplay experience around purchasing these advantages that make the game less frustrating.
When I played Candy Crush Saga, there were some levels I couldn’t beat without boosters (e.g., Lollipop Hammers and Color Bombs). If I couldn’t win them in events, I had to buy them with Gold Bars (the in-game currency) at the game’s shop using my credit card.
However, once I got over my addiction, I realized that Candy Crush Saga is a little too pay-to-win for my liking.
2I Can Buy a Competitive Advantage
If a game is pay-to-win, players who spend thousands of dollars (known as whales) are extremely hard to beat since they always have the best characters, equipment, and stats. This leads to a phenomenon called Whale Dominance, where whales dominate every leaderboard. PvP modes can become unbalanced, unfair, and not fun to play because of this.
In Diablo Immortal, players use Legendary Gems to make their builds more powerful. They obtain them by completing Elder Rifts (procedurally generated, playable loot boxes), which have varying drop rates for Gems. The rarest are 5-star Gems, and even these have their own tiers, which is not surprising because they are meant to hook whales by design.
To guarantee a Legendary Gem, players can modify an Elder Rift using something like Eternal Legendary Crests. They can easily purchase them with real-world money at the shop. And the more Crests one has, the more Rifts they can modify, effectively increasing the chances of finding high-tier Legendary Gems.
After building their powerful character, these whales take them into PvP matches and dominate free-to-play players. Only another whale can challenge them.
3It Has Gacha Game Mechanics
Although they have their defenders, I have a strong opinion thatgacha gamesare inherently pay-to-win. Some are just more egregious about it than others. Even if there is no competitive advantage, purchasing the best characters and spending extra on optimizing their gear so you can complete challenging content is pay-to-win.
In Genshin Impact, new characters usually (not always) outclass existing ones. This makes them a must-have since their base stats and unique abilities are stronger and can strengthen your team significantly.
Those who want these special characters can purchase Genesis Crystals with real-world money and then use them to buy Primogems (the in-game currency). They can then spend the Primogems on Fate items. These can then be used to craft “Wishes,” the game’s gacha system, to try and “pull” four or five-star characters or weapons.
Don’t get me wrong; I am not entirely against gacha games. Sometimes, certaingacha mechanics can be worth it, especially if they don’t introduce power creep or lead to balancing issues (e.g., making challenging content super easy). They can also be a good way to support the developers of a game you enjoy.
4I Am Bombarded With Promos and Deals
There is nothing wrong with a game having lots of deals and promotions. Lots of free-to-play games do this to generate revenue and keep the servers running. And it’s usually cosmetic-only stuff that makes you look cool to your friends. The problem is when the items on promotion provide an in-game advantage, especially over others.
There is usually pressure to spend on these items by making them limited-time offers. Not purchasing them can give you FOMO. They’re usually tiered as well, with the more expensive offers and bundles having the most exclusive and powerful rewards.
Determining if a game is pay-to-win comes down to answering one question: “Is it offering me an in-game advantage for real-world money?” If the answer is “Yes,” then you have a pay-to-win game on your hands. It doesn’t matter if the game is not PvP.
