8 Worst Things About Being A Gamer In 2016
3. Even Games That Aren't Pay To Win Reward Spending A Lot Of Money
Games that are "pay to win" are a scourge on this Earth and deserve to be purged. But many developers have found a delicious middle ground, allowing players to buy cosmetic items and other trinkets, therefore able to hide behind the defence "but the items are just cosmetic!".
Sadly, gamers have been so busy battling pay to win titles (and it truly is a noble fight) that we've let micro-transactions sneak in through the back door, and now they're here and we have to be okay with them. But the truth is, even games that aren't pay to win reward spending a sh*t ton of money, making those who don't feel inadequate.
Take Overwatch, for example. Not only do you have to buy the base game at full price, but you can also buy coins to spend on cosmetic items like skins, emotes, voice lines and sprays. Sure, you can try and grind enough loot boxes to get the ones you want, but that requires dozens of hours of play.
The people willing to spend money on boxes will have those skins in minutes. What's the point of grinding for rare items when a person can just buy the same item? The grind loses its meaning.