Investing in MMOs is no longer something you usually need to do up front. More often than not you can log in to a game, start playing, make some progress, get a feel for the game, and often play quite a bit of content before dropping even one red cent in the game’s cash shop. For some players, that’s a badge of honor. You are in a game getting entertainment for free, and you are darn well going to ride this entertainment train for free until it runs out of rail; only after 100 hours will the developers see any money from you!
On the other hand, some players will spend money on a game sight unseen, paying quite a bit of cash for pre-orders or founder’s packs or whatever just to get early access to the game. Both of these aspects have their drawbacks. Holding back on spending can make your relationship oppositional; giving money to a game you aren’t yet committed to except by expectation can result in you wasting money. So how long do you play an MMO before deciding to spend money on it?