MassivelyOP’s 2023 Golden Yachties: Best Worst MMO Microtransaction

December 20, 2023 4:00 PM

MassivelyOP’s not-so-serious end-of-the-year awards kick off today with our award for the Best Worst MMO Microtransaction. Yes, it’s time once again for the Golden Yachties series, named in honor of those bright sparks absolutely convinced that video game blogging is a lucrative career and we’re all sailing ’round the world on ships of gold. (Stay in school, kids.)

And the winner is…

THE $159K CSGO WILD LOTUS

Yes, I know, “fashion wars” is the real endgame in MMOs, but some of y’all are taking it waaaaay too far. To wit: Some dude in Counter-Strike Global Offensive apparently paid the equivalent of $159,000 for a pretty teal AK-47 bejeweled with pretty flowers and vines and stickers.

Now, I’m sure the gun is very pretty if you’re into… well, any of this… but more than one of our readers thought the trade was a wee bit sus and might be yet another example of people laundering money or wash trading – that is, fraudulently selling items to one of your own sockpuppets to try to drive up the perceived value. But either way, that’s way too much money for a digital thing in a game that could vanish tomorrow.

Want to nominate another winner? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to check out our serious MMO awards while you’re at it, or skim through our past “winners”: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015.