“Pay-to-win” aka P2W is a term used by online gamers for any game system or mechanic that allows a player to acquire advantages over other players using real-world money.
pay to win
Massively Overthinking: Please complain about MMOs, loudly and insistently
Last weekend, the blogosphere exploded over an article that essentially told the MMORPG community to shut up, sit down, and stop complaining about things...
Gamescom: Elder Scrolls Online on lockboxes, the gold edition, and One Tamriel
A Redditor who attended The Elder Scrolls Online's tavern event at this year's Gamescom snagged over half an hour of shaky-cam footage and a...
Kakao denies mass-banning on Black Desert forums
Black Desert players have been up in arms over several recently announced changes to the formerly buy-to-play game, including a de facto subscription and plan...
Black Desert players explode over plan to allow cash shop items on the in-game market
Did you hear that noise? It's the sound of Black Desert players flipping tables. "Game went from FFXIV to ArcheAge in span of 2...
Albion Online kicks off final beta, plus highlights from the AMA
Albion Online's final beta phase kicks off today, with a reported $7 million under its belt in crowdfunds. Over the weekend, the team ran...
Leaderboard: Is Black Desert’s new subscription value pack pay-to-win?
Black Desert players are on fire over the new subscription value pack. Well not literally on fire, but damn close.
MOP reader Sally pointed us...
Kakao argues that Black Desert is not pay-to-win
Yesterday, Daum -- or I suppose we should be calling it Kakao Games Europe now -- posted up a quick Black Desert FAQ with...
Massively Overthinking: Is every MMORPG with a cash shop pay-to-win?
This week's Massively Overthinking comes to us from one of our dear Patreon Patrons, Duane.
"There seems to be an ever broadening attitude towards what...
Age of Conan’s revamped item shop draws ire from players
Cash shops are pretty much a standard feature in most MMORPGs these days, whether you like them or not. It's always a tricky balancing...
ArcheAge players cry foul on a $100 in-game pool
It's been a cold April in parts of the US, but ArcheAge is addressing that with the addition of a new hot tub house...
Interview: How sci-fi CCG Star Crusade is more than just Hearthstone in space
Ever wish you could play Hearthstone but with a sci-fi feel instead? Apparently the people at ZiMAD Games felt that way, as they're behind the...
Epic shows off Paragon gameplay, promises no pay-to-win
Epic Games' upcoming third person MOBA Paragon has been getting some attention lately with its fluid gameplay and undeniably high-quality graphics. The studio has been releasing informational...
Exclusive: Crowfall’s world building pipeline video and interview
Are you a fan of Tetris but wish it were more free-form and connected to an MMO's world building tool kit? Yeah, neither am I,...
EVE player uses $28,000 of skill injectors to create max character
We recently brought you the story of EVE Online player Stromgren who had bought almost $7,000 worth of skill injectors to become the highest-skilled character...
The Daily Grind: Which MMO monetization schemes don’t piss you off?
Gamasutra argued last week that there are three effective in-app purchase strategies that mobile gamers don't hate:
the classic demo, where players can try the...
The Daily Grind: What’s the best pay-to-win MMORPG?
Here's an odd question from a Massively OP reader: What's the best pay-to-win MMO on the market?
I know pay to win is a dirty,...
NCsoft addresses Blade & Soul gamemaster name reservation controversy
The Blade & Soul subreddit has been in an uproar the last few days over accusations that NCsoft EU GMs pre-claimed popular character names,...
Tiptoeing through ArcheAge’s 2015
It has been quite a year for ArcheAge. As you look back over the past 12 months, you certainly can't say 2015 was uneventful;...
AD2460 is going free-to-play next week
Will a shift in business model help the indie space strategy title AD2460 leap ahead in popularity and play? That question might be answered...
MapleStory pulls pay-to-win sack from Reboot world cash shop
Excitement over MapleStory's tougher Reboot world was marred by accusations of pay-to-win by the community. The chief complaint centered on the sale of meso...
