EVE ONLINE – Micro-transactions, how they could work

We all know the recent EVE Online controversy is not just about microtransactions. It’s not only the feeling that the players are already paying €15 a month, so paying more is a bit much, but the attitude revealed in leaked internal emails that the players will act up whatever CCP will do has enraged the lifeblood of the game – the people who cough up monthly. They’ve got people to buy into EVE Online on one principle and are changing the very philosophy of the way it works without consultation.

So after my last post I began to think about the problem. Yes, the micropayments are more macro than micro but they could take a leaf out of other ‘games’ endeavours.

Take Second Life for example and I know that one is free. There is a thriving market of people designing clothes and in some cases people are charging top dollar for these items. The difference is that it’s the ‘players’ who are making profits as well as the ‘game’. Second Life take a cut and everyone is happy. The value of having thousands of people designing means that the environment is enriched with far more creativitiy than the game makers could get with employees.

Of course this would only work with items which couldn’t affect gameplay. Allowing people to create guns and ships would of course not work. At the moment CCP just looks greedy. Opening up so that the players benefit along with CCP would benefit both sides.

I think that could work – what do you think?