The future of PL ... long term recommendations; my most important post for this year

[Kalielle]

But I do feel that the elixir people are entitled to not have leechers, especially as they paid. I myself have seen that elixir users demand that people pot or boot. I can see why - non-elixir users don't add much firepower and level as well.

I suppose I really can't disagree with that, as much as it bothers me. The way the game is set up, non-elilxir users have indeed been turned into leechers.

But doesn't it make you feel uneasy at all when your performance in a game is determined by how much real money you spend on it? I mean, is it even a game at that point? By your own definitions, you're less valuable as a guildmate and group member compared to the friends of yours you mentioned who spend $1000 on the game. MMOs are about showing off success to other players in a virtual world, and whether you segregate elixir users or not, the real issue remains - that success is now granted exclusively in exchange for real money, because elixir users can level much faster and farm the best gear much easier, and their advantage is so big that other players can't overcome (or even equal it) it even if they had immense skill or the most brilliant strategies.

It's not that I'm against spending money on games - on the contrary, I think people have a duty to support the games they love. I maintain 3 World of Warcraft subscriptions for my household, and spend money on many games every month and I don't even think about it twice. It's just - if I get dismissed from a raid in WoW for my low dps for example, I know I can't pay Blizzard a fee to fix it. I'll have to go and do things in the game instead to improve. And that's what makes it a game. If your success in game depends upon your success in real life, then it doesn't feel like a game anymore, and that's what makes me uncomfortable about it.