Cash Shop Drama: Justifications and Objections

A badly implemented cash shop can ruin any great game.  No one is going to try to hide that fact.  This is commonly referred to as "pay to win" and any gamer knows that paying to have an advantage over someone else can never be good for a game.

With so much on the line, I have to be honest, I really would of liked ArenaNet to set the guidelines firmly in their own blog post. Don't get me wrong they reinforced the idea that giving advantages to paying customers is not okay, and I'm glad their message was strong.  However, they simply did not back it up with enough, and were too vague in their extension.

I agree that it may be unfair to ask them what will be in the cash shop come launch, but it should be fair to ask and receive a reply of their views on potential items in the shop.  We as a community should not have to rely on leaked cash shop photos for our information, and I wish they would have made their iterations of the cash shop more transparent.   Money is needed for the game to succeed, there is not doubt about that.  However, ArenaNet will ensure that Guild Wars 2 is done right.

ArenaNet has shown time and time again that they care about their game,  the community, and fulfilling their promises. They promised us dynamic events, people denied that it could be done.  They promised us WvWvW on a scale which many said was simply impossible.  They replaced the holy trinity, when many said that it was an essential feature to an MMO.  They have denied convention, and have stuck to their design philosophies.  ArenaNet has far to much at stake to allow Guild Wars 2 to fail.  I say trust them because they have worked so hard on their game, that they simply will not allow the game to fail.  I say trust them because they have stayed true to their word in the face of opposition by both the gaming community and corporate interests.  (Do you really think it was that easy for them to stick to a buy to play model in the face of their investors who pointed to nearly every AAA MMO out there?)

Let me be frank.  That does not mean: don't question them they know what they are doing.  That means: question them, but don't be afraid because they will listen and by launch know what is best.  Our input matters as a community, and that is what makes ArenaNet so great.  However, our criticism needs to be better designed to be more constructive and less whining. We all know what is driving this backlash, it is the fear that another new-born MMO, with so much potential, will fail.Its easy to see why, look at the last several big MMOs released.  How many are thriving 1-year post launch, and have any truly competed with the suscribers of WoW?  If ArenaNet was any other company, and Guild Wars 2 was any other game, you have a right to be afraid.   I tell you this, don't be afraid.