Would removing the wow token be better for the health of the game?

[Hellobolis]

No thanks. Mostly because:

but spam is much much worse now.

gold buying/selling is also much more prevalent now than it ever was before the token (as expected), to the point that it has completely destroyed the game economy and turned it into being a buyer of boost, a seller of boosts, or a pleb (maybe not so expected). and that boost economy leads to massive advert spam.

[Razion]

While I do think it can be bad that real life money can lead to gold which can lead to gear either through direct trade or workarounds -- it creates an unfair competitive experience, which is important for a game about measuring your own success as a way to be able to get into groups so you can play with others and be entertained, though the current visible effect is either minor or only at the highest end -- the alternative would probably lead to a very frustrating experience of seeing a lot of gold-selling advertisements.

Now, frankly and obviously these kinds of bot and gold-selling issues shouldn't ever be a concern for us as players in the first place and that we have to worry about it at all is probably a testament to how bad it can get or got in the past that the token had to be a solution at all. It feels like it's a problem either they've done their best to fix or that it can't be improved upon - yet things like bot detection, prevention and all that isn't a major concern for other games albeit different ones in different genres usually -- so is this just a consequence of trade in WoW in general? Should the notion of gold and professions and needing to repair and craft all go away? Part of me thinks so, because it helps me specifically and the kind of way I like to play which is more gameplay focused and I don't care about trading in the game at all and wouldn't be sad it if it got axed entirely but I understand that for others it can be the entire reason they play and maybe even all they do. Especially when a game like this thrives based on having a large player-base, having these alternative methods of play is important because it can ultimately lead to more people to play with, which is necessary for this game to work. It's easy then to say, well okay then should the game be more solo focused? This is a pretty tempting solution, but there is a lot of entertainment that can be had with other people and it's a big draw for the genre and by definition it's what defines it. But when considering topics like this it's pretty tempting to just say, yeah, if this were an offline solo game we wouldn't have to worry about it.

[Relapses]

but spam is much much worse now.

gold buying/selling is also much more prevalent now than it ever was before the token (as expected), to the point that it has completely destroyed the game economy and turned it into being a buyer of boost, a seller of boosts, or a pleb (maybe not so expected). and that boost economy leads to massive advert spam.

Removing the token would do nothing but make the market for illegally obtained gold even more lucrative. It wouldn't stop boosting. It wouldn't stop players from spamming boost runs. The end result would be exactly what we have now with even more spam for people selling gold illegally.

[Hellobolis]

Removing the token would do nothing but make the market for illegally obtained gold even more lucrative. It wouldn't stop boosting. It wouldn't stop players from spamming boost runs. The end result would be exactly what we have now with even more spam for people selling gold illegally.

if you remove the token right now sure, the damage is done and likely irreversible. if the token had never been put it it would still be a lot less.

it's just unfortunate that the token has turned into the worst outcome it could have become. kinda worried for pre-raid consumable costs next expansion, they are probably going to be very very inflated beyond the usual early expansion spike now that boosting has come into full effect.

[ZazuuPriest]

pro tip people: you cant see gold/boost spam if you turn off trade chat. You cant see all the chinese spam on your realm if you get the block chinese addon. You cant be annoyed by boosters if you get some friends and dont buy boosts.

[Relapses]

if you remove the token right now sure, the damage is done and likely irreversible. if the token had never been put it it would still be a lot less.

it's just unfortunate that the token has turned into the worst outcome it could have become. kinda worried for pre-raid consumable costs next expansion, they are probably going to be very very inflated beyond the usual early expansion spike now that boosting has come into full effect.

The only thing that could stop boosting at this point is for Blizzard to either introduce another form of currency (unlikely to happen) or change their ToS to include prohibitions for boost runs (also unlikely to happen). It's one of those shitty situations where even though it's an issue, the best solution is to leave things the way they are.

[Hellobolis]

The only thing that could stop boosting at this point is for Blizzard to either introduce another form of currency (unlikely to happen) or change their ToS to include prohibitions for boost runs (also unlikely to happen). It's one of those shitty situations where even though it's an issue, the best solution is to leave things the way they are.

if they would do nothing that would be one thing, unfortunately it's much more likely they will actively encourage behavior that sells tokens. from their perspective the token has turned into one of the best case scenarios after all.

[Relapses]

if they would do nothing that would be one thing, unfortunately it's much more likely they will actively encourage behavior that sells tokens. from their perspective the token has turned into one of the best case scenarios after all.

I don't know if I'd agree there. The token has been out for going on four expansions and Blizzard has never really put the token in the limelight or offered any direct incentives to use it, I don't know why they'd start now.

[Kithelle]

All removing the token would do is cause harm to the game...less people will play and gold selling will see a rise.

[Hellobolis]

I don't know if I'd agree there. The token has been out for going on four expansions and Blizzard has never really put the token in the limelight or offered any direct incentives to use it, I don't know why they'd start now.

why now? cause boosting is only really starting to take off the last year orso.

goes hand in hand with their heavier monetization of the game all around.

they have done a lot of testing the waters this year: re-introduction of tmog for money with CE and RAF. store mount hiatus and removal of longboi to create artificial scarcity. that's going to translate into new monetization methods in the next expansion. My bet is they will start with the coolest backslot items, add some to the store and then put a few for 1m gold on seasonal vendor, something like that by 9.2. That'll incenvitize both boosters, boostees and push more people into it.

(and if you go tinfoil hat: knowing them lately, if they want to cut some more money on GMs, they will just make a boosting marketplace in game so GMs don't have to deal with reports anymore.

and extra tinfoil hat: if that goes well they can add a "wow plus subscription" a few years later where you basically get sub + token for say $25-30 a month)

[Kralljin]

change their ToS to include prohibitions for boost runs (also unlikely to happen).

While you're correct that it's not going to happen, i would be in favor of this change.
This was okay back when boosting was a niche thing, when only a handful of people on the server could even afford to pay a top end guild to drag them through a raid.

But now, it's a damn business, probably one that even has shady RMT side activities going on.

The argument "it's always been allowed" simply doesn't have the same pull when the game has changed this much on this front.

[fwc577]

There never has been a sub requirement. You know you can pay month to month, right?

Wut? The requirement is you have to pay a sub to fully unlock the game. Everyone is well aware you can pay only one month at a time. You still have to pay, which is ridiculous for a game that has a cash shop and full-priced expansions.

[Krakan]

Thanks for clarifying why "The health of the game" to me is another hollow phrase that makes my piss boil based on things you made up. Must be the game is very healthy, because nobody is selling carries on my realm. Oh wait...I suppose that means my realm is dead and shit...and not "healthy"

What exactly would change if the token goes away? And how does the influx of shady sources instead (that will then sell you gold to buy carries) is going to make the game "healthier"? Because it is illegal, less people dare buy and it makes the game somehow "healthy"? Guess with the threads complaining how Classic is overrun by farm bots run by ppl wanting to sell gold makes it a "healthy" version of the game?

I guess most off all it keeps annoying me that you do not put out any kind of definition into your OP what a "healthy" game is. But yeah..at least we find out that you usually sell three VISION runs a week (from "regular buyers" no less) and now added 2 runs a week for mythic N'Zoth. Damn...I guess that makes the token a huge problem indeed.

I see it being a pretty negative thing for new players to see when their first introduction to the playerbase is walls of spam trying to sell them services.

I think it would help if they had some kind of tab in lfd to sell and trade was more policed. Overall I'm not really sure how I feel on carries I put progression on the highest pedestal of design but I also make bank selling runs...

It's like a drug dealer complaining that there is to much crime in a community.

[Rinnegan2]

the question you are asking is the 100 million dollar question of the century. is it possible to create an MMORPG with perfectly clean progression? personally, I don't think there's a solution. I just can't see it. and I don't think we'll have a solution until way into the 2100s.

[shise]

It is good for the game health. Allows us to get gold quickly and painlessly.

I have my fair share of farming over the past 15 years, now I want life quality, now I don´t have as much time to play anymore, unfortunately. So I rather buy 10 tokens, sell them at peak and buy whatever I need and use the playtime to actually play.

[Silversorrow]

No way in hell it would be good to remove the token. It's literally saved me thousands of dollars. It's paid for every expansion for me since it came out, every shop mount/pet, realm transfers, maxed my bnet balance, all my game time since they came out, and all my gametime until 14 July 2030 (yes I have over a decade of gametime pre-bought..........) I looooove the token!!!

[Tronski]

The difference here is, it was at least against the rules and Blizzard attempted to stop it. I know people that tried to buy gold in TBC and were banned, and that thought of losing your account was enough to stop most people doing it.

With the WoW token and Blizzard's current stance, you can legitimately buy the best gear in the game with real life money. It has run rampant because it is effectively pay to win, that is completely allowed and there is no fear of repercussions.

Pay to win fueled by higher gear requirements than ever and even more RNG to keep you farming.

I'm curious to see how the boosting scene looks in Shadowlands. It has degraded the game for far too long now.

Tonight I'm playing FFXIV.

[ravenmoon]

I don't think the wow token would be bad for the game, it is allowign blizzard to gain revenue that would otherwise be lost, revenue that justifies wow's contnuous development too. and also allows players who don't have or can't afford to subscribe to actually play.

It seems a win win to me from a normal perspective.

If you start dealing with whether it's good to encourage gaming wheny ou can't afford too and should be spending your time getting a job and other things to live, then that's a whole other conversation.

[Justpassing]

All's I know is that I ain't herbing for another minute anymore.

[Queen of Hamsters]

No.

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