I reread my previous posts and I find I may come of as some sort of fanboy or whatever. So I'm going to try to formulate my opinion on this matter as cleanly as possible. First of all, Rise is not the only game I take issue to. It's simply a thread in which this discussion is currently ongoing and as such I felt like chiming in with my honest opinion.
And I feel that all the games in the last 6 years that have perpetrated this sort of optional microtransaction nonsense have bothered me greatly. Not because I can't afford it, not because I think they're creating an imbalance, nor is it because I'm opposed to spending time playing videogames. It's because in my honest opinion a game that has microtransactions will assign real world value to virtual items - which will always result in an economy in which the value of gameplay has to be degraded in order for the value of said item to be appropriate.
The example in the O.P is a textbook case, they will artificially extend the time required for a player to achieve something in an effort to make profit. So an unlock that used to be 10000xp is now going to be 12500xp so the perceived value of the microtransaction item will increase.
Honestly, they don't want you to play to unlock items, they want you to pay and this will influence virtually every game design decision to the point where it feels like these games hold my time and enjoyment for ransom. Again my sentiment extends past Rise and applies to every game with superflous microtransactions released in the last 6 years. And I honestly feel like everybody is doing it is not an excuse, nor a justification for this sort of applied greed.
it's patently obvious people are going to assume the worst no matter what the news is, so we will save them the trouble of straining their eyes or clicking a link.
