Another twist on the MMO subscription model
Do you ever feel guilty about paying for subscriptions to an MMO you don't get to play much? If you work full time, and are balancing family life and social commitments with your limited gaming time, odds are that nagging feeling you're not getting your money's worth has hit you at some point, resulting in a canceled sub. C.K. Sample III, blogger of all things geeky/fun and one of the original WoW Insider crew, proposes a different payment model that isn't the typical microtransactions vs. subscriptions angle. He hopes for a subscription option based off actual game time rather than the standard all-you-can-eat for $15 each month.
Sample writes, "MMORPG companies out there: if you want to retain professionals like myself who want to play when there is actually time available for playing, then switch the pay to a time spent in game subscription credit instead of a real world time subscription. Offer that as an alternative means of payment, perhaps even at a slightly higher price point, for people like myself."
Do you think this could be a viable option for MMO companies to retain players who would otherwise cancel their subs when they don't think they're getting in enough play time? Should there be another alternative to the 30-day countdown with a standard monthly subscription?
