Excellent article posted on Danwei about the online game Zhengtu, a wildly popular history-based RPG. The post, which is quite long and extensive, is a great read for a variety of reasons.

I was particularly struck with the article's discussion about money and its effect on the interaction between players. I've always thought that online games were a way to level the playing field, that merit was the most important factor in success. Sure, subscription-based games priced a lot of people out of the market, but at least for everyone who paid that monthly fee, your progress in the game was just based on your talent and willingness to spend oodles of time grinding away at combat and gold farming.

As I've written quite a lot about recently, business models have changed, and there is now a decided shift away from subscription-based gaming towards advertising and asset purchases. This is perhaps a smart move for companies that are mostly interested in traffic, but what happens to the game dynamic?

Consider this. In a subscription-based game, let's say it takes you 100 hours of game play to obtain that nifty sword that allows you to inflict serious damage on your enemies. That's quite an edge, and it is not available to that lazy guy sitting next to you in the Internet cafe who only shows up on Friday nights for two hours. You got your edge because you are diligent and have no life. That should be rewarded, right?

Contrast this with the new system. You play for 100 hours, but since you have no life, or job, you can't afford to buy that sword. Maybe you'll get it eventually, but that guy next to you who only comes in on Friday nights? He's got piles of cash and can buy new weapons whenever he wants. He can now kick your (avatar's) ass, all because he has more disposable income that you do.

Not exactly good for society, I think. It also reinforces a lot of tension and frustration between the classes that Beijing is trying to minimize.