Note: I’ve been told the Backburner actually does have Compression Blast. Not going to change anything because the point still stands.

Alright, so I mentioned before that selling power is a very, very stupid idea, but then immediately gave the most well known example, Team Fortress 2, a pass on it. What gives? Did I actually go mostly insane, or was there a method to the madness? (I’ll give you a hint, it’s probably the last one. Probably.) So today, let’s look at the kind of micro-transactions that are happening in the gaming world, and which ones need to stop.

Like I said before, let’s have a look at the Manconomy store for Team Fortress 2. All they sell is weapons and silly hats! How is that not evil/ridiculous? Well, the silly hat thing is ridiculous, but it makes for a good laugh at least. As for the weapons… Quick, what are the basic load-outs for each class? It’s alright if you don’t know them all off the top of your head, but it thought “freaking amazing” then you’d be right. Every weapon in the starting load-out is incredibly solid, and is extremely useful. In fact, I’d be willing to say that the store is harmful to new players, not because of any power shifts, but because of the way the new weapons subtly shift the desired playstyle of the player in question.
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