As for the pay to win argument, I do no know if there will ever be a correct answer, especially given how it impacts different genre of games. Where buying a 100+ sword of might that drops of a raid boss for 50 dollars on the game market (RPG PVE) would have less of an impact over buying the BFG 9000 auto target that can only be achieved from random loot boxes with a drop rate of 1 in a million (FPS PVP) for 50 dollars on the game market. It could simply be that PVE games have more tolerance towards it given it doesn't impact other players who have not bought in.
I think this is key right here. I completely agree that there is no right or wrong answer to the P2W argument. I think that it is very much game specific. You hit on a very good point. Generally speaking there is far less salt in PVE games than PVP when it comes to buying advantage. That pill is so much easier to swallow when the purchaser is helping you instead of wiping the floor with you.
I think SC will be unique in this aspect. Yes, there will be PVP. I hope there is a ton of it actually. SC also allows you to bypass months of grinding with a simple swipe of some plastic. However, that's not the end of it. I think the key point is what you are buying with your swipe. You aren't swiping to superiority by purchasing an Anvil BFG1000 super fighter with unlimited ammo and shield capacity. You're swiping for an Idris, Hammerhead, Polaris, etc. Your superiority is entirely dependent on if you have enough friends to help you fly it. It is dependent on whether or not you have the infrastructure and resources to afford flying it. It requires that you be established in the game and have the requisite skills.
My concept of P2W involves an OP gun for RM rent in a FPS. It's an unbeatable gear set that can either be obtained in a 0.5% lootbox drop or by spending 2,000,000 hours grinding. Its allowing items to be upgraded to god like status by using a super rare resource, but then putting that resource in the cash shop. It becomes less competition and more a contest of who is wealthier or capable of the worst life decisions.
My beef isn't just with P2W though. It is with game mechanics that are either specifically designed to promote unhealthy habits (aka loot box gambling addictions), or intentionally block gameplay and content to coerce additional spending. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind spending money on what I enjoy. If your business model requires constant money flow, require a monthly sub. If you created additional content, go ahead and charge for it. MAKE A PRODUCT WORTH BUYING AND I WILL BUY IT. Just don't think for a second those cheap tactics go unnoticed. Don't advertise a whole game but then at the last minute chop it in half and charge a second time for the other 50%. Don't put a timer on gameplay. Don't hide essential features behind cash shops. Stop making it a choice between $5 or 20+ hours of grinding.
That's where most developers seem to be heading, because it works. It is far more effective for a company to cheat, coerce, lie, and even all out scam the player base than it is to sell it for what it's worth. When Activision/Blizzard pulled $4-fucking-billion dollars in loot boxes, microtransactions, and DLCs in a single year, the rest of the gaming developers took notice. Why scrub around and just pay the bills when there are billions to be made. There's no going back after that.
