作者：Will Luton

在过去一年里，许多业内人士对游戏行业表示了担心与忧虑。

其中一个永恒主题是应用内置购买的道德问题（或该方面的缺失）。前著名PocketGamer编辑Stuart Dredge的一篇文章尤其令我难忘。

Dredge对Gameloft新作《Playmobil Pirates》IAP的69.99英镑定价表示惊讶。我向他指出，Toys R Us玩具产商对“Playmobil Adventure Treasure Island”玩具收取84.99英镑的高价。

pirates-IAP(from appsplayground.com)

“这有何不同？”我认为无多大差异。而其他人显然不赞同我的观点。

但这种定价标准何在？人类为何能够向某个物品贴上价格标签？当你走进Toys R Us，消费85英镑时，你并不会获得与原材料价值匹配的物品，它甚至可能不值5英镑。

然而，如果你或孩子在意“Playmobil”，那么在你支付85英镑的同时，你可以获得快乐、体验、满足或任何你在享有并使用这款产品获得的感受。

实体物品并非玩具的价值所在，它所代表的意义或功用才真正的价值。

消费习惯

最近我在《Magic：the Gathering》卡片上的花费达到100英镑以上。而我获得的并非接近100英镑价值的原始卡片。那我花钱购买了什么？

我之所以为《Magic》付费，因为我喜爱这款游戏，我喜爱它的复杂性、战略、画面、收集模式、社区以及竞争模式。

每周我会拨出两个时间段与其它玩家会面，我们相互对抗、交换并探讨这款游戏。我会感到愉悦，我会思考、经历胜利、失望与挫败感，并收获友谊，但这都是积极感受。我十分重视自己在该游戏中投入的时间与费用。

然而，这仅仅是《Magic》这款游戏上的保守消费例子，许多重视物品收藏的玩家甚至会在此投入成千上万美元不等的资金。有些人甚至会为某张卡片一掷2.3万英镑。

但同比连环画、体育项目纪念品，甚至是高档餐厅，这是笔无足轻重的花费。

这些用户是不是被敲诈了？我们无从判断。只是，他们看到了其中的价值，而其他人并未意识到。

随着我们的世界越发趋向数字化时代，仅了解实体经济模式的我们应改变自己的价值观——即从实物逐渐过渡到体验上。这既是我们的赚钱源头，也是我们的花钱去向。

结论

当然，虚拟物品与IAP模式也引发行业人士的一番讨论，包括如何便于孩子在未征求父母的同意下自己消费。

苹果应采取更大举措，避免发生IAP意外购买情况，父母也应接受一些教育。开发商有必要清晰地认识到，IAP囊括的内容以及如何限制这种模式。

然而，价格并非重点，这通常由个人价值观决定。如果适当的审查与预防措施运用得当，69.99英镑的IAP并没有比85英镑的盒装游戏更坑人。

付费模式是针对整个系统设定统一价格，而IAP则允许用户根据自己所获得的体验价值，投入相应的时间与费用。可能其中不少人会分文不付，而其他人可能会支付数十英镑、数百英镑或是上千英镑。

我们确实保护那些无法消费的弱者，但请不要对我的花钱方式指指点点。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Best of British: There’s nothing sinister about high value in-app purchases

by Will Luton

Will Luton is the former creative director of Mobile Pie, and now a consultant in design, retention, marketing and monetisation for videogames.

In the past year there has be a lot of fretting and hand-wringing in our industry.

One persistent theme is the morality (or the lack of it) around upper-tier in-app purchases. Specifically one piece by noted ex-PocketGamer.biz editor Stuart Dredge got me vocal.

Dredge expressed surprise about the presence of a £69.99 IAP in the new Playmobil Pirates title from Gameloft. I pointed out to Stu that Toys R Us is charging £84.99 for the Playmobil Adventure Treasure Island set.

“What’s the difference?” I asked. I see very little. Others clearly don’t share my view.

But how is anything worth anything? What allows humans to attach monetary value to an object? When you walk in to Toys R Us and drop eighty-five notes, you aren’t getting that value in raw plastic – it’s probably not even five quid’s worth.

However if your child or you care about Playmobil, you’re getting £85 of joy, play, gratification or whatever it is that you get from owning and using the product.

The physical is simply not where the value is. It is in what the object represents or facilitates.

Spending habits

It was recently picked up that I spend over £100 per week on Magic: the Gathering cards. Yet I’m not getting anywhere near £100 worth of raw card stock. What then do I get for my money?

I spend on Magic because I love the game. I like the complexity and the strategy, the artwork, the collectability, the community and the competition.

Twice a week I meet with other players, compete, trade and talk about the game. I laugh, think, experience triumph, disappointment, frustration and friendship at different points, yet my overall feeling is net positive. I value my time and financial investment with the game.

However, even this is a reasonably conservative spend in Magic – there are many people who value their collection in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range. Some may even splash over £23,000 on a single card.

But this still is tame compared to comics or sports memorabilia. Even fancy restaurants.

Are these people being ripped off? That is not for us to judge. They simply see value in things that others don’t.

As our world moves ever more to the digital, we that have only ever known the economies of the physical need to shift our perceptions of what value is – from the objects to the experience. This is where our money is being, and has always been, spent.

The discussion

Certainly there are debates to be had about virtual goods and IAPs, including the ease with which children may make them without parental consent.

Apple needs to take bigger steps to avoid the accidental purchase of IAPs and parents need educating. Developers too need to be clearer about what IAPs are and how they can be restricted.

However, price is a red herring. It is a personal value judgement made by an individual for themselves. The £69.99 IAP is no more sinister than the £85 box of plastic if the proper checks and precautions are in place.

Where paid is a one price for all system, IAPs allow different people to spend varying amounts of time and money based on the value they see in their experience. For many of us this is nothing, but for others it may be tens, hundreds or thousands of pounds.

So let’s discuss protecting the vulnerable, but please don’t tell me how to spend my money.(source:pocketgamer)