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I personally don't buy gold for two reasons. One is that I couldn't justify even spending that much on Premium, much less extra gold. The other is that even if I could afford it I wouldn't buy it because I like to earn my gold in game and it would cheapen the way I experience the game to buy gold. But I would spend real money if the way the game was funded was different, more on that later.
Game developers use real money purchases for in game items because you get more money that way. Everyone, even the developers, know that a subscription system where everyone pays the same amount of real money to play the game makes for a better game. The problem is that there's much less money in a subscription model than a buy-to-win model. A game like e-Sim may begin idealistically and say they won't sell gold, etc. but it's just not a sustainable system. I have no doubt that if they had kept their promise to not sell gold, there would be no more e-Sim.
However, a buy-to-win game relies financially on the minority of players who spend real money and is therefore constantly incentivised to make decisions that are only good for this minority. Finding new ways to create in game incentives to spending real money becomes more important than attracting and retaining players that don't financially support you. It's hard to blame them for that. An inferior game that panders to a minority pays better than a superior game that values everyone equally. It's a very real problem with no easy answers.
If you think about it, the fact that e-Sim still retains as many non-paying players as it does is testament that this game really does do a good job of being as egalitarian as it can under the circumstances. But the trend under the current funding system will always be toward rewarding the minority at the cost of the majority. Despite all the developers' best efforts, this funding system will continue to gradually ruin the game. Again, we should be grateful that even after over a decade of this constant pressure, the game is still fun for players like me. Thank you developers for resisting the pressure to drain gold even faster, your resolve is appreciated; it can't be easy.
There might be a solution.
Here's an idea that should be tried. It would be a huge change to the way the game is funded but has great potential. Even though I hate having multiple servers, one advantage to that is that this new system could be tested on just one server which would reduce the risk to the game.
I propose a hybrid funding system that uses elements of a subscription model along with a buy-to-win model. How it would work is that every player would need a monthly subscription to play, but a player could buy as many monthly subscriptions as they wanted and sell them to other players for gold. Since there would need to be as many subscriptions as active players, the subscription cost could be much lower. E-Sim already has the Premium subscription so this could just be modified to fit the new system and come at a much lower cost. This way players who wanted to spend extra money could still get an in game advantage for doing so without flooding the game with gold they can't spend fast enough. All the gold they would be buying would come from other players. It would be much easier for the developers to manage gold flow.
You might think that a player could still get just as much of an advantage by just buying hundreds of subscriptions but if you use a market system just like the game has for products, companies, etc, there's a supply and demand mitigator to buying a lot of subscriptions. The more subscriptions you try to sell, the lower the price will go. Conversely, if only a few players are willing to pay extra, decreased supply and increased demand raises the gold price for a subscription.
With the number of active players would directly proportionate to the funding of the game, developers would now be incentivised to attract and retain all players instead of pandering to a minority. If I were developing a game, I would much prefer that type of incentive. Like I said, even developers know that a subscription model makes for a better game.
I personally would be much more likely to pay money for the game for two reasons: I could much more easily justify paying even 2 Euro per month instead of 5 per month; and buying a subscription wouldn't interfere with my game like the gifts you get with the current Premium subscription do.
This system would also increase player activity because even if you're just spending game gold on a month of play, you're more likely to want to get your money's worth by at least 2-clicking. Another good effect would be that instead of resenting gold buyers, non-paying players would appreciate subscription buyers. The fact that you get to play a great game for free because somebody else paid money for the game would become glaringly obvious.
A hybrid subscription/buy-to-win system would still mean that not everyone pays the same price for the game which means there would still be some incentive to pander to subscription buyers but it would spread the support more evenly as many players, like myself, would now spend money on the game. This idea would not only discourage bad ideas like adding NPC's but it would also encourage good ideas like all the ones players suggest but are ignored because they don't drain gold.
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About the game:
USA as a world power? In E-Sim it is possible!
In E-Sim we have a huge, living world, which is a mirror copy of the Earth. Well, maybe not completely mirrored, because the balance of power in this virtual world looks a bit different than in real life. In E-Sim, USA does not have to be a world superpower, It can be efficiently managed as a much smaller country that has entrepreneurial citizens that support it's foundation. Everything depends on the players themselves and how they decide to shape the political map of the game.
Work for the good of your country and see it rise to an empire.
Activities in this game are divided into several modules. First is the economy as a citizen in a country of your choice you must work to earn money, which you will get to spend for example, on food or purchase of weapons which are critical for your progress as a fighter. You will work in either private companies which are owned by players or government companies which are owned by the state. After progressing in the game you will finally get the opportunity to set up your own business and hire other players. If it prospers, we can even change it into a joint-stock company and enter the stock market and get even more money in this way.
In E-Sim, international wars are nothing out of the ordinary.
Become an influential politician.
The second module is a politics. Just like in real life politics in E-Sim are an extremely powerful tool that can be used for your own purposes. From time to time there are elections in the game in which you will not only vote, but also have the ability to run for the head of the party you're in. You can also apply for congress, where once elected you will be given the right to vote on laws proposed by your fellow congress members or your president and propose laws yourself. Voting on laws is important for your country as it can shape the lives of those around you. You can also try to become the head of a given party, and even take part in presidential elections and decide on the shape of the foreign policy of a given state (for example, who to declare war on). Career in politics is obviously not easy and in order to succeed in it, you have to have a good plan and compete for the votes of voters.
You can go bankrupt or become a rich man while playing the stock market.
The international war.
The last and probably the most important module is military. In E-Sim, countries are constantly fighting each other for control over territories which in return grant them access to more valuable raw materials. For this purpose, they form alliances, they fight international wars, but they also have to deal with, for example, uprisings in conquered countries or civil wars, which may explode on their territory. You can also take part in these clashes, although you are also given the opportunity to lead a life as a pacifist who focuses on other activities in the game (for example, running a successful newspaper or selling products).
At the auction you can sell or buy your dream inventory.
E-Sim is a unique browser game. It's creators ensured realistic representation of the mechanisms present in the real world and gave all power to the players who shape the image of the virtual Earth according to their own. So come and join them and help your country achieve its full potential.
Invest, produce and sell - be an entrepreneur in E-Sim.
Take part in numerous events for the E-Sim community.
