[b]Let me get straight to the point.[/b] I don't think that microtransactions are inherently a bad thing. When the items are limited to cosmetics, dances, etc. and the money goes towards helping to make the game I love better, I have no issue with it. I'm one of those people who was ready to throw money at the screen to get the new "No, no, no!" finger wag emote. However, there are two problems with the way Bungie is currently handling MTs that are leaving a bad taste in my mouth. The first is obvious, as it's been called out many times both here and on the forums: The RNG. [b]I wanted to buy[/b] the new emote. I really did. The second I saw it in the reveal trailer I was ready to buy some Silver, but I held off on it, and I'm glad I did. I don't want to pay for a chance to get the emote I want. While the rate of getting the emote does seem to be rather high, even having to pay for four boxes before I got it struck me as being unfair, when I should have just been able to purchase it outright. So I kept the money in my pockets, waited, and after a few weeks was able to get if for myself from the weekly package. I appreciated that, but I couldn't help but think there are probably other people out there who feel the same way about specific ornaments, yet their chances of ever receiving one in-game are so much smaller. [b]MTs right now[/b] are only taking advantage of the short term benefits that come with basically tricking people into gambling to receive a cosmetic reward. Sure, some people out there spend $60 to $100 trying to get the Dragonsbane ornament, but there are probably even more people who wanted to buy it for a few bucks and said screw it, because who wants to deal with the RNG? On top of this, the sad truth is, how many of those people who spent $60 to $100 are now burnt out, and either won't do it again, or maybe even soured on Destiny as a whole because of the experience? These people may never spend money on Destiny again, whether it's MTs or even an expansion, DLC, or full game. Right now, the short term gain of large sums of money from a small number of people lines Activision's coffers more quickly, but in the long term the benefits steeply fall off. Switching to a system that is more user friendly may not get them as much money this quarter, but over the lifespan of the game would surely be the better option. [b]The second thing[/b] that bothers me about the MT system is how it effects the World Events. These "Events" are supposed to be the life-blood of the game during lulls between content drops. In a perfect world, such an event would come with both an infusion of new things to do and more rewards to earn. This would be considered a great event, while a good one would do one or the other. The problem is Bungie has taken to using MTs as a replacement for "more rewards to earn" and it just simply isn't working. [b]For example[/b], last year we had a Festival of the Lost that many people enjoyed and participated in. There were a ton of possible in-game rewards, as well as several larger paid options. While activity-wise not much was added, we were still adequately rewarded in new ways just for playing. This is an example of a good event. [b]This year, however[/b], FotL took what appeared to be a major step backwards. With minimal in-game rewards able to be earned, and almost every legitimate prize locked behind an RNG pay-wall, as well as no new content, there seemed to be no real reason to partake in it. I logged in, did my quest on three characters, and then didn't touch the masks or candy bag the entire rest of the event. Instead of being a two week long festival, the event became a one day slog, which left me with nothing tangible or worthwhile. [b]One of the reasons[/b] this is such a huge problem is that they advertised all of this content for the Festival, but, in reality, everything they added had nothing to do with the Festival itself, and more with an update to the Eververse store. As someone who just plays the game, I had almost nothing to interest me during the two week long "event." I would've loved to have been able to play the whole week with a mask on, collecting candy in the hopes of getting a Ghost Ghost, but instead I took the mask off and never even thought of it again. There were no rewards to keep me playing the game once the initial quests were completed, unless I wanted to pay. [b]The point of this, of course[/b], is that these events are supposed to be something to bring players back into the game and give them a reason to play. In a perfect world the event would have new content and be satisfyingly rewarding, but at the very least it could do one or the other. Instead, all FotL ended up being was a way to get players to spend more money, seemingly saying as long as they do that, who cares if they even leave the Tower? Instead of an event giving us things to do and rewards to earn, we were treated to some aesthetic updates and a salesperson smart enough to give out the first hit for free. In short, FotL didn't have enough to do and simultaneously wasn't rewarding enough to play. [b]This is a huge problem[/b], and it's left me worried that Sparrow Racing League will end up the same way. Granted, by default SRL will have much more to do than FotL, but if Bungie insists on continually hyping up their events by advertising a bunch of new items, we should at least be able to earn a respectable number of them simply by playing. [b]Being able to earn three[/b] Sterling Treasures a week was a good example of this. They hyped up Chroma and Taken armor alongside the new and updated content, and it was actually possible to get a decent amount of it in game just by playing. If I didn't want to wait around or grind it out, I could pay real money to skip the process, but I was also encouraged to keep playing because I was given decent rewards for my time and efforts, and had a variety of activities to enjoy. This is an example of a great event, where MTs assisted the reward process instead of replacing it. [b]With Radiant Treasures and FotL[/b], the opposite is true. They hyped up the ornaments, masks, dances, etc., making it seem like they're an integral part of the new DLC and events, but then they're incredibly stingy giving them out to people who spend their time in-game instead of their money. With Rise of Iron, we were at least given new content to keep us occupied, but the lack of a respectable in-game way to earn the rewards they so often showed off left it feeling incomplete, and brings us to our second example of a good event. It's even more disappointing knowing that, had they kept a system similar to that which had been used with Sterling Treasures, this update could have been considered great. Instead, they leaned heavily on MTs to replace in-game methods of earning rewards, and thus we're left where we are now. [b]This was even more apparent[/b] with the new FotL, as they gave us neither new content nor a decently rewarding experience, in favor of almost exclusively paid-for options. As I mentioned before, I understand the reasoning for this, but why would people who have left Destiny come back and spend money on a game that has nothing new to do and doesn't reward them for playing in the first place? [b]You see, in the short term[/b], offering almost every reward as paid content seems like a good idea, as it gives a quick infusion of cash to a game whose playerbase is shrinking, but it does nothing to prevent that downward slide. People come back, take a look at the stock, and then leave, with no incentive to stick around if they don't want to spend money. Couple this with the RNG system that doesn't even guarantee that the person will get what they want when they make a purchase, and you've got two things that combine to make players feel unrewarded and taken advantage of. [b]Long story short[/b], I don't want SRL to be an event that does nothing but give me more things to spend money on. Hell, even if it comes with a decent amount of new content, if almost all the sure to be highly advertised rewards are for-purchase only, it wouldn't sit well with me. A great event is one that combines new content with exciting, winnable prizes, and that's what I'd like to see: Something that gives me more things to do, and a chance to actually earn rewards at a respectable rate. On top of that, barring me actually getting what I want from a decent amount of chances, I'd like to be able to just flat out buy it, as opposed to spending my hard earned money gambling for a trinket, and instead getting 20 others that I care nothing about.