Microtransactions

I was just reading this interesting article about trading card games as microtransactions and I wanted to start a discussion about it. The writer's view is that he has never regretting buying trading cards (irl) because he's able to point to something he physically owns and say, look, I have that thing. He also points out that although he's spent so much money on this game, so much more money than on a console game, he has played it for so much longer that the ratio of money spent to time played is equivalent.

I personally don't like microtransactions because I am really tempted by them. The more bonuses I can get for what seems like chump change gets me really excited. I'm also the kind of person who tends to buy soda from vending machines because they're available, even though the corner store sells the same stuff for less. I know this about myself, and trying to fight it makes me angry.

But what about you? Do you like or dislike microtransactions? Do you agree with this author that it comes down to money to time ratio, or is $639 on Hearthstone too much? What about trading card games in general?

 

Personally, I never use microtransactions in games. I think it kinda spoils the fun to get all the perks without doing anything for them. I usually try to gain the things without paying money, and to beat those who do to show that in most cases experience counts way more than simple tools.