In the age of paywalls for unlocking cool skins, we’re nostalgic for the days when unlocking cool skins required effort, skill, and grinding.
The prevalence of paywalls for unlocking skins in games is now seen as a norm, but some of us miss the days when cool skins were tied to achievements or could be earned by playing the game.
The introduction of microtransactions and loot boxes is seen as a negative development in gaming, and the availability of mods for PC players to obtain skins for free is a point of pride for many. The debate arises over whether microtransactions are acceptable as long as they are limited to cosmetic items. Others argue that the monetization of cosmetics and XP progression has killed their interest in multiplayer and live service games.
The nostalgia begins with this comment from Reddit user u/GabeN19.
“I miss skins you could actually earn by playing the game,” they write. “Skins that required skill to get, not just money.”
“In the early days of CSGO, it wasn’t too bad,” user u/Wookiieeee replies. “Overwatch has been a pay-to-win from the get-go, but even in games like Diablo 4, it’s gotten out of hand.”
“The prices are so exorbitant,” they continue. “I mean, I’d never spend that much on a skin, but even the fact that people do with real money is just a bit sad.”
“I’m with you,” user u/Produser replies. “It’s not even so much the fact that they’re paid skins, but that they’re skins that you can get at all.”
“If there was some sort of balance between free games with paid cosmetics and paid games with free updates and maps, I’d be happy,” u/Wookiieeee continues. “But there’s just too much of a push towards the games that make all their money off of cosmetics.”
“Personally, I don’t care about them,” u/GabeN19 replies. “But I’d rather them be earned than be paywalled.”
“I stopped caring about skins after the XP-based system came in,” u/Kutiepie replies. “The only real skins now are the ones you pay for.”
“Yeah, I’m indifferent to them,” u/Wookiieeee replies. “But I do miss earning them.”
While there is a mix of opinions on the value of cosmetic items, there are many more who express nostalgia for the time when skins were tied to achievements or could be earned by playing the game.
“I miss those times,” user u/xGonzo replies. “The days when the coolest skins were earned, not bought.”
“The introduction of microtransactions ruined games for me,” u/Kutiepie replies. “I used to love playing Overwatch, but now it’s just a grindfest and a wallet party.”
“I remember when there was a chance to earn cool skins,” user u/Chaotic_lotus replies. “I remember when Overwatch had a lot of cool skins that could be earned, but I can’t see that ever returning.”
“The paid-only model is the worst thing to ever happen to videogames,” they continue. “I’m sure if I was big enough to make a living out of it, I’d be all for it. But as a consumer, I’d rather play a game that I can at least earn cool skins in.”
“I’m with you,” u/Kutiepie replies. “It’s not the fact that they cost money, but the fact that they’re the only ones available.”
“That’s why I play CSGO,” user u/TrainerAdam replies. “I can earn cool skins without having to pay for them.”
“There are still some games that allow that,” u/xGonzo replies. “Just not many.”
“Skins have become a symbol of access to disposable income,” user u/I_loved_her replies. “They’re no longer a sign of skill.”
“The only way I could be OK with microtransactions is if the skins could be earned through gameplay,” u/TrainerAdam replies. “If they can’t be earned, they shouldn’t be in the game.”
“Yeah, I agree,” u/xGonzo replies. “The only difference is that console players are stuck with whatever the devs give us. On PC, we use mods to get them for free.”
“I’d also prefer to earn skins in battle passes at my own pace,” u/I_loved_her replies. “It’s not fun being on the same level as people who are paying hundreds of dollars to level through a battle pass.”
“The fact that they’re limited to cosmetics is the only thing saving them,” u/xGonzo replies. “Honestly, I think the Dota 2 style of cosmetics where you can earn both unlockable and paid cosmetics would be the best balance.”
“I’d rather Overwatch have a few paid-only skins,” u/I_loved_her replies. “At least that way they’re limited, and they’re not locked behind a paywall in a multiplayer game.”
“The FOMO (fear of missing out) in battle passes is crazy,” user u/idkfa replies. “I’d rather have skins that are a bit more spread out, so you don’t have to worry about missing out on one.”
“I’d rather balance,” u/idkfa replies. “There should be unlockable and paid skins.”
“Overwatch skins used to be really cool, but now there’s just so many of them,” u/Chaotic_lotus replies. “There’s no room for the cool ones anymore.
