Online Gaming - Are Free Or Paid Games Best?

You may have heard the terms P2P and F2P in association with online games. These basically mean pay to play and free to play, and online games are either one or the other. The debate that is going on between players and followers of these two types of games often stem from which type of game is best and which one gives you more chances of building a strong character based on hard work or based on your having money.

The arguments that people bring to the table on this subject can be pretty interesting to listen to since both sides do have rather strong points when they point out the flaws and the merits of each type. Here are some of the arguments that you will commonly hear:

When you have a pay to play game, you will need to pay a monthly fee to allow you to log in and play. The usual argument with this is that in a pay to play environment, your subscription may run out without your using it if you play due to busy schedules and such, while free to play games that you can register and play on for free are there for you to visit anytime you want without the overhead monthly cost of membership.

When you play an F2P game, you can log in any time and play any time without the need for subscriptions and paid game time, but the downside to these games is that you need to purchase certain items in an item mall to strengthen your character up or to help them level up faster. This means that if you play an F2P game, even when you do not need money to play, you will still need money to build a strong character. This contrasts to P2P games in that, with P2P, once you pay for the game time, all additional extras are achievable in-game, without the need to continually buy weapons, armor and accessories.

The number of players involved in a game is the other major factor to take into consideration as, generally, the more players, the better the gaming experience as there is more action and interactions with others. F2P games tend to attract more players, though there are some exceptions, and you would therefore assume that F2P games win on this issue. However, the 'quality' of players is generally better on P2P; they are more involved and more knowledgeable. Therefore, for those gamers who wish to build armies and form alliances, P2P games are better, as the other players will be online more and will be more reliable.

To an extent, it really just comes down to personal preference and, anyway, there is absolutely nothing to stop you participating in both paid online games and free online games. Therefore, try not to limit yourself and speak against one or the other. Ultimately, the more people that hear good things about online games, the online gamers there will be, and the better the online gaming world will be for all.