In Destiny 2, issues with the cash shop overshadow an otherwise pleasantly good start. We take a look at the issue with the disposable shaders. Why are players upset about such a small matter? There is more to it, believes our author Schuhmann.
We reported this afternoon about the issue with the “disposable shaders” in Destiny 2. What seems like a minor issue at first glance is annoying many players. For some, it seems strange: after all, they are just shaders.
We take a closer look. Why are shaders such a hot topic that some even call for a boycott?
Dyeing Items in MMO – From a Small Service to a Major Cash Source
The dyeing of items exists in almost all major MMORPGs – only WoW is an exception. Normally, this is called “Dyeing.”
The items used for this are called “Dyes” or “Tints” – in Destiny, these dyes are called “Shaders,” but it’s the same principle: an item receives a different color. This serves to customize the character.
Players are used to dyeing their armor in MMORPGs. This has been the case since the old MMORPG “Dark Age of Camelot.”
Dyeing comes in three different variants. One can see that this has evolved over time from a “nice service for fans” to a veritable cash source.
Level 1: Dyeing items as a standard service
In some games, players buy dyes from a vendor for in-game currency (Diablo 3) or create them through crafting themselves (Final Fantasy XIV).
After being used once, the colors disappear again – but that’s not a problem since they can be obtained again at will. For a max-level player, this poses no effort. Colors only cost a small amount. They are a typical gold sink to drain some money from the economic cycle.
This is a purely cosmetic decision that involves nothing else. Such a dyeing system is the standard 08/15 solution that no one really thinks about.
Players then dye their items in guild colors or according to their personal taste.
Level 2: Dyeing items as a mark of distinction for the player – Status Symbol
Level two exists in games like Guild Wars 2 or The Elder Scrolls Online. Here, dyeing is given significantly more importance, and the systems are much more complex.
There, dyes are not consumed upon use; rather, the color is “stored” and can then be applied to any item owned or obtained later at will.
The special thing is: in these games, it is relatively tedious to unlock one of the rarer colors. Players usually start with a catalog of “standard colors” – those who want more have to earn them.
In Guild Wars 2, some of the rare colors are linked to premium currency, which can also be earned.
In ESO, you have to unlock the colors through special achievements in the game.
Experienced players then recognize when they see an avatar in a special color: “Aha, they have accomplished this and that heroic deed in Tamriel.”
Destiny 1 also used this system. Shaders were tied to special achievements in the game. They were drops that could be reused at will.
Level 3: Dyeing items as a revenue source for the publisher
The MMORPG Black Desert is a buy-to-play game that is continually developed and therefore requires revenue. Black Desert was the first well-known MMORPG in the West to consistently realize “dyeing” as a source of income. In fact, cosmetics play a significant role in the cash shop of Black Desert.
Because the armor of the characters is not discernible by the players. They all run around “relatively the same”, whether noob or top player. Those who want to stand out from the crowd must buy costumes in the cash shop and can customize them further.
Similar systems are used by popular games like League of Legends with skins: those who want to stand out from others must use the cash shop. While the skins in that case also change the model slightly and are therefore generally regarded as more “valuable.” If skins do not change the model and only give the hero a new color, they are called “Recolor” – this type of skin is generally considered inferior and as something that should be available “cheaply” compared to the elaborate skins.
In MOBAs, skins are accepted as part of the monetization system.
The difference with Destiny 2 is that most games that rely on cosmetics are free-to-play titles or, like Black Desert, inexpensive buy-to-play titles that depend on the cash shop as their main source of revenue.
By focusing on cosmetics that have no impact on gameplay, a lot of money can be made without facing accusations of “pay-to-win.”
That’s why Destiny 2 players are upset about such a seeming minor issue
In Destiny 2, the community is so angry now because Bungie/Activision has switched from the “Level 2 Shader System,” which had no disadvantages for them, to one of Level 3.
Shaders in Destiny 1 were part of the reward system and were free. In part 2, shaders are part of the monetization system and belong to loot boxes.
Destiny 2 is a current full-price title. In the eyes of the players, it should not place so much value on the cash shop. Tolerance is lower here. Parts of the community see the shaders as a step in the wrong direction, with even more steps to follow.
Commercialization – the villain is not Ghaul, but Tess
The problem is: with the introduction of the cash shop in Destiny 1, new things entered the game. Now in Destiny 2, existing items that were originally free are packed into the cash shop – or at least near it. The loot boxes from which shaders come can also be earned.
Critics see this as further commercialization. It’s increasingly less about playing – players are confronted more and more with the cash shop.
Even if this is only a “minor issue” for many, the context shows that it represents a conscious monetization decision. Therefore, many gamers see this as a reason to take to the barricades now.
Similar topic:
Lootboxes in Destiny 2 can be bought for money & for EXP – Not 100% cosmetic
