Do we really need to buy games nowadays wherein there are a lot of free games that can be played through mobile and browser games? I'm scanning my phone with so many free games, and more free games are being developed that I can't play all of them.

Depends on what type of games you like to play. Mobile games are often free and come in a few basic genres, most are very "cookie cutter" though which may or may not be an issue for you in the long run. There are some AAA "pay once" games such as Everquest Online which are certainly worth it. However, if you're not a big fan of amazing graphics or RPG stories the world of indie gaming whether free or insanely cheap is a thriving industry of it's own right now. I wouldn't limit yourself to only free games or even a certain genre, there' s a lot of great stuff coming out in practically very genre these days.

On the contrary, game developers and studios are going into free-to-play games that will have in-game purchases. Of course, there are still gamers who would prefer buying their favorite game. What I'm saying is that many of the genres can now have a free-to-play game.

The music industry all over again. Who needs to pay for CD's when you can free-stream? It's the same thing really and there will be a market for both types of gamers, I'm sure.

Free to play games often are not totally free. They still need to make profits, they just do it differently by relying on micro-transactions within the game, or by forcing you to watch a lot of ads (or pay for an ad-free version).

 

But the fact is that there will literally always be a market for games because generally speaking, games you pay for upfront or with a subscription are higher quality than those that are free. Not all the time, some are exceptions. For example on Steam, there's a free game called Warframe that's really well done. But the trade off on a free to play game like that is that you progress slower than players who are willing to pay for things in-game, and there's also often less developer support for bugs or problems because they don't have the budget for it.

 

You'll always pay for a game in some form or another, unless you download it illegally. Whether it's by enduring ads from the otherwise free service you're using, paying for it upfront, or micro-transactions when you get frustrated with the rate you're advancing in the game or frustrated with things you simply can't do without said purchases.

You are correct, Zack. The free-to-play slogan is just that, a slogan. Game developers create games to profit from it, and not just to make the world a more enjoyable place to live in.