Remember that good old game called “Oregon Trail” you got to play during free time in “computer class” back in the 3rd grade? I certainly do. It’s scary how much games have evolved since then, but what if some smart-ass back in the 80’s tried to score a quick million from applying micropayments to this classic title?

Oh no, Mary is injured. Assuming you want her healthy again, you’ll need to spend virtual currency or “coins”. If you run out of coins, you gotta buy. So you’d press the tab key or use the keyboard arrows to select the “Buy Coins” button, press “Return” (the ancient word for “Enter”) and…

But of course, the Internet/WWW was nothing what it is today and your purchase of coins must be done via snail mail ordering.

I’m sure that game makers were waiting and wishing for a way to make money like today but the technology just wasn’t there. Now, everything is allegedly free-to-play but there is always an easy and quick way to give yourself a boost thanks to Paypal to recharge your virtual coffers.

What will be the next cash-generating machine the gaming industry cooks up?

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Posted in Spud's Blog