This is something I've honestly thought long and hard about, ever since I read that WoW may become f2p in the distant future. And, although I've enjoyed f2p games in the past, I never had the money to really invest in the items I wanted, nor would I have ever invested that much, had I been able to do so. I don't think there's anything wrong with f2p games; they can be extremely fun and enjoyable. At the same time, there's a huge difference between a game that's always been free to play and a game that's always been p2p going free to play.

Personally, I think WoW turning free to play would be a huge mistake. It's not that it wouldn't garner Blizz a great deal of money, because it would. On the other hand, I feel that over time, it would definitely be the downfall of the game. WoW is like no other MMO out there, currently. There have been epic MMOs in the past, but WoW is its own beast. It's legendary in it's right and the normal rules just don't apply.

I go months without even logging onto my account or a single toon. I can't tell you the number of times that I've lost mail, because I forgot about it, when not logging in for a good while. I don't go through WoW withdrawal, I'm not "addicted" or anything of the like. But, I do -adore- the game and even when I don't have an itch to play, I don't freeze my account or stop my subscription in the meantime. And, the reason is, WoW has sort of become a way of life, for me. As I'm sure it has for so many people who play it on a regular basis. It becomes similar to a hobby, such as a knitting, playing a sport, or playing an instrument. You might want to do those things for eight hours straight one day, but then take a break for a week in between. But, it's always there and you're not willing to give up your equipment, knitting needles, or instruments anytime soon. You do those things when you want and don't, when you're not in the mood. They're part of your life. That's how WoW is for me. It's become part of my life. And, when it does come to an end, someday, I'll be sad and miss it, but the same way you do, when a good book series ends; it wouldn't be the end of the world. But, if the game suddenly went f2p, it would cheapen it so drastically, that I probably wouldn't even really want to play, anymore.

It's not meant to be a f2p game. WoW is such an investment. To do something like that is just such a slippery slope. I think that with the massive amounts of money they can get from the occasional pet store pet, pet store mount, and TCG items, that they should be fine to continue to keep the game p2p, while still getting some extra cash on the side. I just don't think going f2p is truly necessary. However, we may just find that in the end, Blizzard will have grown bored with WoW and want to move onto something else. And, that they know they can make large quantities of money, from those folks who have it to burn on a lot of cash shop items, while making the game f2p. But, for those whom the game has become like a way of life, it will probably grow less and less enjoyable over time, and in the end, cause them to quit playing, all together.

I hope that if the game does ever go f2p, that it will be at least two expansions from now and nowhere in the near future.