Guild Wars is one of The 10 Best Moments in Gaming in 2012

In a previous article, I listed some of the less-than-stellar things to happen to the world of gaming in 2012. After all, it’s not every industry that releases a dancing Guild Wars 2 gold game where Darth Vader does a move called “the trash compactor.”

But as a glass-half-full kind of person (and it was full before I drank half of it), I can always see reasons to celebrate. And without looking too hard, I found the gaming industry had a lot to be proud of in 2012.
Such as…

Guild Wars 2 is genuinely free to play

It’s the end of 2012, and the awards for Guild Wars 2 (GW2) are starting to roll in. But it’s not on this list because of its gorgeous graphics, fun combat, and addictive crafting system. It’s here because of the money, honey.

GW2 charged players an upfront one-time fee…and that’s it. No monthly charges, no broken “free to play” gameplay that hobbles gw2 gold players in an effort to make them pay. Yes, it has a cash store, but it charges realistic prices not overinflated ones, and you’re not required to use it. You may recall this economic model as “buying a game.”

And with new content—so far, there have been three special events for the last three months with at least one more planned—I consider GW2 a terrific experience for the price of $44.99.

Gw2 reminds the world that paying up front for a good game, even if it is an MMO, is still a valid and successful business model. If only SWTOR had got that memo.