I thought I'd address those defending microtransactions as something you can just ignore because you don't buy them by laying out what happened in a popular series - Forza Motorsport. Hear me out. CASE IN POINT: Forza 4, Forza 5 and Forza 6. [u][b]FORZA 4[/b][/u] - the good Racing gave out generous enough rewards that progressing in games wasn't much of a grind. And with enough effort (playing the game), you could get just about anything you like. Each level you went up also gave you a choice of car as a reward. Race winnings payout anywhere between 30,000 - 50,000 for the higher paying races.Free play let you race with any car in the game - perfect for the time stricken car enthusiast. After level 50, you don't get car rewards, you get monetary rewards for each level, which increase every level you go up to infinity. Free play lets you try any car in the game. [u][b]FORZA 5 [/b][/u] - the hit Winnings for each race were brought down to about $5,000 per race, if you purchased VIP with the game then rewards doubled to about $10,000-14,000 per race. Car rewards per level were removed, free play mode reduced the roster to a limited selection of "rentable" cars. You cannot upgrade or earn winnings while using these cars. This goes for multiplayer too. Forza "tokens" were brought in, now you can pay for in-game currency to buy cars. I think the most expensive car in the game could be unlocked for a real cash value of $88AU. I kid you not. Rewards for completing each series were removed. People started grinding oval tracks to get cash, as you were paid on a per lap basis, so going round in circles for an hour became the best way to get any cash. FUN level went through the roof as we all went zoolander and turned left for the rest of our virtual racing lives. [b]There was outrage on the forums. [/b] [u][b]FORZA 6. [/b][/u] - the compromise You can still buy those tokens, but every level gives out a roll of either cash rewards or cars, I've seen $1,000,000 come at me from such a roll. Race winnings have been restored somewhat to acceptable levels due to cash rewards on leveling up or series finishes. Free play lets you try any car you like again. There is a compromise - winnings are not where they were in Forza 4, but it has been brought up a touch, and were getting accustomed to the new roulette reward system, which is creeping into most games these days. Is this acceptable to you? Or, if it's laid in front of you like this do you feel like you might be getting taken for a ride? After all, Forza 5 left us so disappointed, that the little bit they gave back made us all accept the apology. When really, we're closer to Forza 4 rewards, but still not there. [u][b]But the burning question. [/b][/u] Did these microtransactions effect me and did I buy them? No. Did they end up effecting my game later down the track? [b]Undeniably yes. [/b] The problem is when things like this creep in, business needs to drive consumers to want what they're selling. The grind is real, it's real for a reason. [b]How do you want Destiny 2 to pan out? [/b] The choice is yours. I'd gladly fork over $44 for a decent expansion, with more content (remember, TTK was around these prices for some of us around the world). But for these silly things? Emotes should be cool things from the developers that came with TTK. Not with the shop front that came with it. Cosmetic or not, it ain't cool. It's money grubbin.