It can happen!

Yesterday, Perfect World announced that someone had achieved the level 105 milestone. While reaching max level in most MMOs is not a big deal, reaching it without spending a cent could be a big deal. This player utilized Perfect World’s system to trade for in game currency instead of spending real life money on the game. In the end, they seem to be the first player who reached level cap without spending a dime.

While freemium models like LotRO’s are nice, a true free to play game should allow free players to have the same thing as paying players. In theory, Perfect World’s system allows this. Players who are not spending money on currency can take time to farm gold or items and trade them for in-game currency. Players who pay cash for their currency are able to make these trades and be a little richer in the end.

It’s an interesting way to do things for sure and a system I wish more games would implement (and perfect). Unfortunately, this system doesn’t always work as intended. It is a good step in the right direction for any free to play game and this level 105 player has proven that it will work – even if it takes a long time to do it.