Pay-to-win

In video gaming, Pay-to-Win is a controversial and often poorly-defined status applied to a video game by the player base as a whole.

The general symptom of a Pay-to-Win video game are very powerful weapons and/or armor that can be directly obtained with real-world currency from a cash shop, or via a diversion mechanic that has no other method apart from forcing the user to pay real-world money to the developer and/or publisher of that video game.

Precisely how powerful this equipment has to be in order to qualify for a Pay-to-Win status is a topic of hot debate among players, although it is generally classed to be equipment equal to or greater in power that the current best in slot equipment available via other in-game avenues, such as raiding.

Cash shops may also sell consumables and experience-boosting equipment or items, but such sales are not classed as Pay-to-Win, but as Pay-for-Convenience, because what they offer is a substitute for players that, due to other commitments, cannot make a time commitment to the game.