OCCUPY GAIA :: SAY NO TO BUYING GC

[x3rubiachica3x]

Flaude

Valdespar Kruziikmon

Morbid Orgasm

lovebiteaesthetic

Please sign here if you haven't already. whee

[CelestialTea]

So I guess this is it. We've been waiting and hoping and I don't know if I have the strength to wait anymore. I think I'll be leaving soon.... </3

[Neko-mancer Supreme]

CelestialTea

So I guess this is it. We've been waiting and hoping and I don't know if I have the strength to wait anymore. I think I'll be leaving soon.... </3

Im sorry to see you go.

[Jinglybell]

I really wanted to buy this black friday bundle, but im still mad about the inflation they keep causing. So im keeping up the boycott crying

[Lychee Puddin]

I've been here since '05 and I really miss old Gaia.
I remember when all they sold for real money was the highly coveted MC's.
MC's were the holy grail of items back then, if you had one then you were hotter than rug burn across carpet; and that was perfectly fine. I accepted that and I enjoyed that because I actually looked forward to Rina's monthly announcement and could handle the marketplace chaos and inflation that ensued for all of two days.
I also remember when getting an announcement was a really frigging big deal.
A single announcement about the story line, or the Admin's latest efforts to keep Gaia enjoyable was enough to get the forums buzzing with excitement and everybody really felt like they were part of the community.
I have watched all of the gold shops update and evolve into what they are now. I was there when the salon launched. I grew up with this site without ever being hassled to spend a single cent of my actual money.

Now however, all of the hair, eyes, mouths, and almost all clothes come from GC items. The gold shops are pretty much obsolete to everybody who is willing to pay out for virtual goods. Seasoned Gaians who have the cash to spare don't want the gold shop items because they aren't as high of quality, they're out-dated, and quite frankly, it feels like they only make up a small amount of the equipable items that the site has to offer.
As a matter of fact, it is a very rare occasion that I ever see anybody wearing anything from the gold shops anymore because everything now comes from the cash shop.

And how much money are they making off of us anyway?
Well, lets do some math here.
You know those "limited stock" items that they have for sale, right now?
They sell for $50 each, if I'm correct, and their limited stock is about 500.
So, assuming that they end up selling all 500 of those limited items, (and God knows they will)
that's a twenty-five thousand dollar profit right there, for that ONE item.
So if they're making such bank, then where the heck is all of it going to?
Now, I understand that everybody has to get paid, and all...
but that's a little outrageous.

Worst of all is that the inflation is just ridiculous.
All of this Flynn stuff is just out of control. Did anyone stop to think about what would happen to our economy? Or has this all been an elaborate scheme to reel in more of our hard earned cash for internet swag? Quite honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it were the latter.

I am pretty much convinced that we are no longer a community of users who are valued as people, and are nothing more than credit card information and serial numbers.
Just another dollar in the bank for Gaia Interactive, Inc.
As a matter of fact, I am to the point that I have started using my adblock on the Gaia banner so I don't have to see the cash tree or the chest or whatever else they are trying to con me into.
I have almost 200 unread announcements, 0 Gaia Cash, and compared to the new economy and "standard of living", I'm pretty poor.
And I am totally fine with that.

When Gaia can get its crap together again, I will gladly pay for cash, I will happily buy MC's, and I will advertise the snot out of the site like I used to... but until I see some real effort going into this, they can forget it.

//end rant

[Neko-mancer Supreme]

Lychee Puddin

Im starting to feel like this is a support group for gaians in distress. I know your feels. Its going to hopefully be okay someday.

[Lychee Puddin]

Tori_of_OVER9000_talents

Lychee Puddin

Im starting to feel like this is a support group for gaians in distress. I know your feels. Its going to hopefully be okay someday.

It's probably is.
They are rustling up everybody's jimmies, and it feels like there will be no end to it.
I for one and very distressed. I love getting on and killing some time now and again, but lately it's becoming almost stressful to even look at.
u.u;

[ChaosDice]

from love to pain

I have been a member of Gaia from the beginning. My older account was hacked and this one was made in 2007 to replace it.

Once upon a time, this was my go-to place to escape reality during high school and college. I had great friends, great interactions, and great times.

I've come back after almost a year and I am so saddened buy the sudden inflation in EVERYTHING. Things I have painstakingly quested for I can no longer afford because they're almost 10 times what they were originally.

This goes SO MUCH deeper for some than "virtual dress up". It's the fun and thrill of questing and creating threads to garner donations through interactions with other people. The cash shop disgusts me. 1000$ for an Angelic Halo? Really?! I get that "If the system isn't broke, don't fix it" but parents CANNOT seriously just be handing money to their kids hand over fist for this =|

I'm 29 years old, I'm not ashamed to admit that, and yes I love Gaia dearly. But this isn't how I had imagined it, not at all.

[staranime]

"— Bring back the Gaia merchandise shop so users can spend their money on real items too, not just virtual ones."



I'VE THOUGHT THIS FOR THE LONGEST TIME. OMG

[Chii Yaka Mama]

staranime

"— Bring back the Gaia merchandise shop so users can spend their money on real items too, not just virtual ones."



I'VE THOUGHT THIS FOR THE LONGEST TIME. OMG

With how Gaia is now, can you imagine how much they'd cost? If pixels here cost hundreds, I can't even think up a number for real stuff. eek

[staranime]

Chii Yaka Mama

staranime

"— Bring back the Gaia merchandise shop so users can spend their money on real items too, not just virtual ones."



I'VE THOUGHT THIS FOR THE LONGEST TIME. OMG

With how Gaia is now, can you imagine how much they'd cost? If pixels here cost hundreds, I can't even think up a number for real stuff. eek

Maybe Gaia has become to greedy with money and never thought about maybe some Gaian's would like real plushies and something they can wear in real life. Heck shoes for the price we pay. lol Also, that would help them advertise more. If we could actually get rewards for referrals that would be cool too.

[Chii Yaka Mama]

staranime

Chii Yaka Mama

staranime

"— Bring back the Gaia merchandise shop so users can spend their money on real items too, not just virtual ones."



I'VE THOUGHT THIS FOR THE LONGEST TIME. OMG

With how Gaia is now, can you imagine how much they'd cost? If pixels here cost hundreds, I can't even think up a number for real stuff. eek

Maybe Gaia has become to greedy with money and never thought about maybe some Gaian's would like real plushies and something they can wear in real life. Heck shoes for the price we pay. lol Also, that would help them advertise more. If we could actually get rewards for referrals that would be cool too.

I remember some did say that they got a hat or something. I agree it would be smart but the price would depend on how much the productuon of the items cost and what they know some users will pay for. I imagine the prices will be EXTREMELY high because it would be silly to have a real life item cost less than pixels....right? They have more potential than what they are doing, but they won't go to other options for some reason.... :/

[Scarred Secrets]

It's only a matter of time before Gaia becomes like Zynga. Zynga is famous for all of their games costing ridiculous amounts of money to advance passed a certain point. What Gaia has become has literally sucked all of the joy out of it. Questing is pointless. They don't update their games. Everyday the announcements are spammed with more "Buy this, buy that, oh my god, look at our amazing sales today!" I've had enough. I think I'm saying my farewells because it doesn't look like there's going to be an improvement anywhere in this horizon.

[Barjova]

Gaia used to have a merchandise shop. I have a Watermeat plush from it. It had clothes and hats and stuff, too. All reasonably priced.

[Dischord]

I remember the Gaia Merchandise Shop. It was amazing. My husband was going to get me a Watermeat plushie, but never got the chance to. Which makes me sad, because it was adorable.

This Black Friday Sale bit was one more nail in Gaia's coffin, at least for me. The idea that people actually paid some of these prices is just beyond ridiculous. You'd think that there'd be a higher priority on rebuilding the gold shops from the ground up, given that some items that are out of date could be updated with a secondary version, and I know some people would love to use them - if they were just higher quality.

I think my outfit right now is made mostly out of non-cash shop items (boots excluded), and I wish that it were easier to make a good looking avatar without relying on cash shop items. But it's been said before, and it's right. The gold shop items just don't compare in quality and appearance.

I think I'm going to try and completely phase cash shop items out of my items worn. It won't do much, but it'll make it easier to wean myself off Gaia - I don't see myself staying much longer with the way things are going now.