By Ben Kuchera
July 09, 2008 - 12:20PM CT

PC gaming may not be dying, abut it is in a state of flux. We're seeing developers and publishers blaming piracy for all the ills of PC gaming, but attempts to rein in pirates with the help of DRM only annoys and mobilizes the legitimate customers of your games. The solution? According to David Perry of Shiny Games, PC games are going to be free.

He points to the Asian market as an experiment in this model. "They had so much piracy that they decided to stop charging for the games. Instead, there'll be a charge for things you might want to use in the game," he said in Belfast, according to the BBC. Companies are to make their money through microtransactions. "Your character might have a plain white T-shirt. If you wanted a nicer one you could have it for a dollar. Or perhaps you could buy a magic sword for a knight for a dollar."

For examples of how this model works, look no further than Korea's Nexon Corporation. Located in Seoul, it specializes in developing these free-to-play games, with a high level of success. Take Crazyracing Kartrider: the game itself is free, but you can pay for licensed karts or new paint jobs. Maple Story is a top-down MMO title that is likewise free-to-play, with certain items being available for purchase using real-world money.

It has to be noted that these games exist to allow profit for Nexon only, for-cash trading between players is prohibited; only virtual currency is traded when a player sells an item. The first attempt at this market by a western developer is EA's Battlefield: Heroes, a free-to-play version of the company's popular Battlefield titles that is geared for a casual audience.