The Birth of Micro Transactions, They Are Older Than You Think

Many people bemoan the micro transaction model that has been accepted by many game publishers with the advent of mobile gaming devices such as the iPhone and Android phones and tablets. There are many arguments about why publishers like this business model so much, one of the most prolific being anti-piracy steps – what is there to steal if the game is free and the only way to get “In App Purchases” is to spend money? For the most part, this model is thought to be the evil child of modern mobile gaming- it isn’t.

Some would argue till they are blue in the face that micro transactions started with portable “Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games” but they didn’t. Sure, those types of games popularized the idea of paying for trivial things like health packs, a new sword or diverse types of armor but they were not the first, simply the ones to popularize the business model.

See, way back in late 1990, American Technos released a little title called Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone in arcades. Of course, that alone is not reason to claim this as the birth of micro transactions, not unto itself. Look at the pic and see for yourself- Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone was the first title to offer the player the chance to pay real world money to better their situation in the game.

Moves, extra men, power ups, health and weapons are on the menu for purchase in Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone. Usually priced at an extra quarter per purchase, this is easily the first commercially released title to offer in app purchases. The next time you curse a mobile title for its use of In App Purchases, you will know who to really be cursing- Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone. A 27-year-old arcade title that wasn’t that great to begin with.