History Main / BribingYourWayToVictory

* ''{{World of Tanks}}'' features gold consumables which can boost your performance a bit more than regular ones or fix multiple crew/modules at once. It also features gold ammo, which can turn an otherwise unwinnable matchup into a {{curbstomp battle}}. Usually though, they just increase armor penetration and make otherwise mediocre gun strong.

** Hence why most teachers ban the calculators on tests if it would give you an advantage. Depending on the punishment for cheating, it's probably not worth trying to sneak one in. Obviously different if the class ''requires'' said calculator to perform the maths, in which case the calculator is required for the course, and can be paid with student loans/ financial aid.

* All Creator/ArtixEntertainment games (''VideoGame/{{AdventureQuest}}'', ''VideoGame/{{DragonFable}}'', ''VideoGame/{{MechQuest}}'', ''VideoGame/{{WarpForce}}'', ''VideoGame/{{EpicDuel}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{AdventureQuest Worlds}}'') have the basic storyline and most equipment available for free, but the best weapons, armor, Titan quests and battles (best for farming!), and so on are only available to upgraded players and (in the case of equipment) often only for special currency that must be purchased with real-world money. (although small amounts can be gotten rarely in ''AQ'', ''DF'', and ''MQ'') The worst for it is probably ''AQ''; ''MQ'' is probably the best, but ''DF'' and ''AQW'' both have an awful lot of content available for free players. [[hottip:note: It's only a one time payment for the upgrade and more like paying for the full game (aside from AQW), so that's not nearly as bad. The special currency that is earned in each game but can be payed for, however, tends to give better equipment than just gold.]]

* Parodied in [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2013/03/08 this]] ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' strip.

* The browser-based''VideoGame/WorldOfDungeons'' has a lot of options for this. Want to play alternative classes beside the basic three? Shell out some dough and you'll get '''''eleven''''' more. You botched the character and wants to do it over as another character or type? You can wipe the character without losing exp and in-game money for a fee. Your armor is one mere point from breaking? You can repair it for a fee.

* In RuneScape, you can spend real money to get extra spins on the 'Squeal of Fortune', whose prizes include things like XP, rare items, and in-game money.

** They do, however, take a cut of every sale (and a further cut if the seller withdraws the profits instead if using it to buy other items) so thye are making money even without selling items themselves.

* Weapons (and very rarely, a NiceHat) still [[RandomDrop randomly drop]] in VideoGame/TeamFortress2, but if you're impatient (or you got one of those mystery crates that need a key to open), you'll be tempted to shell out money for stuff in the Mann Co. Store. Most of the time this isn't truly game-breaking since 90% of weapons in the game are side-grades that come with their own disadvantages, but some hats complete an [[SetBonus item set]] that gives the wearer a pure advantage over anyone who doesn't have the hat (granted, only when paired with the above weapons). Given how rarely hats drop and how expensive they are to craft, these hats tend to draw a lot of hate from the player base.

* VideoGame/MaddenNFL 10, at least for the {{PlayStation 3}}, has gone absolutely insane with it. It's bad enough that they expect you to shell out ten dollars to purchase an "AFC LEGACY PACK" that's just a few different costumes and stadiums that in all honesty should have just come with the game in retail (and probably [[DummiedOut technically did]]). But for the first time, inputting cheat codes for the single player games isn't a matter of using 'cards' awarded in game for good play, but rather purchasing the use of those cheat codes online in the PlayStation Store. Not to mention the new "Madden Ultimate Online" mode, which is like any other online mode, but with the added fun of shelling out $5 a pack for 11 cards, and needing a deck of 100 cards to play. Oh, and those cards you just paid real life money for? They disappear from your account forever after playing enough online games with them (usually around 6), forcing you to buy more packs.

* Chris Roberts has stated that the real money shop in ''VideoGame/StarCitizen'' will not carry any items that cannot also be obtained by grinding. This, obviously, doesn't take into account that some players will inevitably have more real-life cash to burn, and make use of it. Release date is set for 2014, so we'll wait and see.

* ''Luna Online'' follows this trope. The game world is pretty big, making walking ''painfully'' slow, but hey! You can buy a time-limited warp scroll at the cash shop! Grinding going a little slowly? Just buy an experience multiplier scroll! Granted, it's completely possible to reach the max level without buying any gPotatoes (the currency you buy with real cash). In fact, a character in June 2010 was featured on the game's website for having done just that (although they did trade in-game gold for the gPs and special items).

* The {{iOS}} remake of ''VideoGame/Contra'' has this in spades. Lost all your lives? You better have a buck or twenty on hand to buy some "diamonds" from the cash shop, or else it's back to the start with you. Since this is [[NintendoHard Contra]], this adds up ''very'' quickly.

* All of the ''{{Disgaea}}'' games have an in-universe variant and [[LampshadeHanging Lampshade]] it. You can bribe members of the dark assembly with items in your bag to rule in your favor making bill passing easier. Of course if that doesn't work you can just force them through battle.

** The game actually manages to break records in terms of expensive micro transactions, with some powerups costing 40 bucks. That's right, for the price of a once per level ability to turn something into a stripped candy, you can purchase ''VideoGame/{{StarCraft II}}'' or ''{{Disgaea 4}}''. Making matters worse is how some levels are seemingly designed with the use of the uber expensive powerups in mind.

* Indie MMO ''[[http://www.wurmonline.com Wurm Online]]'' tries valiantly to avert this, being built almost entirely around ItemCrafting and economics. You start off with all the kit you need to begin the process of acquiring weapons, armour, proper tools and even your own house... The incredibly long process of skill grinding in order to make stuff that you can use or turn a profit on, or else working on someone's massive construction project for wages. (Yes, this game faithfully simulates ''grueling manual labour''.) If you haven't got the patience for this then you may be playing the wrong game, but there's an option to convert real-world money to game currency. On the other hand, the free-trial area lets you level up quite a long way and build up as much cash as you like before taking the plunge into the game proper.

* All Creator/ArtixEntertainment games (''VideoGame/{{AdventureQuest}}'', ''VideoGame/{{DragonFable}}'', ''VideoGame/{{MechQuest}}'', ''VideoGame/{{WarpForce}}'', ''VideoGame/{{EpicDuel}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{AdventureQuest Worlds}}'') have the basic storyline and most equipment available for free, but the best weapons, armor, Titan quests and battles (best for farming!), and so on are only available to upgraded players and (in the case of equipment) often only for special currency that must be purchased with real-world money. (although small amounts can be gotten rarely in ''AQ'', ''DF'', and ''MQ'') The worst for it is probably ''AQ''; ''MQ'' is probably the best, but ''DF'' and ''AQW'' both have an awful lot of content available for free players.

** The game actually manages to break records in terms of expensive micro transactions, with some powerups costing 40 bucks. That's right, for the price of a once per level ability to turn something into a stripped candy, you can purchase StarCraftII or {{Disgaea4}}. Making matters worse is how some levels are seemingly designed with the use of the uber expensive powerups in mind.