A lot of pay to win games are free to play, so casual gamers get sucked in and before they know it they’re shelving out more than they would on a AAA title just

A lot of pay to win games are free to play, so casual gamers get sucked in and before they know it they’re shelving out more than they would on a AAA title just to buy some imaginary cards (I’m looking at you, Hearthstone). Drug dealers have a similar tactic, hah. As for buying an unfinished game or preordering before reviews are out - it’s got to be marketing. New is more exciting than old, even if old is proven and cheaper. There are plenty of analogies for that one out there!