Dear Konami,

     I've been a fan of Metal Gear for half of my life.  I've adored every single release, and credit them as being some of the most tightly put together, worthwhile representations of global pop culture and perhaps one of the best, longest-running examples of the interactive medium being an artistic expenditure that engages its purveyors on countless levels of intrigue.

     This petition is written to plead with the folks who hold the power at Konami Digital Entertainment—please do not mar the design of the latest Metal Gear entry with wallet-trolling.  It's common among the apologists of this practice to write microtransactions off as being benign and optional additions that don't fundamentally affect the nature of a game's design and its ability to be enjoyed by those that aren't interested in spending money during an experience—but I'd contend that the presence of microtransactions fundamentally negatively impacts the core experience of any piece of media whatsoever (even the free-to-play games from which they originate).

     Although the argument that solely cosmetic affectations acquired through in-game purchases don't negatively impact design may generally hold some water, in the case of Metal Gear, cosmetics serve an important gameplay function: camouflage; additionally, even if they affect the gameplay 0%, the core experience ultimately suffers as a result of the user's finances constantly being shoved in his or her face.  Either way, the rumors regarding the presence of in-game purchases don't even hinge upon solely cosmetic additions to the game; the rumor is that the base-building aspects of the game follow real-world time—time that can be bypassed upon relinquishing real-world money.  The inclusion of microtransactions of this nature in anything transforms said work from a piece of art designed solely with the user's experience in mind into a service constructed with the tacit intention of assaulting the user with tedium and inhibition of progress; these frustrations—ideally (from the publisher's perspective)—ultimately culminate into a motivation to spend.

     Unfortunately, the only way in which a publisher decides for or against the inclusion of anything in their product is on a financial basis.  It's a grim reality, but one that ultimately makes perfect sense, and it's the only way I can really address the issue.  There is simply no reason to say no to more money.  Is there really more money though?  Even more unfortunate is the reality that there's no reliable way to test whether or not folks are actually deciding against purchasing a product on the basis of the inclusion of microtransactions.  I can post here, anecdotally, that I've already decided against purchasing two games this year alone because I wasn't interested in being prompted to buy additional content as soon as I'd spent sixty dollars, but ultimately it's easy for executives in a corporation to write that off as a fringe response to the inclusion of microtransactions—all the while, reports of earnings made from their inclusion provide very little incentive to leave them behind.  

     The truth is that I have no way of properly demonstrating the reality that people decide not to buy products on the basis of the inclusion of microtransactions.  All I can do is stake my claim that I will not be buying this game (or any other) if they are included.  Additionally, there will be no half measures; I will not buy the game used—contributing to the oversaturation of its used market and thereby incentivizing new purchases.  Trust me, that really hurts to say; Metal Gear is perhaps my single favorite series in existence (even transcending the medium), but I refuse to be involved in it's evolution into a slot machine.  There are still tons of amazing creations in the indie seen that treat me like a customer when I'm buying, and like a subject when I'm playing.  That is the way single-player experiences should be.  This petition is not just here for Konami; it's here to give a voice to people who hate that digital entertainment has resigned itself to this, and we recognize that an art-form we once loved is devolving into mere financial manipulations.

Sincerely,

Undersigned