Most of the time thoughts and efforts are invested in making QW "free". But what about the other way around - pay money to play QW. Sounds ridiculous at first, but has anybody ever given it any thoughts? When it comes to money in QW, all I remember were tournaments with money as a reward for the the winner. But surely money could be used in many different ways? Here are some of my ideas:

Pay a small fee to be able to participate in a tournament. Get some of the money back if you are active or available to play on scheduled times. Players who are not active lose their money. You could actually gain money just by being more active than the others. Slackers (not the clan) become useful for the tournament for the first time in the history - their money can be used on something useful. So if the tournament turns out to be idle-fest, you'll get (some of?) your money back. If the tourney turns out to be super-active - well then you got the value back - you paid money and you got some QW action going on for yourself.

It doesn't need to be just tournaments, really. Just pay to participate in "sunday 2on2 mixes". If you show up on servers on specific times, you get a refund. If you don't, other players will get your money. Or the refund could be based on how balanced the games were for you. Getting raped 40:-5 all the time? Well, here's 95% refund.

I saw a forum thread recently with lots of post going "no, YOU organize that tournament!" Well, if organizing a tournament is such a burden, what about paying money to the admin so that he has some motivation to do a good job.

Not sure how exactly the money transfer would be done - perhaps via bitcoins, or via some "qw.nu credit" which you could buy, or ... ?

Anybody has any experience with things like these outside of QW? Any ideas on how to make it actually work?

I can't imagine that many players would enjoy the pressure put on themselves to play in order not to lose money to others.

We speak too much about money on this forum, it feels like the game sucks so much we have to be payed to play it...

Let's add microtransactions to quakeworld so I can market my datHOMEY afro-american quakeworld skin.

Somehow quakers hold their money dearly ^^ I've put quite a bit of money into QW through Hymn of Hope which I didn't mind doing and I thought it was a success - the tournament was amazing and I know for a fact that the prizemoney actually helped bps in dire times when he was really low on cash. Not many can say that quakeworld helped them pay their rent.

However, I think in general, people won't pay a dime. The only money in QW is the money that some individuals feel like throwing in. Donations through paypal are awesome and easy though, and there are other "donation" thingys that could be used but it's hard to "donate to quakeworld" as you don't know what the money will be used for. Therefore specific tournaments and whatnot could have donations, but then again most people are cheap and don't donate. I don't know...

An entrance fee to a tournament is the standard in every sport and every big game out there. They pay to enter the tournament, and the money is used to keep the tournament healthy. This is good in theory, but in Quakeworld I feel like most people would simply not sign up if it would cost them money. Besides, top 3~5 in every tournament is basically decided beforehand as the skill ceiling in this game is so high. I doubt someone who knows that he won't win would like to pay money to play in a tournament that he's going to lose in either way.

In a perfect world, people would gladly donate and we could have amazing tournaments, something that might even attract older/newer players to really practice. But we don't live in a perfect world.

Yours,
andeh

"Besides, top 3~5 in every tournament is basically decided beforehand"
Adapted with a skill divisions system that could still work. The only money I put in quakeworld was to empezar when he renewed the nquake site, but I would gladly enter a tournament for something like 5€ ( not much more as I usually don't last that much rounds ).
I'm also thinking about a new qwenya tournament now that I found a way to definitely bypass my g-lined ip, maybe we could give this entrance fee a try !

It would also increase the expectation of "services" by the players who actually pay for participating in a league. The level already is quite high and most leagues are run very professionally (enforcing rules, schedules, reporting systems, pro-active information flow to address issues, offering reports/screenshots/demos/streams).
I know how much hassle it is to run a league for free and deal with the players and I wouldn't want the challenge to run a league for "customers" that would expect even more. In my opinion it would make sense to professionalize QW and demand money from the players to compensate for league admins (for example) if there was a lack of well-run leagues but instead we are facing a lack of players interested to play.

Playing for money, your own or others, certainly adds some flavor to a competition. But unless we talk about ridiculous amounts, I doubt money ever will be a motivation for playing QW or organizing events for QW, and therefore do little or nothing to change current state of things. The joy of playing or organizing has to come from elsewhere.

Hymn of Hope for example, was great. Not really for the money contributed, but for its great format(1-2 days, tournament dates set in stone. You knew when you had to play), great commentators (kippu, andeh, phil, milton, carapace ++) and great organizers (zingao, andeh ++). It should just have continued the way it was, with or without money.

This. And instead of money to the pricepool why not let people have the option to donate to the crew that organise and stream the tournament. I myself would feel it is pointless to have to pay an entrence fee to play in a tournament I will never be able to win or even get in top 12 or what ever. Then I would more likely donate and help the folks that run it for their trouble and dedication for the game.

Most of the folks that still play QuakeWorld do it because they think it's fun and love it. So I don't think they care about winning money more then just play the game and have fun. Or atleast that how I feel for the game and would like to think other do as well .

Hey rikky! Where are you lately? =) After this EQL, I think some of us will do all in our power to get a draft league going again, and rumors say that there might be new duel tournaments soon to come

Yours,
Andeh

I'm sorry to say (or happy to say, depending on whom I'm addressing) that my QW career is at its definite end for an indefinite period, for various reasons. I'm still lurking around obviously, and it does warm my heart to see people like Johnny and yourself still got new ideas and hopes for the best multiplayer game ever made.

Hopefully some of them will come to life, and that we'll yet witness years of awesome duels and tdm QW matches.

To not be totally off topic, how about to try out the draft with an entrance fee? Sure there would be some complications, but I'm sure there's reasonable solutions to it.

I don't like the sound of that! Someone needs to take locust down his high horse Sad to hear anyway, I hope you find motivation and time again! There are top duels to be played.

ps. remember that for example Trash is married since 15 years, has two kids and is still active in the game. It's possible to have time, if only you take time!

/andeh