I just found it unbelievable when I got the game home and read the small print on the back of the box. Sean Well technically you're ten bucks a month isn't paying for the game or for the internet connection. It's paying for the servers that host the game. All the technology that allows us and a thousand other nerds to socialize online doesn't come cheap, Sean. In addition to paying for servers, the Ultima gang also has to hire a group of folks to administrate the whole thing.
Online games are also unique in that they are sort of in a continual development process.
Things get changed to bring better balance to the experience and that costs money too. On a totally personal level, I can live without it, but then, I'm not so nuts about RPGs to begin with. That seems pretty cheap to me. Of course, I make thousands of dollars a day playing video games, so I can afford it.