Not true. Did everyone stop playing Halo CE, 2 and 3? During that time in the gaming world, you could EARN gear and awards without paying for them. For example in Halo 3, Recon Armor was the hardest item to grind for. But if you got it you were the baddass in PVP. Nobody had to pay for it, all you had to do was earn it. There were groups the helped players complete some of the hardest achievements, for example The Spartan One Project (S1P). EV is the way to take a $60 on the consumer level (who should HAVE access to EVERYTHING) and force the consumer to pay $200 extra. It is ONLY there to make additional profit for the company and has NOTHING to do with building or providing in-game content.