[Jazuela]

I really REALLY think this whole thing with the mousepads and website merchandise sales is ridiculous and shouldn't be considered in the options. It just tosses a lot of muck into it. If you are REQUIRED to buy a mousepad in order to play the game, then you are required to .. BUY .. to PLAY. It doesn't matter that it's a mousepad, or an in-game token - it's the "required" and "buy" which are the operative words here.

Anyone can go to cafe press. You aren't required to be a game player, in order to buy a particular game's mousepad.

The notion that you have to pay -something- in order to make use of the -game- and all its benefits, is what matters. Cafe press, t-shirts, mousepads, field trips to the zoo, are not MUDs. They are not bits of code on computers, they have nothing to do with game play. The only time they matter *at all* is when their purchase is required in exchange for some game benefit; in which case, the "payment required for benefits" applies. If a game is completely and totally free to play, and they don't accept donations to help the server costs, BUT they DO allow you to buy a t-shirt on their website, then yes - the game is 100% free to play, with no donations accepted. Merchandise sales are merchandise sales, they're not game sales. Merchandise != MUD