It's no surprise that the recent controversy over the price of Lumines Live! and its multiple expansion packs is merely the latest entry in what is proving to be a long line of nickel and dime schemes taking place over Microsoft's online marketplace. From Oblivion's maligned horse armor pack to Madden's stadiums or jerseys to in-game cheats in Tiger Woods, Microsoft (or its third party supporters) continue to offer "premium game content" through microtransactions that, only one year ago, had been available as part of the full retail titles. It's been a year since the Xbox 360 launched, yet gamers are still caught in Microsoft's Live Marketplace public beta test. So who is at fault for this abuse of the microtransaction system?

While the press can't seem to sort out who it is exactly that sets the pricing for Marketplace content (be it Microsoft or the third party developers themselves), many are quick to point the finger at those of us who purchase and play the games. "If you don't like the prices, don't pay for the content. You'll be sending a message to Microsoft that you won't tolerate being nickel-and-dimed for items that should be included on the retail disk. If you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem."

Right. That'll work. In the magical land of fairies and unicorns, where stupidity takes a backseat to logic and rational thought. But we don't live in Magical Happyland. We live in America, a capitalist society where the popular opinion matters so much that our own President didn't even receive the majority of our votes in the last election. So don't try to tell me that I'll be sending a message to Microsoft with my "vote" of not buying overpriced content. Because all I'll be left with is (1) the less-than-satisfying feeling of kinda, sorta sticking it to Microsoft and (2) an Xbox 360 that won't play Lumines.