pupukachoo:

The DA point system is a horrible, irritating scam that pisses me off to no end.

Let’s think about it this way.

Sure, you can go to the store and buy, with real money, a copy of monopoly. Within that game comes a whole bunch of fake money… and, because that money is fake, there are ridiculously high amounts of it at an inflated price. It really LOOKS like a lot of money, and you can use it to buy things in monopoly! Which is cool and fun! But if you take it anywhere outside of monopoly you’re screwed. Who kept your real money that you paid for this? The company who produced the game…  sure, you could try to get your money back by exchanging it for money, but you won’t get as much and, honestly, isn’t it kind of too much trouble?

now, this is all well and good because that’s a game. and what you got out of it is what you paid for: fun…. now here’s what DA points do.

They basically tell people it’s okay to actually PAY artists with monopoly money.

And because DA points are relatively cheap (it adds up, DA is making mint off of this shit don’t even think they aren’t) for such a high amount, suddenly even reasonable or undercharged (yes, even undercharged) artist commission prices look absolutely OUTRAGEOUS in this fake monopoly money and the buyer starts to demand a cheaper price.

cheaper prices so they can keep more of their pretend money

becasue it looks like a LOT of pretend money.

and it isn’t.

This is… ungodly, exceedingly harmful to artists. it breeds a mentality that is terrible. It basically outright says your time and effort aren’t even worth real money and, worst of all, DeviantART is using it as a means to keep all of the money for as little loss as possible. They are basically ripping off all of their (sometimes paying!) customers (I know I have a sub account).

What DeviantART is doing is the equivalent in paying your employees with monopoly money. It is shameful, it is harmful and it is childish. It is belittling and every time I am asked if I can accept points for commissions, only to decline and give a real price, I am treated like I’m asking for something outrageous.

what makes me the angriest about this is how people have given into it and bought into it as okay, the norm, etc.

They treat work, HARD WORK, like the equivalent of a go-gaia paper doll exchange. 

Commission artists already GROSSLY undercharge for what is actual, real freelance or professional prices, and this is doing nothing more than wiping that out even further. Have you seen these 50 point commissions? Think about how lthat looks like a big number.

wow, 50 dollars could get me at least a nice solid drawing or even a lineart from some artists! hell, some artists even charge 50 for nice rendered stuff (which also makes me cry but… ok)

how muchmoney is 50 points, really, if it’s 80 points to a dollar?

how wrong is it to ask someone to work/design for you for LESS than a dollar?

THAT is why DA points are a scam.

(made rebloggable upon request)