Ever wonder where your monthly subscription fees go? Terri Perkins from Funcom gives us an insiders look on what goes on behind the scenes.

Since the beginning of commercial online games players have had to pay to play. In some genres, such as first-person-shooters or strategy games the “price” is included with the game itself. In the role-playing genre this has been a monthly fee. With the addition of virtual billboards and the move by some developers to do away with monthly fees for online RPGs the way gamers pay for their games is changing. For an inside look on how the MMO industry deals with subscription fees and costs we’re getting an insider’s look thanks to Terri Perkins, Online Product Manager with Funcom.