imo, they will make online play free fairly soon, the only reason they havn't done it yet is becuase there is allready a huge userbase for Live, & as long as enough peeps are willing to pay for it, they will charge....
but as i say, imo, they will make it free fairly soon, mainly due to pressure from the Ps3's free online play. especialy now that the Ps3's online functions are being improved to the point where they will be as good as Live (at the moment Live has more features & generaly works better...or at least thats the common opinion)
Monetization is the process of converting or establishing something into legal tender. It usually refers to the printing of banknotes by central banks, but things such as gold, silver and diamonds can also be monetized. Even intrinsically worthless items can be made into money, as long as they are difficult to make or acquire. Monetization may also refer to exchanging securities for currency, selling a possession, charging for something that used to be free or making money on a goods and services that were previously unprofitable.
It is one of my pet hates, on pure principle alone I refuse to be sucked into a legal scam, they would make you pay for the air you breath (maybe they are already, green taxes for green people )