Let’s say you grind the event for, say, 40 total hours in game, and maybe you enjoy yourself for 20 of those, so they don’t really count (it’s still entertainment). But the other 20 (the last half of each day, or days you didn’t want to play), you’re being pushed further than you’d normally find fun, and it’s more like work.
If you simply ACTUALLY worked those 20 hours, even at mcdonald’s, you’d have made like $150 after tax. So you’re functionally paying $150 in your labor for that tank. Not free.
You could just work (irl) like 2 hours instead, and buy it on the marketplace for way less cost to you.
The only exception is SUMMER and WINTER events where the tanks don’t go on the marketplace, but you’re still paying that cost in labor, it’s just you have no cheaper option. So your choices are $150 in labor, or [no tank ever], still not free
(No it’s still not “abuse” though, lol, no matter how expensive it is or overpriced you consider it. Bugatti cars cost over $2 million, they also aren’t abusing you. If you want the price to go down, do fewer events, and Gaijin will have to make them easier if they get no response)
Gaijin give the impression that it is a free game, but it is structured to make you want to, or have to if you want to progress, spend money. Just like a casino gets you in the door with “free drinks” or “free chips”, knowing some will get hooked and spend.
Its scummy.
War Thunder has an age rating of 12 and above, and zero people over the age of 11 should be absolutely clueless enough to think that companies sometimes magically operate on no money.
If you’re confused that it’s a free game, then yes that is what you thought. (I don’t think you actually thought that. But you also didn’t actually think it was a free game)
Just because war thunder is free to play does not mean it is immune to any criticism regarding its monetization. Many of us put far more money into the game than a normal AAA title.