I remember an arcade game was set to take a quarter and gave you a few minutes of gameplay. When the timer was getting close to 0, you had to put another quarter in the slot for added time regardless of your progress or how many lives you still had left. Sure miss the '80s.

After the great home video game crash of 1984, a little card playing company released the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). All our favorite arcade games were being placed on that platform. At this time, arcade games had better graphics and gameplay compared to Atari, Commodore, Colecovision, and Intellivision. NES was the first to be on the equal side with the arcade game.
The '90s ushered in the PC games and better home video game systems that excelled past the arcade games. Billions and 10s of billions of dollars were spent on this every year. Dial up was the way we first interacted with other gamers in this time. Mine was a PC game called Total Annihilation about robots and tanks and weird planes. It was a new wave of fun. I paid 10 bucks a month for access to these servers through AOL dial up.
2007 was when I began playing Aces High and the rest is history.
You're on the mindset that 15 bucks a month is too expensive for 4 sorties a month. 20 to 25 minutes of gameplay on average. That might be a half glass empty way of thinking.
I get to play at the most 20 hours a month of gameplay and sometimes way less. 10 hours a month doing CM stuff. I see the glass half full.
In the long run, I have spent less money on Aces High with the 15 bucks a month compared to all the quarters, and dollar bills for tokens in the arcades, home video game systems plus the individual game cartridges, and all the PC games bought.
Aces High was FREE to download.
Do you still pay for cable TV? If you do, then how many hours you watch a month? Is that enough to justify the huge price?
I just pay for internet access. Then, I pat for Netflix, Hulu, CBS All Access, and Disney +. Do I watch all that excessively? No, I have them for my selected programming choices on their platforms. I pay for about 35 to 40 bucks a month knowing that 3 are for TV shows that air and stream next day and one for binge watching TV shows as they become available. Too me, that's much cheaper than cable TV plus the extra charge of DVR and remote. I still plan on adding Amazon Prime and DC Universe at a later time. NBC peacock is in the works with a new version of Battlestar Galactica as the flagship series along with a new Punky Brewster as a single mom with 3 kids.
I paid for Aces High even when I flew just a couple of sorties a month when my work schedule kept me from my Squad night and FSO. Why? I love the game.
To the guys who are thinking that 15 bucks a month is too much for a few sorties a month, then can you be in SEA1 Friday night at 10PM EST/9PM CST and tune vox 202. Verbal discussion might shed a light and opportunity can strike with a newer appreciation.