I've spent the past four days playing pretty heavily and have not spent a dime of real money. So far, the game has given me everything I have needed using the Pokestops as well as leveling up. The ability to buy special items and upgrades is nice if you want it. But completely unnecessary to enjoy the game and be competitive.
I agree, you do not
HAVE too, however, you want to keep in mind that they are giving this game away for
FREE, they are working on shoring up their back end to meet demands, paying developers to fix bugs and release new features
AND there are
NO ADS! Things cost money. That is just a way of life.
They have items in there as low as $0.99, If you can, support these guys and show some love to make sure this game keeps going and does not get shut down for lack of support!!
This does not go just for this game, but any and all games need support!!
I don't find it at all wasteful if I buy a $9.99 pack per month. Gives me extra stuff and also shows my support. Hell, I pay more than that a month for multiple MMO accounts!!