An all too common sight
Source: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rhpwvhFDCBY/U5wX_-pnIVI/AAAAAAAAN0w/hcw0T0ds9y8/s400/gem-clash-of-clans.png
This blog post is a response to Dredge’s blog post on The Guardian.
South Park’s most recent episode “Freemium Isn’t Free” satirizes the recent influx of “free” games that include microtransactions, a genre that has become very popular as app piracy has flourished. Games of this genre include the popular Candy Crush Saga, and Clash of Clans, but is also prone to rip-offs and blatant money grabs. These freemium games are often the top grossing apps on the Apple Appstore and Google Play, but why are these “free” games making so much money?
The menu of South Park’s freemium game, Terrance & Phillip: Give Us Your Money
Source: http://toucharcade.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/terrance1.jpg
The show makes some very good points about how these freemium games really work. Summarized from the show by VentureBeat:
1. Entice the player with an easy game loop.
2. Compliment the player with flashy casino slots-like rewards and graphics.
3. Train players to spend the in-game currency.
4. Then offer players the chance to spend real money for that in-game currency.
5. Then make the game about waiting, but let them pay to avoid waiting.
Freemium games have to be “just barely fun”
Source: http://i0.wp.com/cdn.bgr.com/2014/11/south-park-freemium.png?w=625
This is basically a foot in the door method of sales. By first allowing a user to download the app for free, it is easier to establish a large user base. Then people who have downloaded the app may decide to pay for the in-game benefits or currency.
The show goes on to explain how the vast majority of people who play freemium games never spend a penny; however, the goal of freemium games is, to quote the show, “finding the heaviest users and extracting the most amount of cash from them.”
The games aren’t engineered to be fun, they are engineered to make users spend money. Another strategy is to purposely create micropayments that are very easily accessible by children.
We all have heard or personally seen the horror stories of microtransactions. It may be impossible to fight off microtransactions completely, but it is possible to make them morally ethical. In fact, many developers have made it their goal to make their games non-dependent on micropayments, or have sworn off micropayments altogether.
Sources:
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2014/nov/07/south-park-freemium-mobile-games
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/9990086/In-app-charging-five-horror-stories.html