Players with experience must know the term F2P. This abbreviation stands for Free-to-play. The name itself already implies that we have in front of us – a business model that allows the user to install the game without depositing money. It would seem that the free game is just great for the player, and terrible for the developer. But is the “free” game so free?
For starters, it is worth remembering the famous saying about the free cheese. The task of Free-to-play games today – any way to attract players who do not want to spend their time on a particular game, and then force them to spend money. First and foremost, every F2P game has features that provide game benefits in a faster way. Of course, first of all, this business model is designed for children and adolescents who can play without parental control.
Of course, the dealers behind such “free” games have come up with more than one way to get money out of users’ pockets. About some of the most common options we will tell you in this article.
Compulsory monetization
Forced monetization – it is, in fact, a deception of the player, creating conditions forcing him to buy something, at the same time, without giving a person all the information. Or, deliberately hiding it so that it is technically available, but the person himself did not notice it. To hide the purchase, the link between the action and the price is usually disguised.
If you offer the user free access to the game and one very inexpensive bait, which is “guaranteed to facilitate your life in the virtual world”, then offer him a lot of expensive gaming products that qualitatively improve the game, the player, spending the first dollar, will be prone to spend more and more.
In this case, if there is at least one intermediate currency between the buyer and real money – some “magic crystals”, the buyer will be very difficult to assess the amount of transaction. It means that in the future he will be more willing to spend even more money.
The domestic currency for the “chosen ones.”
As mentioned above, an intermediate currency reduces the critical perception and sense of real spending. As a rule, you can buy this currency right inside the game – if a person leaves the game to make a purchase, he can compare what is happening and evaluate his actions more soberly. This means that the chances of completing the purchase will be reduced.
Take a look at modern “free” games – in each of them you can buy some “magic beans” with one click, which increases the chances of success. In addition, buying domestic currency allows you to use discounts that psychologically push a person to make a deal, for example, the unit price of the game currency is much lower if you buy in bulk immediately.
Confiscation of the award
One of the most reliable and efficient techniques – the player receives a very large award, greatly simplifying the gameplay. Happy user thus, the game begins to threaten to take away the bonus if a person does not spend a moderate amount of money. People love to receive awards, but hate to lose what they already have. The longer you let the player own the reward before threatening to take it away, the stronger the effect. This technique is very effective, and makes consumers of any level of experience to spend money.
Skills vs. Money.
An “skill game” is a game in which the user’s ability to make quick and successful decisions directly affects the outcome of the game. A “game of money” is a game in which the user’s success is determined by his ability to spend real money.
Thus, the developers simply have to disguise one game as another. Early levels can be passed almost by anyone, without the cost of money – after which the complexity gradually increases. As soon as the consumer gets involved, the difficulty grows dramatically, shifting the style of the game to the “game for money”, when further progress requires a cash injection.
Constant improvement
Almost every F2P game has so-called “enhancements” – they can be temporary, giving a one-time instant effect, or permanent. Temporary improvement is a one-time payment, which gives the user the opportunity to one or another. Let’s say an opportunity to pass a difficult level at first without suffering from game punishments (lost life, glasses, energy, etc.). A permanent enhancer is, as a rule, a rare artifact that makes life of players much easier.
It is just as useful to make users pay even more to combine several enhancements into a more powerful bonus. The financial side of the issue is usually well disguised, and when a player decides to take up the calculations, he can establish that he has already invested a thousand dollars in the game. Now he can throw everything away with a greedy feeling: give up the game and lose the invested money, or go all the way to the end, spending an unknown amount of money to buy the best bonus.
Step by step opening the game.
Built-in blocker further progress is also a frequent guest in “free” games. Playing without financial injections, you can reach only a certain level, pump only a certain number of skills, or find only strictly defined items. For further growth in the game the user must spend a certain amount of money – usually it is not too high.
Such restrictions are divided into “hard” and “soft”. A strict restriction does not allow a person to continue to play until he has deposited a certain amount of money into the account. A soft limit is a situation in which a player can go through a restriction, but only after a certain period of time. Slowing down the construction of buildings – and its acceleration for real money.
Slow regeneration of health, the restoration of a particular characteristic. Everything that requires patience from a person, and keeps him from continuing to play. Improve the effectiveness of the soft limiter can, accelerating the generation of game resources so that the user does not have time to spend them.
Thus, “earned” resources are lost if you do not spend real money. In fact, this method includes the confiscation of the reward, increasing the level of discomfort of the player and the in-game currency, in case the player is gentle enough to accept the failure in the game on his account.
In short, when studied in detail, free games no longer seem to be so free. And the only way to get pleasure from them – do not take the gameplay seriously, after you are once again asked to pay real money for a virtual product or service. Remember that this is just a game, even if it is very exciting.