The games may be free, but in-game purchases are the ones selling like hot cakes these days. On an estimate over $41 billion were spent on mobile games in 2017. We all want those dance moves and those outfits, but many developers are taking undue advantage of our restlessness, they know most of us will end up buying up more lives to continue playing or buy better gear to level up faster, or, look for an undue advantage to cover up our weak skills, in a competitive game. While most models of mobile game purchases are made to rip off money from an average player, some games really do not give any in-game ‘advantage’ to the players who ‘choose’ to spend, while others simply put you a significant level above others, if you are willing to pay the price.
Games like PUBG offers extra missions which finally unlocks cosmetics, like outfits and dance moves, while its ‘elite pass’ does make you stand out of the crowd, it actually doesn’t affect the gameplay at all, no in-game advantage is given to players who spend money to buy an ‘elite pass’. It’s almost same with Fortnite, you can buy weapon skins and load of other cosmetic stuff but can’t buy an ‘advantage’ over other players who aren’t into spending on games.
The strategy of PUBG and Fortnite has made them widely adapted and fun, between gamers of all ages and genres. You simply don’t pay a penny to play but can upgrade cosmetics looks of your character while playing. Games like candy crush (most downloaded game of all time) simply force you out of frustration to buy extra ‘lives’ to continue playing, or else, you wait, till the timer stops and grants your more lives to continue playing. While candy crush has been way more popular between people, it’s simply incomparable to PUBG and Fortnite as it isn’t multiplayer and does not require many skills. Had things been the other way around, I am quite sure candy crush’s developers would have charged for an ‘advantage’ over other players in a multiplayer, and fail miserably to realize their mistake.
Our generation is heading towards a different scene in mobile gaming, you dare put up restrictions on normal playing scenarios, you ought to fail. But being generous with an option to add a feel-good factor, by paying a few bucks is as acceptable as it gets, it’s about time game developers realize this. The point is about the adaptability scales of these games, after all, more than 100 million daily players choose mobile games to pass their ‘recreational’ time.
The overall revenue generated by mobile games is off the charts, its billions of dollars, and most amount of this is earned by games simply offering ‘cosmetic’ upgrades over in-game ‘advantages’. While we understand the only source of income for game developers is in-app purchases or ads, no matter what game development companies may feel, paying to have an advantage is called cheating, in our books at least.
