A Fate Worse Than Loot Boxes

An exploration of some of the darkest patterns in mobile game design

I finally quit playing Marvel Strike Force this week, after about two years with the game. Two years is the longest I’ve ever spent playing a mobile game. And because of this, I had the opportunity to closely examine the game’s monetization practices and systems. In this piece, I want to discuss some of the subtler ways that mobile games can (and have) hooked players into staying onboard and spending money.

The Guppy Effect

Over the two years I’ve been playing Marvel Strike Force, I spent about $4.65 in total on the game. I live relatively frugally, and as a result, I do my best not to spend money on in-game purchases. In addition, my brain automatically tunes out the “great deals” or “best value” offers that are often fiercely advertised in these games.

Although I tend to ignore these offers, they are a common technique that mobile developers use to encourage players to spend money. These “targeted deals” generally involve a limited time deal that opens up after a certain condition has been met. In Marvel Contest of Champions, a deal will be pushed to you every time you pull a new hero or get something rare — this is designed to capitalize on the event the moment it happens.