The Psychology of Mobile Gaming

If you've ever played a game on your smart phone, you have undoubtedly been presented with this tempting scenario - wait two hours to keep playing, or spend some money to keep playing now? This common scenario is part of the free-to-play model, which popular games like Candy Crush Saga and Clash of Clans use to great success.

In theory, it is entirely possible to play free-to-play games without ever spending a penny. "They'll never get me!" some might say. And yet, many people find themselves caving in and spending more money than they would care to admit on these free games.

"Little girl, you can frolic in Lollipop Hills all you want! ...in just 3 minutes and 42 seconds.

Give me a Token, and you can go now!"

If this has ever happened to you, don't worry! The companies that develop these games pour a lot of time and energy into researching the psychology of getting people to fork over their money. Here is a simple list of some of the strategies that free-to-play games use to win over customers (and their wallets).

(This list is taken from this excellent article at the Huffington Post.)

Ego Depletion

The theory of Ego Depletion assumes that self-control, or will-power, is a resource which exists inside the mind. Since self-control is a resource, it can be drained... and eventually depleted. In games, this theory manifests itself with the ever-present option to purchase items. A player may not "give in" to buying anything at first, but as the game progresses, and the temptation to speed things up continually grows, players will eventually snap and make a purchase. Likewise, players feel less inclined to simply quit a game after investing so much time playing it, so the incentive to purchase items to keep playing grows over time.

Unfortunately, studies have shown that giving in to these ego-depleting scenarios makes a person more susceptible to giving in to other tempting scenarios - even if the situations are completely different! For instance, say you cave in and finally spend some money on a mobile game. Now, it will be that much harder to resist cheating on your exercise plan, and you may end up skipping a jogging session for the day. Whoops!

Reciprocity

Reciprocity means that people are more likely to reciprocate kind behavior with kind actions. Basically, people will be nice to people who are nice to them, and probably not so nice to people who are mean to them.

From the very moment a player installs a free-to-play game, they feel that the company who made the game is being nice to them. "I get to play this fun game for free? Awesome!" It is therefore more likely that the player will feel inclined to make a purchase to help out the nice developer.

Intermediate Currency

Nearly all free-to-play games use a form of intermediate currency. A lot of games may even have two or more forms of intermediate currency! The idea is that companies want to hide how much money players are actually spending - this technique is typically referred to as Price Shrouding.

For instance, a common currency scheme may look something like this - players can earn Gold Coins, a common form of currency, and Diamonds, a more rare form of currency. At any time, players may exchange 50 Gold Coins for 1 Diamond, and players can purchase 500 Gold Coins for just one dollar. Sounds kind of familiar, right?

A classic example of intermediate currency.

Now, say you are playing this game, and you want to... level up a Castle, or something. It will take two hours for the Castle to finish construction. Two whole hours! However, you see a button that says "Finish construction now for 25 Diamonds." Looks pretty tempting, right? However, if you do the math, this costs $2.50!

If the game simply stated "Pay $2.50 to skip the two hour wait," most people would find it easier to measure how much money they were spending. Some would even resist! But, by implementing an intermediate currency, companies make it harder for players to realize how much transactions actually cost. Those who are unwilling to do the mental-math won't realize how much money they are really spending.

Illusory Discomfort

Illusory discomfort, or "fun pain," describes an uncomfortable situation in which a player is stuck. Going back to Candy Crush Saga, the illusory discomfort sets in when the player runs out of lives. The player really just wants to play the game, but they are stuck waiting for lives to regenerate. What to do!

For just $100, you'll never have to wait again!

In all illusory discomfort situations, players are given the option to buy their way out. Don't want to wait for extra lives? Just buy some! Don't want to wait for something to level up? Just pay a little to skip it! Nearly all purchases in free-to-play games are the result of players getting fed up with their illusory discomfort and paying to get back to the fun part of the games as quickly as possible.

To Pay or Not to Pay?

The free-to-play model is extremely successful, and is likely not going anywhere any time soon. However, now that you are aware of some of the techniques that mobile gaming companies use to pressure players into making purchases, it should be that much easier to stop and consider if making a purchase is really worth it.

In the end, the decision to pay or not is entirely up to you! Just make sure to pause and reflect on how much an in-game purchase actually costs, and whether or not it is worth it for you to pay that amount to skip a waiting period. Consider if you feel like the company that made the game you are playing has pure intentions, and is deserving of your financial support, or if you feel they are being deceitful and pressuring you into spending lots of money.

Cheers, and have fun!