How Do Mobile Games Convince Players to Spend Money?

Imagine downloading a game that is free. But after some time, you realize the game is not exactly free as you have to spend money on it to unlock certain things and benefits. Would you still call it free to play? Well, technically yes! Because they didn’t force you to download the game in the first place. But they surely tricked you enough to spend money on the game once you started playing it. But how did that happen? What is it that mobile games do which makes you spend money on them? Let us quickly uncover the psychology behind it.

How mobile games make you pay for a free-to-play game?

If you think we will be telling you the same reasons how the game becomes tempting and how its bright colors work on you, then you are wrong. There are other major reasons behind this tactic that we will be sharing with you below. Have a look.

The game allows you to progress first

We are living in the world of AI. This definitely means the machines are smarter than we assume. They know in order to make us pay them, they first have to provide us with convenience. So, a beautiful looking, easy game that is free0to-download attracts us. We play it for as long as we get time. And we unlock new levels one after another.

Everyone loves winning. So, the first trick to lure us to give them our money is by allowing us to win easily. The in-app purchases still keep popping up us to build a grip on our psyche. But at the initial stage, these games don’t really need to be played by spending money.

But, once you have played enough levels to get addicted to the game, the in-app purchase becomes sort of necessary. And players eventually give in to the offers and buy the digital products for a minimal price. After all, your addiction won’t allow you to wait for the game to update. You will end up selecting the other option to keep your game going smoothly.

But that is where the game changes from free-to-play to spend and play. For players who have limited time but still want to progress, paying can seem like a convenient shortcut.

The mobile game gives you time to get emotionally attached

The free-to-play games are more patient with their audience than you think. They allow you to keep playing a game to a point that you get emotionally attached to it. Surely, not all games do this. But that doesn’t mean no such game exists.

You play a game for months and months, play it whenever you have free time. You play it after having a fight with your sibling and you also play it as an escape from boredom. This is what makes you emotionally attached to the game. Because it is always there with you always. It was there with you when no one else was. So, the bond becomes special, no matter how weird it sounds.

But then, suddenly the game progression stopped. You now have to purchase a bundle pack, some new skin, or any other product from the digital market of the game to proceed further. And in most cases, since the player is so emotionally invested, they don’t hesitate much to do so.

This happens because at this point, purchasing something for the game feels less like buying a digital product and more like investing in a hobby they thoroughly enjoy.

It offers personalized deals to initiate the purchase on your side

Another attention to detail that these purchases show on both ends is how they provide players with a personalized purchase plan. They know your moves, they know what more you would prefer. New lives, extra goodies, or some new skin for your characters.

This happens because developers of mobile games keep a close watch on player behavior to make their games more relevant and playable. They do that by finding out what makes a player keep coming back to the game. After that, all the promotions, plans, and game customization feel like they know you from the inside.

For some players, this can be an invasion of their privacy. While for others, it is a great way to play a game that predicts their mood and presents things accordingly.

How to escape from spending money on such mobile games?

Before we share these details with you, let us tell you something important. It is not wrong or bad to spend money on mobile games. Or free-to-play games. You should never feel guilty of doing that. Also, the mobile games that psychologically trick you into buying these offers are also not at fault. It is their job to earn money from their customers.

Coming back to the point, if you don’t want to spend money on free-to-play mobile games and desktop games as well, there are a few things you can do to prevent spending money on them. Here’s what you can do.

1. Turn off one-tap purchases. If there will be more steps to make a purchase, it will give you time to think and withdraw your actions.
2. Don’t save your payment details at all. It will make things easier for the game and difficult for your savings.
3. Be mentally strong. Remember that these games and the money you spend on them are not going to add value to your life in any way. So, it is better to refrain from spending money on them.
4. If you get stuck somewhere in the game, delete it. Reinstall it if you wish to play it again. It will bring you back to level 1 where your game is not stuck at all, and you don’t have to spend money to proceed further.

Final words

The entire motive behind sharing these details with you is to spread awareness. Although most players know what they are stepping into when they start playing any type of game on any device. But there are still people who are not fully aware of the consequences and end up losing money.

After all, all the reports flooding our news channels about online gaming fraud are not mere accidents. There is a lack of awareness that makes a person lose a lot more money than they can imagine. So, always stay alert, aware, and share the word with your fellow gamers about the same.

This platform always wants its reader to be pro and smart gamers, who might lose the games they play but never spend their money in the wrong way. So, we make sure our players are never misled by anything in the world of gaming. Has any misleading or fraud incident happened to you where you lost money or are about to lose it? Share it with us in the comments below. For more such details regarding mobile games, stay tuned to this space.