Freemium mobile games are the thing right now. Almost every mobile game developer has adopted this model, and it is a bit of a problem to be honest, mainly in the way the games are designed to force the players to spend.
Back in the day, consumers would pay for a game and have the time of their lives when playing. However, things are different in this day and age, as a single idiotic mobile game can cost a person far more than the $60 it takes to purchase a video game for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Last night's episode of South Park was all about opening the eyes of the blind. The Freemium mobile game business is a dirty tactic, yet it makes a lot of money. You see, only a small portion of Freemium mobile game players actually spend any money, and these are the people the developers are targeting. The players are willing to spend real currency to purchase in-game currency on a regular basis.
Now, things wouldn't have been this bad if these games were actually fun. Let's be honest here; all these games are terrible, and they force the player to wait long hours before being able to progress further. If players find it too difficult to wait, then they are required to pay.
It is not like the developers allow players to pay a onetime fee as the whole thing is an ongoing operation. A single game can cost a player as much as they can spend, and it is surprising how people are gravitating towards these titles every day.
South Park in its previous episode, played with the idea that the folks who regularly pay money to move forward in these games are actually addicts. Very similar to gamblers who can't stop spending and the mobile gaming industry is taking advantage of their poor souls.
Is this truly the case? It is the first time we've heard anyone come up with such an explanation, and you know what? It makes sense. Bear in mind that these games are not fun at all; don't kid yourself, it is not, so why would someone keep paying just to build a barn and populate it with chickens? Think about it.
We hope one day the Freemium model reaches a point where it cannot move any further, and ultimately dies. This whole thing is just a gateway to take advantage of addicts, and it is a sick and disgusting thing.
A game should either be free, free with ads or premium, but never Freemium. Come to think of it, some games are populated with ads, yet they have a Freemium model; a double middle finger to the face.
