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Ask HN: Any recommended readings on freemium mobile games' strategies?

5 points by eauxuae ↗ HN
Hello Hacker News, long-time reader first-time poster here!

Following the fact that Game of War’s paying players spent an average of $550 on its in-app purchases in 2015[1] and Candy Crush Saga made more than a quarter of Amazon's lifetime earnings in a year[2], I am trying to understand how the top-grossing freemium mobile games are handling the mechanics of addiction and competition to make people spend their money. I am aware my question sounds a little naive in regards to this broad field, but as I am fascinated by this economy, I have to start somewhere.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions!

  [1]: http://venturebeat.com/2016/04/01/game-of-wars-paying-players-spent-an-average-of-550-on-its-in-app-purchases-in-2015/
  [2]: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/02/candy-crush-addictive-game-incredible-business-horrible-investment/283891/

2 comments

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RandomOpinion
You'll find plenty of articles about the mechanics about free-to-play/freemium games there on games industry websites such as Gamasutra. Try the article below for a basic introduction to the mechanics behind the addictive properties:

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JosephKim/20140323/213728/The...

As an aside, if you're investigating with the intent of building your own such games, be aware that A) the market is vastly oversaturated and B) people who make predatory freemium games are viewed with considerable contempt by the rest of the games industry.

eauxuae
This is a great introduction indeed, so thanks a lot for the heads-up! I am not investigating with the intent of building such a game, I am just curious about the intersections of design, economy and psychology in this particular context. I am going to navigate through Gamasutra with this in mind, but do you know if there are any formal academic/industrial references which you might point me to or is everyone moving forward in an empirical fashion?