Earlier, the purchase of a video game was very simple: paid and took the entire game to take home. With the advent of Smartphone games, developers have had to rethink. Because the customer wanted to pay almost nothing for games, they developed new business models and discovered the so-called whales.
As the whale is referred to in the industry, a player that is willing to pay more for a game. It is considerably more. Thousands of Euro’s to put some of these gamblers in individual Games, in order to gain advantages, to save time or to look cool. More and more games developers try to make these thick fish for themselves. And the hunting them on the increasingly questionable methods.
gambling and costs fall Star Wars game “Battlefront 2”: The nasty rip-off under the Christmas tree By Malte Mansholt Smartphone Revolution on the console
On the Smartphone, you know this mesh for years. There are always players who put tons of money in “Candy Crush”, or children, for the purchases of is Provided with In the App, the parents ruin it. This is not a coincidence. Many of the first free games offered due to the fact, to give the players incentives to spend money. Some are put on long waiting times, time-consuming Processing of the same tasks (the so-called “Grind”) or erspielbare currencies with which to play in the game, then improvements and the like. All of this can be shortened but also or save – by putting real money on the virtual table. And the whales do just that.
On console and PC, such practices remained long free titles, Free-to-play model reserved. You could play for free, the manufacturer earned in Mini-purchases, such as costumes or weapons. But slowly, the untouched gold awaken mines is also more and more big developers greed.
So blatant as the current title of “Battlefront 2” it remained but rarely. The developers have hidden in the Multiplayer of the “Star Wars”-game self-important characters such as Luke Skywalker behind elaborate preconditions. To unlock everything, you had to play over 4000 hours, or 1800 Euro numbers, Fans will have to be calculated. After protests, developer Dice has announced that the payments of money from the game. Only after a Revision of the system to return.
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Dice and Publisher EA have overstepped the mark, and the anger of the Fans underestimated. In Battlefront 2 not the price is “” the first full title, in which you can get rid of money. The Online mode of the hit games “GTA V” flushed about developer Take 2 lots of money into the coffers. In the summer, Take 2 announced that they had made with “GTA Online,” a whopping 418 million dollars (about 350 million Euro) net profit in just three months. In the four years ago the released game, you can put play money in cars and clothes. You don’t want to earn the money is troublesome, you can acquire it conveniently at Take 2 in the Form of “Shark Cards” referred to money packages. If you don’t pay, can’t keep up.
it is Especially popular in the “Battlefront” System used with the so-called “Loot Crates” (loot boxes). Like a grab bag the boxes can contain any type of rewards, such as a new Look for the character. A kind of raffle. In most cases, this can earn the users of the Gamble boxes, and Impatient, you are allowed to buy, but also. And do it in masses.
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The approach has clear advantages. Unlike “Battlefront 2” the boxes are mostly not game deciding content, only visual changes and the like. Thus, the players are not forced to buy, you can also play without the boxes happy. For the developer the boxes are an additional source of income. They are used so often, in order to get Multiplayer games over longer periods of time on life and provide you with new, free content. Players popular implementations such as “Overwatch”, “Rocket League” or “League of Legends”.
Is it gambling?
without the criticism of the principle of loot crate, but then, if it is implemented in the game-In the case of people who have a penchant for gambling, it can provide a quick incentive to lost a lot of money to get certain items. You will be to the whale. The potential for Addiction effect is taken by the manufacturers at least, is desired by some but certainly. At the end is to be earned with the Play of money. Whether it is, in fact, gambling is controversial. Finally, the players lose nothing, but always get something for your money, argued about ERSB, the US-authority. Whether these estimates will hold, must show.
Currently, it looks as if the model would have a great future in front of him. A reaction, as in “Battlefront 2” is the exception. As long as the developers are not too greedy, and the customers have not the feeling to be excluded, and any amount of money. In a creative industry like the game industry will come up with the developers of one or the other way, as you can move the player to the Numbers. The hunting of whales has only just begun.
