Logging into “Brawl Stars,” you quickly head over to the app’s shop, thrilled to buy a pack of 950 gems to unlock a new legendary brawler. Levels, gadgets and hypercharges are now immediately accessible, thanks to the convenience of online payments. Another loot box releases, then another one and then another. Soon enough, you have spent more money than you had planned. Many video games, once a tool for storytelling and skill development, have started to shift their main focuses toward monetization. This new trend in development not only affects the gaming experience as a whole but also exacerbates unhealthy spending habits, especially in teenagers. By taking advantage of basic human psychology, the financial traps that game developers lay out turn gaming into a cycle of impulse buys.
One of the key psychological principles at work is called instant gratification, where people favor immediate rewards instead of those that require waiting. According to Science Direct, “The hedonic content provided by in-game purchases, along with social factors and the desire for performance enhancement, significantly increase impulse buying behavior among players.”
The biggest contributor to this shift in focus is microtransactions. In comparison to gaining access to all content upon first purchase, many new mobile games require students to make continuous in-game purchases to unlock new skins, improve abilities and collect purposeful items. These seemingly insignificant purchases, often only amounting to a few dollars, are framed as necessary in order to keep up with other players or unlock exclusive content. According to Sensor Tower, mobile games accumulated over $76.7 billion in total in 2023, with a significant portion coming from in-game purchases. Games like Fortnite, Genshin Impact and FIFA are all examples of games that use these tactics. This specific model of gaming ensures that players will expend money on the game for far longer than a traditional buy-once method.
“In Fortnite, I purchased a bundle of new skins and axes, but one month later, they released the same items in slightly different colors, making the purchase pointless,” senior Chilugen Gan said. “Since then, I’ve chosen not to spend money on games anymore.”
This reliance upon microtransactions for user satisfaction not only raises concerns about financial impacts but also psychological effects. The National Library of Medicine has linked these microtransactions to gambling addictions, showing that early exposure to models like these in children or young adults may lead to harmful spending practices. Many modern corporations like Activision Blizzard, the owner of Call of Duty and Overwatch, incorporate gambling elements such as randomizers that also appear in other popular games like Genshin Impact and Clash Royale. These mechanics simulate real-life gambling, conditioning players to anticipate an unknown reward and spend money for a potential payout. Whereas gambling is a heavily regulated industry with many laws in place to control and prevent people from easily becoming addicted, gaming is a loophole to such laws.
The developers of games should be able to prioritize ethical game design that focuses on the player experience rather than forms of manipulation for financial gain. Games like Celeste are built upon meaningful storytelling and skillful gameplay and thus provide a rewarding experience for players without microtransactions. Ethical gaming practices and design can help build trust between developers and players, leading to long-term engagement. Developers can create positive reputations by prioritizing inclusivity and transparency to attract a wider audience of players. By changing the focus of gaming from monetization to player satisfaction, the gaming industry can grow in a sustainable way that benefits both the player and the developer.
