I’m not asking “how do game companies make billions of dollars of mobile game microtransactions” (those $1 charges add up and are the right size where people don’t think about it short term, FOMO with different events that are “just out of reach” and similar predatory tactics), but why do people “fall for it” when it’s well known how bad they are, and to the tune of hundreds of millions – billions of dollars? Is it just a “vocal minority” thing where people who don’t like them and don’t use them “speak on behalf of everyone?” Are “whales” (people that spend a lot of money on microtransactions) and children (the demographic that appears to spend the most on gift cards and are known for not understanding the value of a dollar) really that profitable? Is it actually very common for general consumers to buy microtransactions and I’m a small minority who has never bought microtransactions? Or something else?
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Either you do what fortnite did and make their battle pass feel worth it for the money.
You cater to whales.
Streamers with thousands of dollars to spend on content where they make the money back in views, subs, and ads from ppl watching the “rich” content a game has to offer.
Because the whales and large fishies are not vocal in the same way people who hate them are. The whales make it financially profitable and don’t hate them because they value “winning” or are addicted to gambling.
Everyone doesnt hate them, you just dont hear the people who like them loudly complaining about it.
Taylor Swift is extremely successful, yet millions of people don’t care for her music. Many have never even heard of her.
You can be successful with a product that doesn’t appeal to everyone when the market is very large.
There are billions of people who play video games.