The Coercive Monetization Model: how to extract money from Free-to-play gamers:
A coercive monetization model depends on the ability to “trick” a person into making a purchase with incomplete information, or by hiding that information
such that while it is technically available, the brain of the consumer does not access that information.
… putting even one intermediate currency between the consumer and real money, such as a “game gem” (premium currency), makes the consumer much less adept at assessing the value of the transaction.… To maximize the efficacy of a coercive monetization model, you must use a premium currency, ideally with the ability to purchase said currency in-app. Making the consumer exit the game to make a purchase gives the target’s brain more time to figure out what you are up to, lowering your chances of a sale.
… A game of skill is one where your ability to make sound decisions primarily determines your success. A money game is one where your ability to spend money is the primary determinant of your success. Consumers far prefer skill games to money games, for obvious reasons. A key skill in deploying a coercive monetization model is to disguise your money game as a skill game.
Go read the full article, it’s brimming with mark-fleecing insight.
Via Boing Boing.
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