#Game monetization

[askagamedev]

The EU has just banned virtual premium currencies in video games that represent, requiring the games use the actual currency amounts. Thoughts on this new law?

For those who do not understand this change, in the EU any in-game purchase that can be made for paid/premium currency must display the actual cost in local currency to players. Here is my MS Paint mockup of how such a thing would look as required.

The new regulation also requires the conversion rate of premium currency to real money at the baseline exchange rate (e.g. buying the smallest pack of premium currency).

This would have some obvious first-order/immediate results - players would now be able to see how much it would cost them to buy an item outright. This would provide additional friction in direct purchases to players, making them incrementally less likely to purchase items directly.

This would also have some less obvious second-order/derivative results. This also has the side effect of making the more efficient currency bundles look better in comparison, because players can get the premium currency at a discount if they buy those instead of the baseline. It would likely increase engagement by showing that players are earning "value" when they finish quests and obtain premium currency through playing the game by reinforcing that they are obtaining things worth money. I think that the in-game stores will use this to direct players toward better value bundles and packs to buy.

I also think that this would only be the beginning - game designers are clever folks, and we can find many ways to adjust things given a set of constraints. Remember, one of the secondary effects of requiring all gacha games to show the actual percentages was the creation of "pity rates" where continued failed pulls actually incrementally increase the success chances in future pulls. These kind of incentivization changes will continue, including thinking up ways to leverage the "real price" display to make the purchase more appealing. I like to think of it in this way - "just because I can't imagine it myself doesn't mean such a thing can't exist, only that it doesn't exist... yet." If there's a possibility, somebody will probably figure it out.

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[learnandearning]

🎮 How Gamers in Pakistan Are Monetizing Android Games

If you're curious how mobile gamers from different regions are earning money from games, Pakistan has a growing scene worth checking out.

One standout resource is 92PAK — a local blog that shares guides, game lists, and insights into how players are monetizing through ads, tasks, and local platforms.

It’s an underrated space that more global gamers should explore, especially if you're interested in real examples outside the usual U.S./EU model.

[xceltectechnology]

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[videogamingnews]

🚨 April 2025 changed gaming. 🇨🇳 Valorant Mobile launched China first 📈 Mobile revenue +6% 🇬🇧 London = Europe’s top gaming hub ☁️ Cloud & cross-platform go mainstream 🎮 Studios face pressure: adapt or fall behind #GameDev #MobileGaming #Valorant #GamingNews #CloudGaming

[ggworldnews]

The Psychological Monetization of Candy Crush Saga: A Sweet Trap?

Hey! Let's talk about the addictive world of Candy Crush Saga and the psychological tricks it uses to keep us hooked and spending those hard-earned coins! 🍬💰 Candy Crush Saga, one of the most popular mobile games of all time, has captivated millions with its simple yet addictive gameplay. But have you ever wondered why it's so hard to put down? Well, my friends, it's all about the psychological monetization tactics employed by the game developers. First off, let's talk about the concept of "sweet rewards." Candy Crush Saga knows how to hit that pleasure center in our brains by giving us a sense of accomplishment when we complete a level. That satisfying feeling of crushing candies and watching them explode in a cascade of colors triggers the release of dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter. And guess what? We want more of that sweet, sweet dopamine hit! But here's where it gets tricky. As we progress through the game, the levels become increasingly challenging, making it harder to achieve those rewards. Suddenly, we find ourselves stuck on a level, desperately craving that rush of accomplishment. And what does Candy Crush Saga offer us? Boosters and power-ups, of course! For a small fee, we can buy these magical tools that promise to help us overcome those seemingly impossible levels. And that's where the psychological monetization kicks into high gear. The game strategically creates a sense of urgency and scarcity. Limited lives, time-limited events, and exclusive offers lure us into spending real money to keep playing and avoid missing out. FOMO (fear of missing out) is a powerful motivator, and Candy Crush Saga knows exactly how to exploit it. Moreover, the game cleverly employs the "sunk cost fallacy." We've invested so much time and effort into reaching a certain level, and the thought of giving up now feels unbearable. So, instead of quitting, we convince ourselves that spending a few bucks to get past that one challenging level is worth it. After all, we've come so far! But let's not forget about the social aspect. Candy Crush Saga encourages us to connect our game progress with our Facebook friends, creating a sense of competition and social validation. Seeing our friends' high scores and level completions pushes us to keep playing, striving to outdo them and maintain our status as the ultimate Candy Crush champion. Now, I'm not saying Candy Crush Saga is evil or that we should boycott it altogether. It's undoubtedly a well-designed game with its colorful graphics and addictive mechanics. However, it's essential to be aware of the psychological tricks at play and make conscious decisions about our spending habits. So, next time you find yourself reaching for that virtual wallet to buy boosters or extra lives, take a moment to reflect. Ask yourself if the temporary satisfaction is worth the real-world cost. Remember, the sweetest victories in life are those that don't come with a price tag. Stay aware, stay smart, and keep crushing those candies (mindfully)! 🍭✨

[parttimesarah]

Parlor Room, 1.03

[beemovieerotica]

These investments of time and money are only made possible by the incentives embodied in U.S. copyright law, which ensure copyright owners the exclusive right to control and commercialize their own creative works. Whether it is a children’s coloring book with Marvel superheroes, a video game based on the Shrek movies, or a subscription service that distributes high resolution images or short videos with Plaintiffs’ copyrighted characters, only Plaintiffs are allowed to build a business around or otherwise commercialize those characters. - Disney NBCU v Midjourney

so this is 1000% a case about transformative works. the issues over the training data are muddled under fair use law, so disney is pivoting hard into "don't steal my OCs!!!" territory which will have insane repercussions.

genAI has a lot of problems as it is being implemented under capitalism but genuinely disney needs a massive L here. otherwise this is going to empower giant corporations to go after independent artists even harder than before and take down any kind of fanworks that exist, monetized or not.

[wanna-be-philosopher-poet]

[askagamedev]

Hello! I currently work as an Assistant Narrative Designer for a tiny studio developing a live ops/free-to-play mobile visual novel. I'm learning a lot about monetization points and player retention strategies, but I'd like to eventually transition to bigger studios working in paid games (my personal interests lie in RPGs and simulators a la Stardew Valley.) Are the skills I'm learning transferrable to these fields of work? I worry I'm learning so much and yet it won't actually help me. Ty!

Player retention and monetization strategies are important knowledge to learn. If studios don't do these things well, then they'll do them badly. That's a situation where everyone loses. Most game studios don't have the option of firing and forgetting their game launches and moving on. Veilguard's developers actually wanted to do post-launch content; it was an executive decision not to do it.

Good monetization strategy will provide value to players and sustains the studio so that the games can continue. It's incredibly important for any player community that players feel that they are getting value for playing and for spending, that the things they spend their time and money on are worthwhile to them. At the same time, the studio must earn enough to keep the lights on and sustain the current game and the additional projects still in development. Keeping players around through ethical means and providing them things to buy that they feel is worth the money is important. That's the goal of retention and monetization.

The skills you're learning are absolutely transferrable to bigger budget games and I hope you are learning to construct systems that are good value propositions for players. That's the only way any of this can work sustainably.

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[incognitopolls]

This is not a market research poll; anon is not designing a game with shitty monetization strategies. They're just curious about which shitty monetization strategy people hate the most.

–

We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.

[milkywaev]

Woman (Pure Vanilla Cookie) with a parasol (stick to beat Shadow Milk Cookie’s ass)

Ref: Woman with a parasol by Monet

I like the bg but hate how i colored pvc and smc 💀

[harbingersecho]

MAKE-A-NOSSIE IS NOW LIVE !!!

Make or recreate your own Nosferatu!

Currently this maker has 5 different faces, 6 skintones, and several different, movable facial features. Also includes stuff like piercings, boils, and wounds on top of accessories like hats, masks etc. Ghoul pets probably incoming at some point too.. Pets are now here!!

! CW for blood, body horror, eye trauma, teeth etc. Basically, there are parts for walking masquerade violations so… Remember that.

You can request some stuff too if there are parts you would want added <3

(I also have a ko-fi if you wanna throw in a buck or two)

[lesbianwithchainsaws]

one thing about mythic quest I've never quite understood is why they completely abandoned the idea of Rachel wanting to be a writer? Like after C.W. passing, it would make perfect sense for her to get the role of writer for MQ instead of being head of monetization. Like I know she didn't like going to Berkeley, but clearly she showed interest in writing in general

[avicinda]

I have seen a few "but I want to support the devs!" about the boycott and I think we need to have some perspective here.

Paper Games is not a small indie company where your money goes directly to the devs. This is a company that not only also runs Love Nikki and Shining Nikki, but also Love and Deepspace.

And in 2024.... (archive link of Forbes article "AI Boyfriends Make Chinese Gaming Entrepreneur Yao Runhao A Billionaire")

Established in 2013, Paper Games clocked sales of around $850 million worldwide, according to data providers.

The privately held studio, of which Yao is chairman and CEO, is valued at over $2 billion, according to Forbes’ estimates, based on discussions with analysts and information from four data providers.

Paper Games is a company with 2000 employees and a billionaire CEO.

The conversation around Infinity Nikki's monetization is not about "punishing devs", it's about pushing back against a company that has cornered the market of female gacha players and are now up to their old tactics of testing those players to see how much money they can milk out of them.

They're not just some devs throwing things at the wall to see what works so they can keep the lights on, they've probably got an entire team dedicated to figuring out exactly how to get Infinity Nikki to make more money off of us.

[aroace-rizgukgak]

One thing about Brennan is that when he talks about wild shit he's done, he knows the EXACT numbers. "I stayed awake for 81 hours" eighty one hours? That is such a specific amount. How did you calculate that?? How did you know when the staying awake started and ended? In response to "have you ever got back with an ex" he says "eight times, nine times together in total" very easily, like he already internally recorded that, he COUNTED. How would you even remember after the fourth or fifth time, do they not start to blur together? I love when people give Specifics in their life stories.

[edenfire]

🌸🎀 "isn't this exciting, kageyama-kun?" 🎀🌸

he is looking at teru💘

I can't believe it took me this long to draw these two in their official maid outfits🥺💗💞

i would like to make this into a print, but I don't know if ppl would want it🤔 feel free to let me know your opinions!☺️🌸