While many games are labeled free in the app store, they can often be deceiving and cost money to actually be able to play.
I’m a big fan of mobile games. The busier I get with school, the more I rely on the mobile platform to be my de-stressor when I need some gaming. When you don’t have time to commit to a console or PC game, the mobile platform is perfect.
It’s also much cheaper. Unlike a lot of people, I don’t mind spending money on a mobile game, whether it’s in the app store or an in-app purchase, if it’s something reasonable. My thought is that I always pay for non-mobile games, so I don’t mind paying a few bucks if it’s something good.
However, one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to mobile games is when they’re seemingly free in the app store, claim to be free to play but come with a number of in-app purchases when you actually want to do anything.
For example, I had really liked the game Magic Piano by Smule. It’s a pretty fun game, where you play pop or classic songs on your phone by following along with cues. I had downloaded this on one of my older phones and played it to death. Recently, I re-downloaded it, but realized that the format had changed.
Now, there are a very small handful of songs that are actually free, and others must be purchased with the in-app currency (which you don’t earn very frequently). To unlock all of the songs, you have to pay $2.99 a week, $7.99 a month or $39.99 a year. While I understand it probably is necessary to have that fee in order to cover licensing, I find it a bit ridiculous.
The times I don’t mind is when the game truly is free, but you can spend real money to unlock more items or receive more in-app currency.
I’m embarrassingly still addicted to Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. It’s a nice break from the day. You can purchase “money” or “K-stars” (the most sought after currency in the game that you only sparingly receive) for a base price, or in bundles when surprise sales happen. With these, you can then purchase energy in the game, which you need in order to do a majority of actions. It’s a similar format to Candy Crush Saga — you need energy or lives to actually play.
These energies or lives do replenish after time. Essentially, if you don’t want to wait, you can shell out a buck or two and play on. This requires a little bit of self-restraint: it’s incredibly easy to do in-app purchases when your credit card information is saved on your device and sometimes you can keep clicking and clicking without actually realizing how much you spent.
The other model that I oddly enough like is the premium versus free games. The free version is usually chock full of ads, but generally has the same features as the premium version has. While the ads might get annoying after time, it’s a better option than getting a sliver of the content with no option but to spend money.
Sophie Kruse is a senior majoring in journalism and minoring in business and marketing. What are your thoughts on paying for mobile games? Email her at sk139011@ohio.edu or tweet her @kruseco.
