Honest Ads: If Mobile Games Were Honest
From YouTube: Want the best android and ios mobile games? Great! Just so we're all clear here when it comes to mobile games, 'freemium' means 'free until its time to steal your parents' credit cards so you can buy your way to the end of the game that never ends.' Now available on your favorite iPads and Android Tablets!
This is why I refuse to play pay-to-play games like when WOW was new, and those other games where you had to pay monthly. There are so many other games in the world where you can buy it ONCE and play for as long as you own the game.
Posted by: Ilia | Wednesday, July 05, 2017 at 12:33 PM
I only play subscription-based games if they REALLY grab me. Phantasy Star Universe was one, back when it was still around (oh lord I'm showing my relative age) and I played Final Fantasy XIV till I got utterly sick of the people at large.
Did *try* WoW once, but someone else was paying my sub and I didn't like it enough to let them keep doing that...
Posted by: Kai Lowell | Wednesday, July 05, 2017 at 03:19 PM
I received calls from parents frantic because their kids had rung up literally hundreds of dollars of charges on various apps. The worst was Smurf Village. This kid had bought like 5 grand worth of Smurf berries. The policy is all sales are final, but if this is your first offense, you can get a refund by talking to the appropriate people. After the first time, you're SOL, which is as it should be, since you should have learned your lesson the first time. Especially since we techs always offered to show you how to block in-app purchases
Posted by: TenebrisVenator | Thursday, July 06, 2017 at 09:01 AM
I have seen this on soooo many mobile games, and even some PC ones. Paywalls and gates, pay to win (or even play), tapered effectiveness or time limits, 'unlockable features' like being able to trade or talk with other players ; the market is a cesspit of vipers.
It's basically like street performances. Enjoy the show and feel free to throw in some change if you can spare it, but don't take it too seriously.
Posted by: Sgtpsycho | Friday, July 07, 2017 at 01:37 AM