The game industry was born in arcades. You know, those arcades filled with people slumped over bright, flashing machines, pulling levers and plopping in quarter after quarter. No, no, not the casino. The arcade! The one where all the games were specifically designed to make the player lose, forcing them to insert more quarters to keep playing and get another chance at winning. Yes, I'm sure I'm talking about an arcade, and not a casino...
Then came consoles, and everyone pretty much ditched arcades and stayed at home. We went from spending buckets of quarters drawn out over the course of an evening, to spending buckets or quartuers all at once every month or two, and taking out a loan to afford the next $400+ console. The arcade model died, because consoles were better in every regard. People wanted to stay home, the games were better and more engaging, the platform and context allowed for games with more depth and value than could ever be achieved in an arcade, and you didn't have to worry about the console eating your quarters. And no more collecting 10 million tickets only to realize that the best item you can redeem them for is a plastic transformers ring.
Then came PCs, and PCs and consoles lived happily together alongside one another for the next decade or two. So how does the story end? Well, arcades are back baby, but in the form of pay-to-win freemium mobile games. They've evolved; now you don't have to go to some sticky floored dungeon to play Time Cop 15. You can do that from the comfort of your own phone. Just plop in $1 every now and then to keep playing. Best of all, game devs found out a way to price discriminate. Poor? Here's some ads and patience. Rich? Push a button and Apple will take care of the rest.
But the games haven't changed. Mobile games are just as shallow as arcade games ever were. But weren't arcades great? Of course they were; those games were a blast. They're a different kind of fun. A kind of fun you can pick up, enjoy, and then leave without another thought. These aren't grand masterpieces like The Witcher 3, or thought bending games like The Stanley Parable. But they were still fun, exciting, and a great way to relax or kill time.
So, my question is, why is everyone so caustic towards mobile gaming? Because it's exploitative? Sure, I can understand that, but so were arcades. If I had to guess, it's perhaps the pervassiveness of the games and the manner in which they present themselves that people find so offensive. See, arcades were at the arcades. You had to drive there, and physically be there for awhile. Mobile games are constantly with you, just one finger swipe away. And they take advantage of that, with notifications and constant come-hither looks to get you to play and spend. Also, arcade machines were upfront about their pricing model. The quarter slot is right there on the front of the machine, and the screen is flashing "Insert Coin". Mobile games advertise themselves as free, and even let you play a little bit before revealing their true payment model. That's deceptive in ways arcades were not.
No real point other than to remind everyone of history. It's clear that mobile gaming shares a heritage with arcades. And it's perhaps clear that they've evolved the model, but perhaps that evolution is not what everyone was hoping for. I'm more curious what the next "console" evolution will be.
The critical distinction between the arcade and mobile freemium models is that arcade pricing was skill-based. It's entirely possible to complete Raiden or Street Fighter on a single credit, and indeed the 1-credit-challenge is a convention that keeps a lot of people playing emulated arcade games.
If you tried to "1cc" most mobile games, it would take a fixed amount of time while you wait for your gems or energy or whatever to recharge, and you'd spend most of your time refraining from playing. The two models are certainly on the same evolutionary line, but mobile freemium games are a more blatant and direct psychological hack. The "challenge" is from overcoming your inbuilt desires and delaying gratification - exactly the sort of boring, responsible, real-life stuff people play games to avoid.
Then came consoles, and everyone pretty much ditched arcades and stayed at home. We went from spending buckets of quarters drawn out over the course of an evening, to spending buckets or quartuers all at once every month or two, and taking out a loan to afford the next $400+ console. The arcade model died, because consoles were better in every regard. People wanted to stay home, the games were better and more engaging, the platform and context allowed for games with more depth and value than could ever be achieved in an arcade, and you didn't have to worry about the console eating your quarters. And no more collecting 10 million tickets only to realize that the best item you can redeem them for is a plastic transformers ring.
Then came PCs, and PCs and consoles lived happily together alongside one another for the next decade or two. So how does the story end? Well, arcades are back baby, but in the form of pay-to-win freemium mobile games. They've evolved; now you don't have to go to some sticky floored dungeon to play Time Cop 15. You can do that from the comfort of your own phone. Just plop in $1 every now and then to keep playing. Best of all, game devs found out a way to price discriminate. Poor? Here's some ads and patience. Rich? Push a button and Apple will take care of the rest.
But the games haven't changed. Mobile games are just as shallow as arcade games ever were. But weren't arcades great? Of course they were; those games were a blast. They're a different kind of fun. A kind of fun you can pick up, enjoy, and then leave without another thought. These aren't grand masterpieces like The Witcher 3, or thought bending games like The Stanley Parable. But they were still fun, exciting, and a great way to relax or kill time.
So, my question is, why is everyone so caustic towards mobile gaming? Because it's exploitative? Sure, I can understand that, but so were arcades. If I had to guess, it's perhaps the pervassiveness of the games and the manner in which they present themselves that people find so offensive. See, arcades were at the arcades. You had to drive there, and physically be there for awhile. Mobile games are constantly with you, just one finger swipe away. And they take advantage of that, with notifications and constant come-hither looks to get you to play and spend. Also, arcade machines were upfront about their pricing model. The quarter slot is right there on the front of the machine, and the screen is flashing "Insert Coin". Mobile games advertise themselves as free, and even let you play a little bit before revealing their true payment model. That's deceptive in ways arcades were not.
No real point other than to remind everyone of history. It's clear that mobile gaming shares a heritage with arcades. And it's perhaps clear that they've evolved the model, but perhaps that evolution is not what everyone was hoping for. I'm more curious what the next "console" evolution will be.