3 Reasons Free to Play Games Thrive
Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that Fortnite is a massive success. Fortnite is one example of free to play games which survive and thrive.
For those unaware, there are other successful games which are free to play. Some other games in this genre include League of Legends, Hearthstone, and Warframe.
Although these games are free to download and play, they often make more per player than the price of a single AAA title. Free to play games’ revenue may be surprising given they are free.
In our society, we’re often told that anything of value has a price associated with it. Price as a reflection of value rings especially true in the gaming world. So, how can these games fly defy conventional logic but see radical success?
Low Barrier to Entry
The first reason these free to play games are successful is because they are easier to play. Since you don’t have to pony up the money for a AAA title, it’s a low risk, potentially high reward endeavor.
Worst case, you wasted the time and hard drive space. The best outcome is you found a new, fun game for cheap.
Because the risk is low, more people are willing to try the game. Early on, these games do a great job of chaining small wins. Consequently, the player is encouraged to continue exploring the game mechanics and options.
After a couple of hours, the player likely had a positive experience. It’s also likely the player has been given some “carrot” to aspire towards. At this point, the player will likely be compelled to play for a while longer.
Reciprocity
All of the free games I’ve mentioned deliver a large amount of value for no upfront investment.
Despite my hatred towards Fortnite, I have to give credit where it is due. The developers do a phenomenal job of constantly making the game fresh. Further, it appears Fortnite is well balanced in a cyclic manner.
Similarly, all the other games listed are fairly active in balancing existing content and adding new content. All of the games I listed do this actively and consistently.
The value these developers deliver creates a dilemma for players. Players often feel indebted because these games provide high value for no cost. People don’t like being in debt. To alleviate the discomfort, we often feel compelled to purchase something.
Human Psychology
Ah, the comparative nature of the human condition. Often times, when we want the new, shiny cosmetic, extra card pack, or game feature/item it’s easy to say it’s only ($5-$15.) It’s not that bad.
Unfortunately, for our wallets anyway, we often ignore how many times we’ve previously made this exact same decision. Soon enough, our “small purchases” accumulate to well over the cost of a single AAA game.
Furthermore, we often rationalize and justify our spending as supporting the game developers. I personally justified my constant skin purchases in League of Legends in this manner.
By the time we’re considering a purchase in one of the free games, we’ve often invested a decent portion of time and have invested a decent amount of time. Since most people are risk and loss averse, we also want to defend our investment.
In my view, by purchasing these cosmetics, etc. we are making the game novel again. Because the game is novel, we can justify spending more time playing. Our decision protects our ego through maintaining new relationships.
As a bonus, since we’re continuing the play the game, we believe we haven’t “thrown away” the time previously spent playing.
Wrapping Up
Well designed free to play games win because they harness simple human psychology. Further, they allow a wide spectrum of people to play the game. Some of these people have significant assets and feel inclined to support their favorite game.
Some people may not have significant money to contribute but can draw friends to also play the game. Even for people who offer neither the social or fiscal capital, they add to the total player count which makes the game seem even more popular, drawing more people who can pay.
Overall, these games are successful because they encourage and allow people to contribute what they can. As we’ve previously seen in music and other industries, this often results in people making more money than if they set a fixed price.
Especially in the case of these well-designed games, people don’t feel guilty about supporting projects which give them immense joy.
While I don’t see the AAA fixed price model going anywhere anytime soon, I do believe more game studios should give serious consideration to a free to play model.
I believe this model is particularly promising for indie game studios for long-term survival once they amass the required resources.
