F*&&@!g Mobile Games -- How do They Work?

[Casey Pelous]

I'm not much of a gamer, but I got curious about all the mobile games that are constantly advertised on various net media, and downloaded a few.

They're mostly variations on a (very) few themes --- match tiles, trivia quizzes, digital versions of various ancient board games, and the occasional sort of physics-based stuff. I understand -- there's only so much one can do on a tiny screen and with economical amounts of data. I grew quickly bored with most of them, although I do find one little "find a clear path for the arrows to go away" game mildly relaxing in a no-need-to-think way.

My question is, how in the world do they play out financially for the developers? I assume they're produced mostly with AI these days, but even then, how is this worth anyone's time to create? (That raises the side issue, who are the developers? Are these big companies or is it someone and a few friends banging these things together and hoping for the best?) Fully 90% --- and that's generously low -- of the ads they serve are for other mobile games. Sometimes they use what seem like rather underhanded tactics --- like serving an ad for a game that's essentially the same game you're playing, but claiming it's the "update that you need." So, it seems to be super-competitive, and they do continue to exist, which tells me there is at least the illusion of the possibility of money to be made.

They commonly advertise "no annoying ads," too, which seems to be related to how annoying they find the endless ads that constantly interrupt gameplay!

Oh, and they all imply they will help my senior brain not descend immediately into drooling dementia. Sure. You can download the cure for dementia for free on your phone. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhht ..............

Where's the money in all this? Do they count on the "upgrade to no ads" option for their revenue? In-game sales of little upgrades? Is there really a living to be made just by advertising other games? I mean, that seems like sort of an Amway, "Let's choose up sides and sell each other stuff" non-economy.

Who's in the know on this topic?

 

[Cristiano]

Mobile gaming is a cash grab. If the game is free, you will end up paying for it somehow. Even the matching ones and stuff like Candy Crush make it so early levels get you hooked, then the higher levels can't be beat without buying their stupid boost items to help with the level. There are some good paid options - let me know what kind of games you like and what platform and I can recommend some. Avoid F2P ones like the plague.

 

[Noodles]

Therr are these people, commonly referred to as "whales". You may buy the $2 first timer start pack.

The Whale, buys everything.

Also, there are real games available. I pretty regularly play Fortnite for example, though not the Battle Royale part.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

The Whale, buys everything.

We had a household conversation about $1000 of charges once. And that's nowhere near the high end people can rack up.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

As for a recommend, get Pokemon Go and use it as a fitness app. Touch some grass.

 

[Beebo Brink]

As for a recommend, get Pokemon Go and use it as a fitness app. Touch some grass.

For years I couldn't play Pokemon Go because my iPhone 9 was too outdated for it. I got in the habit of thinking I couldn't play it, so even when I finally updated to an iPhone 16, I was oblivious.

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Veritable Quandry]

And if they don't sell boosts or charge money, look at the permissions. Some are harvesting ad data.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

My question is, how in the world do they play out financially for the developers? I assume they're produced mostly with AI these days, but even then, how is this worth anyone's time to create? (That raises the side issue, who are the developers? Are these big companies or is it someone and a few friends banging these things together and hoping for the best?) Fully 90% --- and that's generously low -- of the ads they serve are for other mobile games. Sometimes they use what

These are todays very big companies! When Activision Blizzard acquired King Digital Entertainment in 2016, they paid $5.9bn for it. King made back then Candy Crush Saga and Farm Heroes Saga.

In the Activision family in 2022 (2023 they were bought by Microsoft) King alone made 36% of the net revenue, Activision about 35% and Blizzard about 25%. So KD, who back then had quite an array of shit games, was more profitable than Blizzard.

So yes, there is big money involved. Very big money. How they make money? Mostly by offering you time short cuts, meaning they are selling you energy for hard cash. You can do without, but then will have to wait the time before you are able to make the next moves. Simple.

Also since mobile devices are nowadays by numbers sold the biggest platform for games the money you can make here is astronomically high.

This video describes the monetisation pretty nicely.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

Mobile gaming is a cash grab. If the game is free, you will end up paying for it somehow. Even the matching ones and stuff like Candy Crush make it so early levels get you hooked, then the higher levels can't be beat without buying their stupid boost items to help with the level. There are some good paid options - let me know what kind of games you like and what platform and I can recommend some. Avoid F2P ones like the plague.

This thread got me thinking of how I've seen F2P games that are barely more than a button you get to push to see pretty colors. ....and eventually you need to buy stuff to see more button presses, lol. Mobile games are VERY profitable because those pieces of shit are cheap to make, and people will pay out the butt for microtransactions.

 

[Noodles]

We had a household conversation about $1000 of charges once. And that's nowhere near the high end people can rack up.

SL definitely has whales. I did the math a few years ago, pulled all the transaction history and found I have spent I think like $3k in all my time in SL, which "feels whalish" but I am probably a small minnow.

I didnthe same for Fortnite but that ended up only being like $300, which is very not very much next to whales.

 

[Noodles]

This thread got me thinking of how I've seen F2P games that are barely more than a button you get to push to see pretty colors. ....and eventually you need to buy stuff to see more button presses, lol. Mobile games are VERY profitable because those pieces of shit are cheap to make, and people will pay out the butt for microtransactions.

I am not at all opposed to micro transactions, but I am extremely allergic to obvious scams, which makes me.spemd zero.

Like I had this Star Trek Lower Decks game for a while. And it hammersyou constantly for packs that cost anywhere from $5-$20+, sometimes several at once, and often for limite time (2 day) events. Like who the fuck is spending $50 in boost packs for a 2 day event. If it gave permenant main game boosts, sure, whatever, but these mini events?

Even with Fortnite. Like ok, up to maybe $15 for a skin I really like, I can do that sometimes, but now they have like, pets that costs $15, per single use customization, and music which is like $6 a track, and $25 cars, I can buy a whole racing game for that.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

I am not at all opposed to micro transactions, but I am extremely allergic to obvious scams, which makes me.spemd zero.

Like I had this Star Trek Lower Decks game for a while. And it hammersyou constantly for packs that cost anywhere from $5-$20+, sometimes several at once, and often for limite time (2 day) events. Like who the fuck is spending $50 in boost packs for a 2 day event. If it gave permenant main game boosts, sure, whatever, but these mini events?

Even with Fortnite. Like ok, up to maybe $15 for a skin I really like, I can do that sometimes, but now they have like, pets that costs $15, per single use customization, and music which is like $6 a track, and $25 cars, I can buy a whole racing game for that.

Yeah, it's not that microtransactions are inherently bad, it's that they are very abused, especially with Mobile games.

Path of Exile was a free to play game with some in game purchases that I thought were fine. I of course bought the currency stash tab and a few other things, as did almost everyone. It was a way to support the dev's in a way that didn't feel like a scam.

 

[Isabeau]

Doesn’t Niantic (Pokémon Go) now have a detailed map of many parts of the world to rival GPS and now have a commercial AI mapping division? That’s another way of making $

 

[Casey Pelous]

.... - let me know what kind of games you like and what platform and I can recommend some. Avoid F2P ones like the plague.

Thanks for the kind offer, but at this point, I haven't found any I like. The soundtracks alone are often cause for immediate un-installment! For the foreseeable future, I think it's gonna be chess puzzles for me.

 

[Caete]

I gave up on pokemon go some time back when they "updated" the character models so I had a "choice" thick squared chunk, thicker squared chunk, or thickest square chunk. Fuck them. None of those are me and no sign of them reverting the player models back despite they are still in use for the "villains".

I still play Fallout Shelter on my iPad as I can easily resist the urge to spend any rl cash for lootboxes and the game is still enjoyable with only quest dropped loot.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

Yeah, it's not that microtransactions are inherently bad, it's that they are very abused, especially with Mobile games.

Path of Exile was a free to play game with some in game purchases that I thought were fine. I of course bought the currency stash tab and a few other things, as did almost everyone. It was a way to support the dev's in a way that didn't feel like a scam.

PoE mostly sells quality of life stuff and cosmetic fluff, which is ok.

 

[Isabeau]

I gave up on pokemon go some time back when they "updated" the character models so I had a "choice" thick squared chunk, thicker squared chunk, or thickest square chunk. Fuck them. None of those are me and no sign of them reverting the player models back despite they are still in use for the "villains".

I still play Fallout Shelter on my iPad as I can easily resist the urge to spend any rl cash for lootboxes and the game is still enjoyable with only quest dropped loot.

(As an aside to this topic, when you‘re on your iPad/safari, do all posts with YouTube links give you
“Error 153
Video player configuration error”
or do you use another browser? I seem to recall it doing it on my android phone, too. Unless it is an issue with this site. Anyway, no big deal, but because of this, unless I’m sitting down and feel like going off site to watch a video every time, I usually just skip posts with a YT link.)

 

[Noodles]

I often get "Go to youtube and log in to play this media."

 

[Erich Templar]

I often get "Go to youtube and log in to play this media."

I get that if I am using a VPN.

 

[Noodles]

I get that if I am using a VPN.

Yeah, I assumed it may be the reason. I am always on a VPN on mobile.