Free-to-Play Games

Alha, Kati; Kinnunen, Jani; Koskinen, Elina; Paavilainen, Janne

doi:10.1145/3275116.3275133

Cited by 17 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Our method and finding extend the work of Hamari and Keronen (2016) and Hamari et al (2017) on the general motivations to pay for in-game items to the context of Pay-to-Win. We also provide quantitative confirmation of the qualitative work by Alha et al (2018) on the motivational differences concerning functional and non-functional items.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

“…For investigating Pay-to-Win players, it is important to distinguish between those players who pay and those who do not . But work by Alha et al (2018) point out the importance of the motives for purchases of functional and non-functional products, i.e. in-game items, which led us to further distinguish Payto-Win players among the motives for their payments.…”

Section: Description Of Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The investment of real money in the game can signal a player's skill, reputation and dedication. Alha et al (2018) find that most motives regarding non-functional items also apply to functional items, for example the desire to give something back to the developer or to express appreciation of their work. Nevertheless, the purchase of functional items remains predominately motivated by the desire to advance in the game, even though the Pay-to-Win aspect is widely frowned upon.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pay-to-Win Gaming and its Interrelation with Gambling: Findings from a Representative Population Sample

et al. 2021

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Pay-to-Win gaming describes a common type of video game design in which players can pay to advance in the game. The frequency and value of payments is unlimited, and payments are linked to players’ competitiveness or progress in the game, which can potentially facilitate problematic behavioral patterns, similar to those known from gambling. Our analyses focus on assessing similarities and differences between Pay-to-Win and different forms of gambling. Based on a survey among 46,136 German adult internet users, this study presents the demographic and socio-economic profile of (1) Pay-to-Win gamers who make purchases in such games, (2) heavy users who conduct daily payments, and (3) gamers who are also gamblers. Motives for making payments were assessed and participation, frequency and spending in gambling by Pay-to-Win gamers are presented. To assess the similarity of Pay-to-Win gaming and gambling, we tested whether Pay-to-Win participation, frequency of payments and problematic gaming behavior are predictors for gambling and cross-tested the opposite effects of gambling on Pay-to-Win. We find that Pay-to-Win gamers are a distinct consumer group with considerable attraction to gambling. High engagement and problematic behavior in one game form affects (over)involvement in the other. Common ground for Pay-to-Win gaming and gambling is the facilitation of recurring payments.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Section: Description Of Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pay-to-Win Gaming and its Interrelation with Gambling: Findings from a Representative Population Sample

et al. 2021

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“…Specifically, while bets and winnings in SCGs take the form of virtual currency, which holds no value outside of the games, and which cannot be converted into money, monetary gambling is defined by bets and winnings that take the form of currency or other items of monetary value [ 2 ]. Further, given that SCGs are commonly built on a “freemium” revenue model, whereby the full version of a game is provided to players at no cost, players also do not pay to access SCGs [ 5 ]. Players can, however, make small-sum monetary transaction within SCGs, referred to as “microtransactions”, which allow them to extend play when they exhaust initial seed credits, to speed up play, or to purchase cosmetic or functional virtual goods that enhance their gaming experience [ 1 , 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors associated with social casino gaming among adolescents across game types

et al. 2018

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BackgroundWith the proliferation of social casino games (SCGs) online, which offer the opportunity to gamble without monetary gains and losses, comes a growing concern regarding the effects of these unregulated games on public health, particularly among adolescents. However, given the limited research pertaining to SCG use, little is currently known about the manner in which adolescents engage with this new gambling medium. The present study aims to identify the factors that characterize adolescent social casino gamers, and to determine whether these factors differ by SCG type. Moreover, the study examines the extent to which social casino gaming is associated with monetary gambling and problem gambling in this cohort.MethodData were obtained from students in Grades 9 to 12 (n = 10,035) residing in the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Participants completed the Youth Gambling Survey (YGS), which is a supplementary instrument administered alongside the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CSTADS). Logistic regression was used to assess the factors associated with SCG play.ResultsOverall, 12.4% of respondents reported having participated in SCGs in the past three months. Compared to adolescents who did not report playing SCGs, SCG players were typically more likely to participate in monetary gambling activities, and were more prevalently classified as problem gamblers of low-to-moderate severity or high severity. Although profiles of SCG players differed across SCG game types, factors significantly associated with the playing of SCGs were gender, weekly spending money, having friends and parents who gamble, and screen time. It was also shown that current smokers were significantly more likely to participate in simulated slots online relative to adolescents who did not play SCGs.ConclusionSignificant associations exist between SCG play, monetary gambling, and problem gambling among adolescents. Gambling intervention efforts directed at this population should aim to identify personal and environmental factors associated with social casino gaming, and should be tailored to different types of SCGs.

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“…What appears to be common among these is a reliance on principles derived from behavioral psychology, including the use of random ratio schedules of reinforcement alongside gambling themes, different types of reinforcement (e.g., achievements/badges) and the use of stamina-style systems to affect how frequently reinforcement is delivered ( James, O’Malley, & Tunney, 2017 ; Larche et al., 2017 ). These make heavy use of micro-transactions, often based on the premise that a small proportion of users, colloquially referred to as “whales” ( Alha, Koskinen, Paavilainen, Hamari, & Kinnunen, 2014 ; Kimppa, Heimo, & Harviainen, 2016 ), engage in substantial spending ( Garfield, 2016 ). These are not limited to mobile games, with similar mechanics being used in some console or PC games.…”

Section: Mobile Gaming and Pathological Gambling Criteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between gaming disorder and addiction requires a behavioral analysis

James

Tunney

2017

J Behav Addict

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In their position paper, Aarseth et al. (2016) bring to light several timely issues concerning the categorization of gaming disorder as a form of addiction and as a discrete mental disorder. In our commentary, we welcome their caution toward this move and their discussion of the equivocal scientific data in its support and the potential negative consequences for gamers. We suggest that a more heterogeneous approach is required for understanding any behavioral addiction, as concepts from gambling appear to be more relevant for aspects of mobile gaming than for video games more generally. In addition to a greater need for clinical research, we argue that studying gaming at a different level of analysis than the epidemiological study is required to gain a meaningful understanding of the harm video games may or may not entail.

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Free-to-Play Games

Cited by 17 publications

References 12 publications

Pay-to-Win Gaming and its Interrelation with Gambling: Findings from a Representative Population Sample

Pay-to-Win Gaming and its Interrelation with Gambling: Findings from a Representative Population Sample

Factors associated with social casino gaming among adolescents across game types

The relationship between gaming disorder and addiction requires a behavioral analysis

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