# Mobile games



## Tererileny (3 mo ago)

Do you play mobile games? Are there any good games to kill some time?


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## Ben4Birdies (12 mo ago)

There are tons of mobile games to waste time on. I've certainly done that with a handful of them. They lose their appeal sooner or later.

One thing that hasn't lost its appeal if I've got some time to kill is to do something nice for someone. For someone you know, for a stranger... doesn't matter. It is one of the best feelings in the world to do something helpful or kind or encouraging for someone else... especially if they aren't expecting it. If it's only a minute or two, sending a text asking how someone has been, letting them know you were thinking about them... it's fun to make the world a brighter place.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

I used to think PC gaming was an expensive hobby, then mobile games came along and .... "hold my beer"...... So many are all about needling you with micro-purchases to advance in the game. You easily end up spending more than what AAA console or PC titles cost upfront. MrWhoseTheBoss had a great video recent on YT about the worst offenders and exactly how much $$$$ was necessary to remain "competitive" in these games. (spoiler: it's waaaay more than what many of us are spending on reel mowers, top dressing, and fertilizers..... :lol


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## Deltahedge (Apr 1, 2020)

Tererileny said:


> Do you play mobile games? Are there any good games to kill some time?


So this dude comes in here to a lawn forum, creates an account, and his first question is about mobile gaming? it's probably a bot.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Deltahedge said:


> So this dude comes in here to a lawn forum, creates an account, and his first question is about mobile gaming? it's probably a bot.


None of the spam detection systems triggered an alert, but I noticed that this was his first post too. Let's see how it evolves.


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## jerrywil (9 mo ago)

Mobile games are complete waste of time.
Except my favorite Wordle of course and its constant companion word finder https://word-finder.com/wоrds-that-start-with/ban/. This game is perfect if you have a long stopover at the airport and just need to kill the time.


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## Phids (Sep 24, 2020)

MasterMech said:


> I used to think PC gaming was an expensive hobby, then mobile games came along and .... "hold my beer"...... So many are all about needling you with micro-purchases to advance in the game. You easily end up spending more than what AAA console or PC titles cost upfront. MrWhoseTheBoss had a great video recent on YT about the worst offenders and exactly how much $$$$ was necessary to remain "competitive" in these games. (spoiler: it's waaaay more than what many of us are spending on reel mowers, top dressing, and fertilizers..... :lol


I heard that certain games are designed to be addictive (rewards, reboosts, etc.), and while most people will resist dishing out money on these games for bonus content, a small subset of users will pay. It's those few paying users who make it worthwhile for the game producer to pump out its game. Kind of sneaky, actually.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Phids said:


> I heard that certain games are designed to be addictive (rewards, reboosts, etc.), and while most people will resist dishing out money on these games for bonus content, a small subset of users will pay. It's those few paying users who make it worthwhile for the game producer to pump out its game. Kind of sneaky, actually.


All games are designed to be addictive by nature, or else we wouldn't play them. But yes, many are purposefully designed to extract money from those who cannot recognize and control the outflow. It's exactly like a drug addiction, the odds of winning financially are zero and the only payout is another few minutes of dopamine.

Unfortunately, predatory financial practices are 100% legal in the US.


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## Deltahedge (Apr 1, 2020)

Phids said:


> I heard that certain games are designed to be addictive (rewards, reboosts, etc.), and while most people will resist dishing out money on these games for bonus content, a small subset of users will pay. It's those few paying users who make it worthwhile for the game producer to pump out its game. Kind of sneaky, actually.


I know a guy a few years ago who estimated that he had spent more than $10K on Clash of Clans. I was shocked. 

I made it about 8 years without spending a dime on any mobile game, and then Clash of Clans had a genius marketing idea where you can spend $5/month, and get a lot of in-game stuff throughout the month. The $5/month plan totally worked on me, and I've been paying them the $5 most months for the last 12-15 months. I play it more than any PC game, and I figure I'm going to spend $50-60 on a PC game, so that's how I justified it in my mind.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Deltahedge said:


> I know a guy a few years ago who estimated that he had spent more than $10K on Clash of Clans. I was shocked.
> 
> I made it about 8 years without spending a dime on any mobile game, and then Clash of Clans had a genius marketing idea where you can spend $5/month, and get a lot of in-game stuff throughout the month. The $5/month plan totally worked on me, and I've been paying them the $5 most months for the last 12-15 months. I play it more than any PC game, and I figure I'm going to spend $50-60 on a PC game, so that's how I justified it in my mind.


Wow - Back in the day...... we spent $1,000+ on a PC, and each game title was $40-50. This would be in Year 2000 dollars... I remember when MMRPGs first started with the subscription model (EverQuest?) and the uproar when people realized that if you stopped playing, anything you had in the game would be gone after awhile.

$10k on a mobile game would shock me too. I'm amazed at how easy it is to spend $100/mo on some. Your $5/mo sounds reasonable if you enjoy the game and play frequently.


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## Phids (Sep 24, 2020)

MasterMech said:


> All games are designed to be addictive by nature, or else we wouldn't play them.


Not nearly to the same extent, which is why game designers have changed the way games are designed over time. Sure, getting your name onto a list of high scores has been around for decades, and that no doubt led to repeated playing, but typically what is done today is much more focused on manipulating the mind to keep players playing. Think about games you see now that have regular "leveling up" abilities, including timed releases of prizes, which ensures that you don't stay away from the game for too long and get your dopamine fix. Some games also have punishments for users who are away too long, and again - you get the dopamine fix knowing that your base will be safe from attacks. Of course, high score lists are still everywhere on games, and there are also social features that make them competitively addictive. I have little doubt that game designers have intentionally done this to target ordinary people. That's the business model.


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## Phids (Sep 24, 2020)

Deltahedge said:


> The $5/month plan totally worked on me, and I've been paying them the $5 most months for the last 12-15 months. I play it more than any PC game, and I figure I'm going to spend $50-60 on a PC game, so that's how I justified it in my mind.


I'm not really sure what to think about video game playing. One one hand, it's a harmless diversion, and can actually be quite informative (I learned more about the world of soccer playing FIFA than I ever did playing it in real life). On the other hand, it's a waste of time - time that could be spent more constructively learning things that matter more, learning new skills, exercising, etc. I guess the money aspect isn't the biggest drawback in my mind, especially if you think you might early spend $60/year on other less memorable forms of entertainment. However, I'd think that spending $10,000 on a video game is a sign of legitimate addiction....wow.....


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Phids said:


> Not nearly to the same extent, which is why game designers have changed the way games are designed over time. Sure, getting your name onto a list of high scores has been around for decades, and that no doubt led to repeated playing, but typically what is done today is much more focused on manipulating the mind to keep players playing. Think about games you see now that have regular "leveling up" abilities, including timed releases of prizes, which ensures that you don't stay away from the game for too long and get your dopamine fix. Some games also have punishments for users who are away too long, and again - you get the dopamine fix knowing that your base will be safe from attacks. Of course, high score lists are still everywhere on games, and there are also social features that make them competitively addictive. I have little doubt that game designers have intentionally done this to target ordinary people. That's the business model.


I generally steer clear of this releatively new breed of "disposable" titles as I waste plenty of time already on 20+ year old PC games or remasters of such. 

I can't help but notice the similarities between the vast majority of these commodity mobile games and traditional casino gaming. Both are designed to extract money from the uninformed and/or indifferent, both are pretty benign in moderation, but only one is actually recognized and regulated as potentially abusive to the customer. Apparently, it's not just us chickens who have taken notice either, as Apple has specific rules for games appearing in their Apple Arcade section of the App Store that discourage these extortionary practices. (No In-App Purchases for one....) 

What's old is new again, the type of mobile gaming we're discussing here is using the same PsyOps that carnival games and legacy video arcades have employed since medieval times. Only those games aren't available 24/7 in your pocket with a direct line to your bank account.


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