The mobile video game market is the largest sector of the video game industry having the most used video game console ever known to mankind, the smartphone. Most of the mobile games are categorized as “free-to-play”, meaning that they are free to download and play, but they have in-game purchases. These in-game purchases can range from limited-time items, cosmetics, gameplay enhancements, ad-blockers, and the worst of these, loot boxes. 

In-game purchases are actually the bulk of profits that are earned from mobile games, because unlike traditional paid games, there is less effort involved, and these in-game purchases allow for people to spend as much money as they want. These in-game purchases are not necessarily bad in their own right, with the exception of loot boxes, but the way these items and other systems are used in free-to-play games are downright exploitative and deceiving. One system of bringing in a large sum of money is designed to appeal to a specific category of gamers, cynically called “whales.” 

Whales are players who have the loosest pockets and will pay the most for free-to-play games. In fact, these whales bring the most profits beating ad-revenue and profits earned from casual players. The tragedy occurs when a game centers around solely entertaining these whales. By definition, whales spend a lot of time and money on the game, which is why companies want to retain as many whales as possible because they know that the whales will always reel in a profit. 

A method of retaining whales involves making purchases necessary to become good in a game. This makes it easy for whales to conquer other players and rewards obnoxious spending. As an added bonus, easy modifications into matchmaking during multiplayer games can rig the match. This always sets the boosted whales with less powerful players, encouraging the less powerful players to buy more premium items. But, this method is unsustainable by itself, so companies resort to an additional tactic.

Personally, I play video games to escape from my life. When I play a video game, I want to leave the real world behind and pretend to be a conqueror of civilizations or a master tactician. I honestly do not want to have to deal with real people when playing my escapist fantasy and I think a lot of people feel the same. However, the goal of companies like Electronic Arts (EA) is the exact opposite. 

When you ask them what the most important feature in a video game is, they would respond with “social interactions.” The inclusion of the “friends” system in a majority of multiplayer games is no mistake. The more you are connected to the game via friends or through pure dopamine, the more time you are spending on the game and the more likely you will actually spend money in-game. In my opinion, making video games more like social media seems redundant as social media and Reddit exist, but companies love it. Combining this advancement of in-game social interaction with whales is a recipe for profit. Whales commonly seek an escapist world where they can rule and do whatever they want. Keeping a constant supply of people connected via the social interactions in the game for the whales to prey on keeps this cycle continuing.

Free-to-play video games have a place in the video game industry and our wider society. But despite the massive sums of money from these two mutually beneficial models, they will not advance the gaming industry. The lack of balance in profits and stability will dissuade future people from getting into video games as systems that pander to whales will make it highly difficult to play without shelling a large sum of money, and new social mechanics in areas of the gaming industry hostile to such mechanics will convince veteran players to invest their money elsewhere. There must be a change or we risk greed ruining the art of gaming.