Category: Envy

World of Warcraft instant level-up: Just add cash.

Blizzard will soon let World of Warcraft gamers pay to instantly gain Level 90 status. This is something I suggest in the Encourage payment as an alternative to achievement pattern. If your game or product revolves around escalating levels of achievement, it’s likely that people with more money than time will want to pay for… Continue reading World of Warcraft instant level-up: Just add cash.

Scam games designed just for in-app purchases

Justin Davis and Brian Altano at IGN made a video play-through of a game that takes in-app purchases to the extreme. Super Monster Bros by Adventure Time Pocket Free Games, written by Mario Casas, is potentially playable without purchasing extras, but the frequency of the purchase requests, their persistence, and their high prices are all aimed… Continue reading Scam games designed just for in-app purchases

Smartphones so desirable NY State Attorney General gets involved

iPhones and other high-end smartphones are desirable enough, small enough, and sufficiently publicly accessible that they have created a whole category of crimes, now described as “Apple picking.” 11,447 Apple products were stolen in New York City alone in the first three quarters of 2012. I wrote in the pattern “Create desirability to produce envy”… Continue reading Smartphones so desirable NY State Attorney General gets involved

Skylanders and the power of collecting a set

Wired magazine has a humorous article on the power of the Sklyanders franchise. Skylanders is a kid’s computer game with add-on extras. You purchase a real-world figure and place it on a USB reader (sorry, “Portal of Power”) to add the player to your copy of the game. Different players have different skills and powers,… Continue reading Skylanders and the power of collecting a set