Tricks developers use to make you an app or game addict

Hanno Labuschagne

Hanno Labuschagne

Journalist
Staff member
Joined
Sep 2, 2019
Messages
5,523
Reaction score
3,806
Tricks developers use to make you an app or game addict

Ever found yourself unable to resist checking out a social media notification? Or sending a random picture just to keep a Snapchat “streak” going? Or simply getting stuck staring at YouTube because it auto-played yet another cute cat video?

If so, you’re far from alone. And if we adults can’t resist such digital temptations, how can we expect children to do any better?

[The Conversation]
 
Shame, kids doing anything to get a golden star...

But yes, it's proving successful, with loot boxes in videogames and microtransactions...

One friend of mine, bought like R3000's worth of online game skins (Fortnite) only to lose it soon after.
 
Cookie Clicker.
The fact that something like that can appeal to your OCD is proof that we are easily suckered.
 
Ha ha. Civilization had "just 1 more turn" in 1991 :p
(If you know, you know)
 
Train yourself to do the things you hate at first such as lifting weights or learning to play guitar. This is the opposite of blankly staring at lousy games.
 
There's a lot more subtle tricks being played on the game design front than what is being mentioned in the article:

Using of vivid colours (similar to red and yellow colours being used by fast food chains to induce fake hunger) to make things appear "beautiful" so that it catches and keeps your eye. (honey for the eyes)
Using repetitive tasks to induce compulsive addiction behaviour.
Using fear and anxiety-inducing tactics in certain games by implementing base building with shields which only apply for a limited amount of time, which forces you to sign in on a recurring basis to activate shields to avoid having your work demolished and having to rebuild troops and/or regain resources when your base is attacked and plundered by other players.
Using social peer pressure by forcing players to join factions and play with other people who has certain in-game expectations for fellow members to take part in activities.
Using limited time based rewards to coerce you into making purchases early on in the game and convert you into a paying player.
Using free players as content or entertainment for higher strength paying players. (that is why the high level players tend to pick on low level players who can't defend against the attacks)
Doubling down on purchases made. (buy something and then suddenly get bombarded with adverts for other in-game offers)
Changing the landscape on a continuous basis to leverage frustration with progression in the game. This might be through the moving of goalposts or creating new situations where it becomes increasingly difficult to obtain resources required for normal progression. Obviously you can avoid this frustration by purchasing resources from the store rather than compete against hundreds of other players for them.
Using bait-and-switch tactics when implementing new features in the game.
Using adverts that show gameplay of a certain style, but then the game itself has a completely different setup. To avoid false-advertising claims the gameplay in the advert is incorporated as a "mini-game" inside the game.
 
wizardofid said:
The wool has been finally lifted from your eyes :D lol he is pretty good
Click to expand...

Not really. I've done a lot of what he said for years. I don't have FB on my phone and never used TikTok or even downloaded. Most notifications are turned off..

The one thing I did do, was turn on notification summary - great tip from him in that video.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter