Buying a knife skin in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and purchasing a lollipop hammer in Candy Crush are two entirely different experiences. The first is driven by desire, the other by frustration. Knife skins give players a way to express themselves and provide visual variety, but they have no effect on gameplay. The value of the lollipop hammer, on the other hand, is almost entirely dependent on its gameplay impact, since it is a usable tool that helps you get past difficult situations. Your offering has to closely match your game and the desires of your players.
There are four distinct vectors used to drive in-game monetization models:
- Time
- Difficulty
- Playable content
- Non-playable content
We’ll explore these ...
