Successful free to play games are a brew of persuasion techniques designed to achieve fast engagement. Here’s a short list and lots of examples of the most notorious persuasive methods and psychological tactics that are used in games you play and love.

1. 7 Psychological
Tactics
Used
In
Games

2. Successful F2P games are a brew of persuasion techniques
designed to achieve fast engagement and revenue.

3. Love it or hate it, you have to acknowledge it.

4. Here’s a short list of the 7 most notorious persuasive methods
that can be found in casual games today:

5. Loss Aversion
People strive to avoid pain. And losing is painful.
We experience loss in twice as intense a manner
than we enjoy a possible gain.

6. A classic “loss aversion trap”. Players are reluctant to lose the
progress they have made in a level and pay to avoid loss.
Game: Love Rocks Starring Shakira

7. Notice the strong language, “Don’t abandon the baby pandas!”
that aims to trap users in the loss aversion corner.
Game: Panda Pop

8. Timers are often used to stress users into a quick decision.
(BTW, nothing happens when this timer hits zero).
Game: Panda Pop

9. No wonder Tinder is charging for the undo functionality.
People pay to avoid loss!
Game: Tinder

10. READ MORE about loss aversion and more psychological tactics
you can’t afford be ignorant of!

11. See how I persuaded you to click
my link? Such a cunning chap!
Moving on.

12. Endowed Progress
People who feel they’ve made some progress toward a goal
are more committed to achieve that goal.

13. Level systems are made with the endowed progress effect in mind.
A “progress” is made immediately after the first play.
Game: Temple Run 2

14. All “timer based” games are built around starting processes
that players feel compelled to finish, only because they started.
Game: Minions Paradise

15. Progress bars, especially those who offer concrete milestones
backed by rewards work wonders on players.
Game: Minions Paradise
Milestones
Rewards

16. Ever wondered how come you always have some of the
ingredients needed to complete a mission? Now you know why.
Game: Hay Day

17. Simple, concrete goals can do wonders to boost retention.
Game: Elevate

18. Envy/Embarrassment
An emotion which occurs when a person lacks another’s superior
quality, achievement, or possession.

19. World building games often show players their neighbours’
achievements to tap on their envy - embarrassment axis
Game: Simpsons Tapped Out

20. Some games would let players play with superior equipment
during tutorial phase, only to take it away on the first level.
Game: CSRacing

21. Watching your friends progress while you lag behind is a classic
envy - embarrassment motivator.
Game: Candy Crush Saga

22. Finally, leaving your awkward family group on Whatsapp is too
damn embarrassing for you to even think about it.
Game: Whatsapp

23. Reciprocity
Responding to a positive action with a positive action. When
someone gifts us we feel obligated to give something in return.

24. Receiving gifts on Candy Crush would make players more
probable to return the favour when their friends are in need.
Game: Candy Crush Saga

25. This is such a strong social norm that some games would force
players to give gifts.
Game: Angry Birds 2

26. On this game, friends can retrieve gems that were stolen from a
player’s treasure. The grateful owner would feel obligated to
return the favor.
Thank You!
Thank You!
Return Favor
Game: King of Thieves

27. Scarcity
We automatically desire items that are scarce or unique.

28. Many items in games are considered “rare” just so players would
desire them.
Game: Fallout Shelter

29. “Special offer” with “limited time to purchase” makes the offer
seem unique. This is known as false scarcity.
Game: Hay Day

30. That what happens when false scarcity meets loss aversion.
Game: King of Thieves

31. Players that won that gun have only 1 hour and 39 minutes to use
it. A tactic made to enforce play.
Game: Shooty Skies

32. Triggering
Understand players’ motivation first,
then trigger them to a desired action.

33. Game: Best Fiends
Player’s motivation: more keys!
Developer’s motivation: Like on FB

34. Game: Best Fiends
Player’s motivation: more gems!!
Developer’s motivation: follow on
Instagram

35. Player’s motivation: more lock picks.
Developer’s motivation: Show ads.
Game: King of Thieves

36. Player’s motivation: to play more.
Developer’s motivation: Players to enable push notifications.
Game: King of Thieves

37. Bad triggering: Waze offering me to stop by Whole Foods when
they know I’m on my way to someplace else. (And I’m late!)
Game: Waze

38. Endowment Effect
We overvalue things just because we own them.
That’s why it’s so hard to leave a game we’ve invested in.

39. Every completed level makes it harder to leave the game.
Game: Candy Crush Saga

40. So much work went into building this farm,
it’s very hard to leave that behind.
Game: Hay Day

41. Hard earned collections seems too valuable to leave behind.
Game: Dungeon Boss

42. SO!
Think you got all of that?
How about a little..

43. QUIZ

44. Name the psychological tactics you
see in this screenshot.

45. Endowed Progress
Triggering
Triggering

46. And here?

47. Scarcity
Endowed Progress
Endowed Progress

48. And here?

49. Endowed Progress
Loss Aversion

50. Well Done!
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psychological tactics for
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