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"50% of Zynga’s revenue comes from 0.15% of users who use their products an enormous amount. Some of these people pay vast sums for access to ‘items’ in the gam
by mmacvicarprett 10y ago
"50% of Zynga’s revenue comes from 0.15% of users who use their products an enormous amount. Some of these people pay vast sums for access to ‘items’ in the game. It’s plausible that their lives are being made worse." Well lots of people pay vast of money in a lot of different hobbies, games are hobbies. At the same time millions of users played the game for free, even if its true that it may be negative for a part of those 0.15% it is a pretty good thing for the rest.
- EdgarVerona 10y agoI think part of their assertion is that even being able to play the game for free isn't necessarily a good thing. It's an interesting problem, one that I am still on the fence about myself. You see companies that are trying their best to make their games compulsive but not fulfilling. Or companies that aren't trying to do that but do so anyways. Games that consist entirely or nearly entirely of extrinsic motivators; at what point are we playing these games because we are genuinely entertained, and at what point has it become a compulsion leveraging our psychological vulnerabilities? At what point is something that we perceive to be enjoying actually harming us? And if there is a point at which that occurs, what can we do about it? I struggle with this question on both sides of the fence: as a consumer and as a producer. It is complex, and sometimes this very question keeps me up at night. The question is so much more complicated than "am I having fun," or even "do I perceive that I'm getting value out of this." Sadly, I don't have any answers. Just a lot of doubts.