开发商谈游戏盈利设计的典型套路及对消费者的建议

原作者：Kevin Daum 译者：Vivian Xue

几乎所有人都知道电子游戏会使人上瘾。可想而知游戏公司正是通过让玩家沉迷来赚钱。但少有人能走进这个行业的内部一探究竟，了解游戏设计者是如何通过研究玩家行为的各个方面来榨取他们口袋里的钱。

而现在你将有机会了解这一点。

约翰·韦尔奇（John Welch）是在线游戏行业内的一名先驱，也是数字娱乐分销的领军人物之一。他是Making Fun, Inc.，一家成立于2009年集研发与发行一体的游戏公司的总裁兼CEO。在此之前，他同人合作创立了PlayFirst并担任CEO，这家游戏公司的成名作《美女餐厅》（Diner Dash）拥有上百万的玩家。

韦尔奇作为一名活跃的YPO（青年总裁组织）成员，坚信游戏行业应对社会负责。尽管他认为游戏公司以营利为目的无可厚非，但他相信他们可以以一种透明、道德的方式向大众提供盈利性的娱乐产品。

Candy Crush Saga(from deconstructoroffun)

韦尔奇认为玩家们对自己购买的物品要有清醒的认识并且进行明智的消费，确保他们所花的钱为自己带来最佳的娱乐体验。消费者需要衡量产品的娱乐性和其价格，并且谨慎规避商家设下的消费陷阱。如今行业内玩家只要有需求，商家立马就能为他们呈上，因此消费者在通过智能手机付款之前，格外需要了解一些商家的“套路”。韦尔奇从一个业内人士的角度为我们介绍一些典型的游戏设计套路，并且给出提醒和规避方式。

“免费”并不是真的不要钱

韦尔奇解释道，游戏里一般有“软”货币和“硬”货币。软货币可以通过玩游戏获得，而硬货币需要用现金购买。哪一种更好呢？没有那么简单。一些游戏里只有软货币并且获取它们需要很长时间，这会让玩家感觉很失落。韦尔奇认为只要你在游戏里玩的开心，并且游戏对于你付出的时间和金钱给予了合理的回报，那么它就是公正的。你可以思考一下这点。

注意：如果你因为游戏表现不佳受气而往里面大把撒钱，那么你可能被这游戏耍了。

2. 有时游戏真的是“免费”的

一些桌面卡牌和桌游的爱好者会经常发现，这些游戏的电子版比实体版要划算的多。家长们，这些是您希望孩子们玩的游戏，并且他们一起玩时会很开心！这些所谓的“选择性游戏”包含了深度的策略元素，是市面上例外的真正免费的游戏。

举个例子，获奖游戏《皇舆争霸》（Dominon）的基础售价是45美金，而要买齐9套扩展卡牌需要300美金以上。但是它的在线版本的基础卡牌是免费的，你可以一个人玩或交新朋友一起玩，即使你想买齐所有的卡牌，也只需要85美金，同时如果和你打比赛的人购买了这些卡牌，你也可以免费使用它们。

注意：像《皇舆争霸》这种所有人持有的牌都相同的“套牌游戏”和大热的卡牌收集游戏有很大的区别，在后者中买卡组可能挺烧钱的，当然一些人很喜欢这种模式——《众神之战》（ BloodRealm）和《炉石传说》都属于这种。这些都是很棒的游戏，只不过你要注意它们的花费要比《皇舆争霸》这种费用固定的游戏要高的多。

3. 令你“沦陷”的初次购买促销

一些游戏会为首次消费用户提供一些看上去划算的令人难以置信的特殊物品和礼包。那是因为在这个免费的世界里，一个哪怕只消费了0.99美元的玩家也是极为有价值的。开发者希望你感觉自己很强大、感觉很兴奋，这样你就更有可能继续玩游戏。

韦尔奇以3D地牢潜行游戏《魔法与爪牙》（ 游戏邦注Mage and Minions）为例，指出了玩家如何能获得最大的价值：“我们的这款动作RPG手游类似于《黑暗破坏神 2》，最出色的PC游戏之一。你可以免费玩它，但你真应该花0.99美元买Stormblade。它花费了你一美元，但它是游戏里性价比最高的武器。”关键是了解你所购买的东西。Stormblade之所以是很划算的武器是因为它能升级你的角色，并且在游戏全程中都能发挥作用。

注意：在一些游戏中，一款刚开始很强大的物品可能在你升级过后变得毫无用处。一些游戏公司经常以这种物品为诱饵引你上钩然后希望你不停地升级。

4. 开发者可以控制你的速度

许多游戏通过“体力”机制来避免内容消耗过快。游戏本身是免费的，但是玩游戏需要体力，体力恢复有两种选择，免费恢复过程很慢，立即恢复需要你掏钱。这种简单而公平的设计既能让玩家免费玩游戏，又能让想继续玩的玩家自愿付费。这种设计可以是道德的，韦尔奇解释道，“让玩家寻找最划算的方式。等待、购买体力包或者观看广告，我们最近在游戏Hidden Express中加入了这种机制。”

注意：选择最划算的方式。简单地购买恢复体力并不划算。优秀的F2P游戏会为玩家提供多种选择，其中一些相比之下会更经济。

5. 计时制控制着你的节奏

在现实世界建造一座城堡需要几年，而在游戏中只需毫秒。但在游戏中，这个过程常常会被人为地延缓，常用的方式便是设置“时间槽”（sink）。你可以通过支付软货币或硬货币来加速完成某事项并使用产出。这种加速机制，或被称作“加班工人”（workers）是韦尔奇最喜爱的设计，它为游戏增加了合理的付款选择。如果人们需要，他们可以通过一次性付费来加速整个游戏。而那些不愿花钱的人可以通过更频繁地上线操作来进行游戏，不过效率相对低一些。

注意：了解这些加速道具的实用性——它们真的能持续地在游戏中发挥作用吗，还是会被废弃掉？韦尔奇提醒，在你购买加速道具之前，先确认是否存在其他能让你一次完成两件事的更加经济的加速道具——再决定让额外的 “工人”在你睡觉时为你加班加点地造城堡。

6. 购买组合包来避免过度消费

正如商场货架上物品的摆放一般，游戏消费界面的设计也是有讲究的——并不是每次购买界面出现时，上面都会呈现所有的选择。那些最容易买到的物品对消费者来说往往不是最划算的。设计它们的目的通常是获取最大的利益，而不是为消费者提供更经济的选择。

注意：在你需要时购买单个增强道具或几枚货币比购买组合包要贵的多。如同在现实生活中一样，提前做购买计划可以为你省下不少钱。

7. 一些游戏是值得你为它们消费的

你也许会好奇为什么免费游戏也常常要氪金。这些游戏之所以免费，是因为开发者们希望让更多人接触它、喜欢上它，从而产生扩展包和新版本的需求。开发高质量的游戏需要大量人力和时间。游戏设计师、美术和程序员都是要吃饭的，如果没人为游戏付款，他们是无法维持生计的。

韦尔奇解释道并不是所有的免费游戏甚至是低成本游戏的娱乐价值都是相等的。比如，在游戏《圣诞老人村》（Santa’s Village ）中，你可以花15美金购买所有的付费道具。你可以花更多的钱来加速，但你也不一定要这么做。在大部分游戏中，想要得到所有的道具需要的资金远远大于15美金，因此韦尔奇认为这款游戏和别的比起来很值。

注意：韦尔奇建议，鉴于游戏之间差异性很大，你需要评估你所投入的时间和资金的潜在价值。在准备投入资金和时间前，通过关注游戏提供的购买选项来判断它的氪金力度以及你对此的感受。如果你特别珍惜时间，花点钱有时能为你带来更好的体验。睁大双眼，别被坑钱了。

本文由游戏邦编译，转载请注明来源，或咨询微信zhengjintiao

Most everyone knows video games are addictive. It’s certainly understood that the companies want to make money off your habits. But rarely do you get an inside look at the mechanics of the industry and how game designers work to exploit every aspect of your behavior to extract money from your pocket.

Until now.

John Welch is a veteran leader of the online games industry and one of the early pioneers of digital entertainment distribution. He is the president and CEO of Making Fun, Inc., a game developer and publisher he founded in 2009. Prior to forming Making Fun, John was co-founder and CEO of PlayFirst, famous for the best-selling “Diner Dash,” played by hundreds of millions of people.

Welch, an active member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), is a big believer in applying a socially responsible approach to gaming. While he doesn’t vilify profit-oriented gaming companies, he does believe they can provide profitable entertainment in a transparent and ethical manner.

Welch believes gamers should be aware of what they are buying and make knowledgeable choices to make sure they get the best entertainment for their buck. Consumers need to weigh entertainment versus cost and be wary of tricks designed to take money out of habit. Now that the industry is focused more towards on-demand entertainment, it’s even more important for consumers to know these tricks before they start sending dollars through their smart phone. Welch gives an insider look at typical game techniques with some warnings and remedies.

1. Often “free” isn’t really free.

Welch explains that games often have “soft” and “hard” currencies. Soft currency can be earned by playing, while hard currency requires cash payment. Which is better? It’s not that easy. Some games with only soft currencies dole it out so slowly that it’s frustrating to play without buying in. Welch believes that practice is fair – as long as you are really having fun, and if the game is reasonably generous in what you get for your investment of time and money, which you can assess with a little thought.

Beware: If you are pumping money into a game out of frustration with the game’s performance, chances are the game is playing you.

2. Sometimes “free” really is free.

Fans of tabletop card and board games can often find great deals in their electronic counterparts. Parents, these are the games you want your kids to play, and they are fun to play together! These so-called “choice games” present deeper strategies and tend to be the exception in a marketplace where games look free but are not.

For example, the award-winning game Dominion costs $45 for the retail box and purchasing all nine expansions costs over $300. But in Dominion Online, the $45 base set is free. In the online version, you can play alone or make new friends. Even though buying all of the card sets would cost $85, you can still play with any or all of the cards available for free by entering a match with someone who has already purchased the cards.

Beware: There’s a big difference between a “deck building” game like Dominion, where everyone plays with the same cards, and the increasingly popular collectible card games, where buying packs to collect can get quite expensive. Some people love that model–The game BloodRealm uses it, as does Blizzard’s popular Hearthstone. Those are great games; just realize the costs can be much higher than in a more flat-fee situation like Dominion offers.

3. New-buyer promotions can suck you in.

Games often offer a special item or bundle to new buyers that seems almost too good to be true. That’s because in the world of free, a person spending even just $.99 is extremely valuable. The developer wants you to feel powerful and excited so you are more likely to keep playing.

Welch points to 3D dungeon-crawler Mage and Minions as an example of how you can get great value: “We created a mobile action role-playing game reminiscent of Diablo II, one of the most amazing PC games ever. You can play for free, but you really should spend $.99 to buy Stormblade. It costs a dollar, but it is the best value in the game.” The key is to understand what you are buying. What makes Stormblade a great deal is that it levels up with your character, remaining relevant throughout the game.

Beware: In some games, an item that seems very powerful at first glance might become obsolete within a day or two as you progress in the game. Some companies may bait and switch expecting that once you start, you can’t stop upgrading.

4. Developers may manage your speed.

Many games use an “energy” mechanism to keep players from playing too quickly. Playing is free, but it costs energy, which recharges for free slowly over time–or instantly with a purchase. This is a simple and fair way to keep the game free while also allowing people to pay to play more if they wish. This can be done ethically, Welch explains: “Look for your best deal. That could be waiting, paying for a big value-pack of stored energy, or watching an ad in exchange for more gameplay, which we recently started offering in Hidden Express.”

Beware: Look for the best bargain. Simply paying for an energy refill is probably not a great deal. The better free-to-play games offer players many choices, and some are more economical than others.

5. Timers control your pace.

It takes years to build a real castle but just a microsecond in a video game. Adding an artificial delay is a common currency “sink.” You can pay soft or hard currency to instantly complete something and start using its benefits. Speed enhancements, known as “workers,” are Welch’s favorite way to add reasonable payment options to a game. People can pay a one-time price to progress faster for the entire game if they desire. People who don’t can still play and compete on a relatively level playing field just by playing more frequently.

Beware: Understand the utility of the “worker”–will it truly last for the entire game, or will it become obsolete? Welch cautions, “Before paying for a speed-up, check first to see if it might be more economical to buy another ‘worker’ that lets you do two things at once–then let the extra worker build that castle while you sleep (you should sleep).”

6. Look for a bundle to avoid over-purchasing.

Space is at a premium on the interface for a game, just like on the shelves of a store–not every option can be on display every time a purchase is relevant. The quickest purchase isn’t always the best deal for the consumer. It’s often designed to extract the most profit versus more economical options available.

Beware: Buying one unit of a power-up or a few pieces of currency right when you need it might cost you a lot more than a considered volume purchase. Just like in life, a little advanced planning can save you money.

7. Some games are worth paying for.

You may wonder why you are often asked to pay for free games. These games are free because the developers are hoping that enough people will play it and like it so there will be demand for add-ons or future versions. High-quality games take teams of people years to launch. The designers, artists, and programmers need to eat, and they don’t make a living if nobody is paying.

Welch explains that not all free games or even low-cost games are equal in entertainment value. For example, in Santa’s Village you can buy every premium item in the game for $15. You can spend more to speed things up, but it isn’t necessary. Most games require a lot more than $15 to get everything, so Welch sees this game as a great value compared to others.

Beware: Welch advises, “Evaluate the underlying value for your time and money spent, since there is a vast difference from game to game. By paying attention to the payment options presented, you can determine where a game falls on the scale of generous to greedy and decide how you feel about that before you invest too much time or money. Depending on how you value your time, it can be worth it to pay for a better experience. Just go in with your eyes open so you don’t get ripped off.”（source：Inc.com）