The economics of free: Freemium games, branding and the impatience economy

Evans, Elizabeth

Abstract

The gaming industry has seen dramatic change and expansion with the emergence of ‘casual’ games that promote shorter periods of game play. Free to download, but structured around micro-payments, these games raise the complex relationship between game design and commercial strategies. Although offering a free gameplay experience in line with open access philosophies, these games also create systems that offer control over the temporal dynamics of that experience to monetise player attention and inattention. This article will examine three ‘freemium’ games, Snoopy Street Fair, The Simpsons’ Tapped Out and Dragonvale, to explore how they combine established branding strategies with gameplay methods that monetise player impatience. In examining these games, this article will ultimately indicate the need for game studies to interrogate the intersection between commercial motivations and game design 2 and a broader need for media and cultural studies to consider the social, cultural, economic and political implications of impatience.

Citation

Evans, E. (2016). The economics of free: Freemium games, branding and the impatience economy. Convergence, 22(6), 563-580. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856514567052

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 2, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Feb 9, 2015
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Nov 26, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 26, 2015
• Journal: Convergence
• Print ISSN: 1354-8565
• Electronic ISSN: 1748-7382
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 563-580
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856514567052
• Keywords: Gaming, Mobile gaming, Attention economy, Branding, Digital culture
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/745249
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1354856514567052
• Additional Information: Copyright Sage 2015
• Contract Date: Nov 26, 2015