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

Evans, Elizabeth (2015) The economics of free: freemium games, branding and the impatience economy. Convergence, 22 (6). pp. 563-580. ISSN 1748-7382

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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.

Item Type: Article
RIS ID: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/745249
Additional Information: Copyright Sage 2015
Keywords: Gaming, Mobile gaming, Attention economy, Branding, Digital culture
Schools/Departments: University of Nottingham, UK > Faculty of Arts > School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies > Department of Culture, Film and Media
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1177/135485651456705
Depositing User: Evans, Elizabeth
Date Deposited: 26 Nov 2015 11:41
Last Modified: 04 May 2020 17:02
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/30922

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