Why I'm Doing It Now
3: Let's talk about the motivation
Hello again!
I know it's been a minute since I last posted... I'd like to say I have a really good reason for that. And actually, I do. This game development journey is primarily occurring when I have additional margin in my life, after the responsibilities of my family, my faith, and my full time job. With that said though, every now and then my margin is vacuumed up by one of the big name game dev studios who managed to hook me back into the fold after they released an expansion or seasonal hype teaser. They're really good at that.
Sometimes though, I get the itch to play a mobile game to have something available to play as mental downtime. Unfortunately, but also very cleverly, the mobile game studios are masters at designing games rife with carrots dangling from sticks. Every element of the early game is carefully crafted to draw you in a little more, and a little more. Over time they introduce mechanics that intentionally feel somewhat tedious and repetitive only to very courteously provide a shortcut that only costs $2.99. And if you fall for that little trap, you'll keep getting drawn deeper and deeper into the machine until they have you dropping $99 on this awesome exclusive hero, or that perfectly crafted armor with flashy textures...
Fortunately, I've never gone that deep into a game with MTX, but I've definitely heard first hand accounts of those who have. Of course, there have been more than a few I've dropped between $2 and $20 into before realizing my mistake and uninstalling the game. And every time I do, I get angry at the entire system and then I begin to dream a little about how I would do it differently.
I want to build a game that someone can enjoy in their downtime, but would feel zero FOMO from putting it down for days, weeks, or even months. Hopefully they enjoyed the experience enough to check back in from time-to-time to see what's changed.
So there's my motivation. Does that sound intriguing to you?