Free-to-Play or Pay-to-Win? Casual, Hardcore, and Hearthstone

Abstract

“Casual” and “hardcore” are commonly used descriptive terms for games and gamers. While critics have discussed these terms with regards to game design and culture, “free-to-play” games like Blizzard’s Hearthstone add a monetary dimension to such considerations. Players can play such games for free, but success at them often entails purchasing in-game content. These games are sometimes instead derisively referred to as “pay-to-win:” players who spend money win more often. Free-to-play games suggest that casual and hardcore depend on how much money a player spends on the game, in addition to measures like time investment or play practices. I argue that free-to-play games encourage casual players to become more hardcore by spending more money on them in addition to improving their skills at the game, using Hearthstone as a case study to examine the implications of the free-to-play pricing structure on both game design and game players.

Examining Consumer Motivations for Play-to-Earn Gaming: Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process Analysis

“…These games employ blockchain technology to foster a secure and transparent environment where players can buy, sell, and trade their in-game assets akin to real-world market transactions. The gaming industry has evolved from "play-to-win" games, which necessitate skill enhancement to defeat opponents, to the "pay-to-win" model, and now to the "play-to-earn" games that facilitate earning money [1,2]. Existing video games provide opportunities for players to make money by selling in-game items, but these differ from PTE games due to the utilization of NFTs.…”

Spending Money in Free-to-Play Games: Sociodemographic Characteristics, Motives, Impulsivity and Internet Gaming Disorder Specificities

“…Yet, academics and mental health workers have expressed concern about the detrimental effects of the incorporation of microtransactions in modern video games. These ‘predatory monetization schemes’ [ 13 ] not only create potential financial damages [ 14 ], but also increase the risk of developing Internet gaming disorder (IGD) [ 15 , 16 ] since F2P games encourage casual players to become more hardcore gamers [ 17 ]. Dreier et al [ 18 ] found that 5.2% of their sample of F2P gamers met criteria for IGD.…”