Issues with App Games

Mobile app games can be a lot of fun and are a great way to blow off some steam and relax, even if just for a few minutes at a time. However, there are some increasingly common traits/features I have been noticing that take away from the experience. Everyone should be aware of these so that they can attempt to avoid them and even advocate against them.

Way Too Many Ads

It seems like ads are becoming increasingly common, and that some games are beginning to have so many ads that they take away from the experience and prevent the game from being fun. To be clear, I am not entirely against ads. Rather, I just think there should only be a reasonable amount of ads that don't take away from the experience or make the game frustrating to play.

I mean, I understand needing to have some ads in order to generate needed revenue (after all, games aren't free to produce or maintain), but nothing is more frustrating than taking a quick five minute break from whatever you are doing in order to play a few rounds of a puzzle game only to have to spend two or more of your precious few minutes on ad after ad.

Ads That Make Themselves Difficult to Get Rid Of

Perhaps even more annoying than too many ads are ads that make themselves intentionally difficult to get rid of, such as ads (especially playable ads) that are hard to exit or ads that tell you to touch screen then load the App Store. Much like games with too many ads, this causes an unnecessary amount of frustration and serves to make players not want to continue playing the game (and make them less likely to get the product/game being advertised).

Games that Pretend you Play Online with Others

A particular pet peeve of mine is games that advertise that you play online with other humans, but in reality you are just playing against a computer. These games advertise online play, but, in actuality, it is clear from how the game plays that you are actually just playing against a computer - for instance, the usernames are always the same and you are always the best player. This is deceptive and can really make me dislike a game that I would otherwise enjoy. Developers should just be honest and tell players that they are playing against a computer, not humans. After all, it is super obvious that you are not actually playing against real people, and it just takes away from the experience. If the game is just honest about you playing against a computer, players can enjoy the game without feeling tricked and deceived.

Misleading Ads

On a similar and even more irritating note, dishonest ads are extremely frustrating. We have all downloaded a fun looking game from an ad, only to discover it plays nothing like it does in the ad, leading many of us to regret downloading it. This practice, which is done to attract players and their money, needs to be cracked down on as false advertising. In the meantime, we can all attempt to avoid the games by reading reviews before downloading games (especially ones that cost money) and calling on companies to cease the practice, as well as calling on app stores and regulators to combat it (especially when monetary transactions are involved).

Too Much Pay to Win

It seems like there has been a rise in pay to win games where in order to be successful or to earn fun rewards/skins/features/etc., you have to spend money, and sometimes lots of it. This is frustrating and takes away from the experience. Also, sometimes it can turn problematic, and even predatory, and can result in people spending money they cannot afford to spend.

Additionally, it seems like the "remove ads" option, if one even exists, is getting more expensive. Additionally, in some games, even if you do pay to remove ads, they still manage to work in ads (often disguised as a choice), such as needing to view them to collect/increase prizes/awards/money collected, to access certain features, or to perform special moves.

Conclusion

In conclusion, app games are a fun distraction, but they do have some annoying and problematic traits that need to be fixed. By removing these issues, or at least by being aware of them, mobile games can become more fun to play and enjoy.