Everyone likes getting things for free. However, when it comes to free mobile games, we all know that they aren’t actually free. They will eventually cost you so much time, money, and/or frustration that you’ll realize you should have opted out before even installing them.
This has led me to opt out of playing free mobile games. Ever. I’ve had enough of them. And here’s why…
1The Intrusive Ads That Ruin the Experience
The most obvious annoyance with free mobile games are the endless and often obtrusive ads. When you’re not paying for something, advertising revenue is the most obvious way to wring some money out of you. And to be fair, the same criticism can be leveled at websites.
However, the number and placement of ads present is what marks mobile games out as a bad example. The ads will get in the way of the game you’re trying to play and will fill your screen for 30 seconds at a time. And there’s very little you can do about their presence unless you’re willing to pay to make them go away.
2The Constant Begging to Pay for Things
Another obvious annoyance with free mobile games is the constant begging for you to pay for things. The developers knew you’d be getting the base experience for free, so their focus from that moment on is to tempt you into paying for something.
The ads will be made more annoying on purpose to frustrate you into paying to remove them, waiting times will be intentionally added to play on your impatience, and exclusive modes, items, or other elements will be locked behind a paywall. All designed to get you to pay for things.
3The Repetition of Daily Rewards or Achievements
Once they became a thing, loot boxes have started appearing everywhere—and free mobile games tend to have them in abundance. They’re used to keep you coming back for more, with the developers using your own brain chemistry against you. Often, loot boxes will also be linked to daily login rewards or tasks that players grind away at.
That cycle of “task = reward” keeps your brain topped up with dopamine, keeping you coming back for more, time and time again. Positive feedback loops are created, and before you’re even aware of it, you’re hooked and spending hours per day playing a pointless game.
4The Amount of Personal Data Collected
If you ignore this article, and choose to carry on playing free mobile games, then I urge you to look at the permissions you’re granting the next one you install on your phone. The list will likely be long, and include the collection of data you really shouldn’t ignore.
If you don’t believe me, look at the app listing page for a free game you play regularly, and find the details of what data is collected, and how it’s used. While not all free mobile games are guilty of overstepping the boundaries here, many are. And there’s no real justification for it.
5The Constant Feeling That I’m Being Scammed
Every time I have played a free mobile game, I have had to contend with a nagging feeling that I’m at risk of getting scammed. Not necessarily by illegal means, but just from the risk of clicking the wrong thing at the wrong time and then watching in horror as some money leaves my account.
If you accidentally pay for an in-app purchase, or discover that your child has purchased one on purpose but against your wishes, good luck getting a refund. While I’m sure most developers would reject this, I believe that menus are even laid out a certain way to trick you into clicking on things you didn’t mean to click on.
6The Hammering They Give My Phone’s Battery
All mobile games, whether free or paid-for, will drain your smartphone’s battery life quickly. So I always make sure to only get lost in a game when I’m not too far from a charging point. However, free games can drain your battery even quicker than paid games.
Unlike paid-for premum games, free mobile games will come packed with ads and analytics trackers. These can drain your battery at incredible speeds. So, the point of a mobile game is to be able to play it when you’re not at home, and yet the way they can drain your battery upends that.
7The Fact That Free Games Are Generally Rubbish
Last but not least on my list of reasons why I no longer play free mobile games is the fact that, in very general terms, they’re just not very good. So much of the development time is dedicated to manipulating players into returning daily or paying for microtransactions that it means the base game suffers.
If you don’t believe me, just compare a game developed from scratch to be released for free with one that the developer was always going to charge for. The differences can be huge, with the paid-for game offering better visuals, better gameplay, and a storyline that actually makes sense.
These are the reasons why I, personally, pay for mobile games rather than play them for free. I would rather pay a small amount of money for good mobile games that don’t try to frustrate me to the point of paying for an upgrade. There are a couple of exceptions, but they’re few and far between, and not really worth hunting for.
Take my advice and stick to paid games from developers who are open and honest about charging you upfront rather than tempting you to spend even more money later. Just be sure to read the reviews and become a little pickier about what mobile games you choose to play.
