The Psychology Behind In-Game Purchases – Why You Keep Spending

Microtransactions and in-game purchases were once a niche feature in a handful of games. Even then, whenever we encountered them, we often dismissed them and got into the core of the game, where we could play for free. However, times have changed.

Today, in-game purchases aren’t driven by a small pop-up banner hoping we’ll make a purchase. They are targeted sales that play on specific psychological tactics to keep us coming back for more, even when we’ve promised ourselves that we won’t.

Understanding how games use psychology to influence our purchasing decisions is the first step to recognizing when we’re being impulsive due to clever psychological design. This allows us to move from reckless spending to carefully considered purchases.

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

One of the greatest psychological strategies employed by developers is the inherent Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) within each of us. This fear is weaponized in unique ways to ensure that we are driven to make impulse purchases as often as possible.

Limited-Time Offers and Promotions

Pressure to buy is most commonly presented through limited-time offers and promotions. Whether it’s a bundle of in-game items, a unique skin, or access to new game levels, adding a time limit on when the item is available until makes us feel pressure to buy in case we miss the window and lose the deal.

This fear of missing out is driven by these limited-time offers appearing unique or “one time only.” When we see this, we naturally want to make sure that we seize the opportunity that we may never get again—even though similar offers likely reappear regularly.

Season Exclusives and Passes

Aside from limited-time offers, seasonal exclusives and passes make us feel the need to get items before they are gone. Whether it is a full battle pass, rare skins released for game anniversaries, or items themed for holiday events, games make sure that we feel the pressure to buy before these items are gone forever.

Many games rely on these tactics, particularly season passes, to drive repeat business. By encouraging new purchases each season by offering new, exclusive in-game items, developers can easily manipulate us into purchasing new items, even if we haven’t really made use of the ones from last season.

Fake Currencies and Their Value

Most games won’t ask you for real money directly. Instead, they’ll encourage you to buy in-game currency and use that to purchase items. Whether it is Call of Duty (COD) points, gems, diamonds, or crystals, these items all achieve specific goals.

They Hide Costs

First and foremost, in-game currency hides costs. By pricing items using currencies that, in reality, are useless, games hide what you’re actually paying. This is done through cleverly distorting value by offering odd bundles, like 1,350 diamonds for $13.99, effectively masking what the actual cost of an item is.

Rather than thinking about spending $10 on a game skin you may only use for a short time, the game makes you see the purchase as “only” 1,000 diamonds. This helps convince you to make a purchase, as 1,000 diamonds for a unique skin seems not only reasonable but even cheap.

They Exploit the Concept of Breakage

Although currencies are offered in specific bundle amounts, items are often priced specifically to misalign with these bundles. Because of this, we are often left with extra coins, diamonds, or crystals after a purchase.

Psychologically, this encourages us to purchase more so that we can make full use of what we have rather than waste them by letting only a few coins or diamonds remain in our player account. However, even with additional purchases, we’re likely to still have some “breakage” where we are left with remaining currency.

They Encourage Additional Spending

Almost all in-game currencies make use of bundles and promotions. These feature large discounts for bulk purchases and encourage us to make bigger purchases or spend more than we planned because of the perceived value we receive. However, these promotions are carefully crafted.

By showing what a bundle is actually “worth” compared to the current price, these games manipulate us into thinking we’re getting additional value. The reality is that we’re simply parting with more money for something that we may or may not use.

Friction Reduction

One of the most significant barriers to making online purchases is when users encounter any form of friction. Whether that be needing to enter card details again or go through additional verification with their bank, friction results in fewer sales. This is something that developers are acutely aware of.

This is why many games employ payment systems entirely devoid of friction. As a point of comparison, looking at how Interac works at Canadian online casinos, card details, payment security, and all other requirements to transact online are stored in a player’s bank account. As such, when it comes time to pay, transactions for in-game purchases or deposits can be completed using Interac transfers in a matter of seconds with minimal effort.

This smooth, one-click purchasing plays on our desire for less friction and instant gratification. In turn, this makes transacting more appealing and allows us to buy first and question later, which accelerates impulse purchases and unnecessary buys.

Tips to Resist Psychological Tactics

These tactics employed by developers can be described as warfare against our human hesitation when spending money. By playing on our fears of missing out on something, ensuring we don’t see the real cost, and making it effortless to transact, the act of evaluating purchases fully is effectively bypassed as we hit “buy now” and continue playing.

As effective as these sales tactics are, steps can be taken to ensure we don’t fall into an endless trap of repeat purchasing.

Calculate Real-World Costs

The most important thing we can do is take the time to convert prices back into real currency. If we’re purchasing 1,300 diamonds for $15, it is best to take the time to calculate that the transaction equates to $0.01 per diamond. That way, if we’re spending 1,000 diamonds on a simple skin, we can calculate that we’re actually spending $11.50 on it. Understanding this may make you think twice about buying it.

Pause Before Purchasing

When finding limited-time offers or sales with time limits, it is best to pause before purchasing. Taking time to evaluate if we actually need the item will help us determine if we should fall for the urgency. It also allows us to realize that future promotions will likely occur and that the current one is not, in fact, an exclusive opportunity.

Disable One-Click Purchasing

One of the best things we can do is disable one-click purchases. The added friction experienced when making purchases can help us evaluate if we really need something. If not, we’ve saved money. If we do, we’re more likely to tolerate the friction and push through with the purchase regardless.