How mobile games are designed to SCAM you.

A few updates after having seen the response to this video: 1. From the feedback I've gotten, Pokemon Unite is one of the less malicious Free-to-Play games in this genre. I still stand by the fact that it employs manipulative strategies to earn more from players, but in hindsight there were a few things I could have done to save me spending quite as much as I did. That said, I don't want this to take away from the key message of the video, which still stands and is still incredibly important. 2. Most of the shots in the video and screen recordings were sourced by my editor on my editors account, and so are more to demonstrate the points being made, as opposed to being representative of my own gameplay. 3. I've been informed that it is currently possible to upgrade an item to level 30 without paying real money in Pokemon Unite - this hasn't always been the case and isn't made clear to the player - it seems to be a limited time thing - but nonetheless an oversight on my part! 4. I am completely happy to admit that I am far from the best Pokemon Unite player. That said, while it is true that people with more skill can certainly get away with paying less, for the vast majority of the player base, paying is still the key legitimate way to make progress.

You would NEVER expect a channel this big to go this HARD and effectively side with the consumer on such a personal level. You are very genuine. Thank you for what you do!

Whoa as a kid I honestly thought those energy bar things that run out when you play, is to make sure no kid can spend too much time on the game and go outside to socialize 💀

Normally when a game bombards me/spams me with in app purchases, I just uninstall the game.

It's not just mobile games - so many apps have embraced this business model. From dating apps to language learning apps - it's the same techniques over and over again. They don't set out to deliver what the app promises - be that teaching you Japanese to finding a partner - they just want you to pay.

As a Pokemon Unite player I agree that the monetization is some of the worst things about the game, but the game is not pay to win, it's pray to win. As in pray that the trolls, afk and clueless players are on the enemy team instead of your team XD

I already knew this, but when I was a child I was playing a game on my fathers mobile, I saw all the offers in the shop and all the great rewards, and i realized that my dad probably has money on his phone, so I bought 2 of the offers. When my dad came back home, he wasn't mad, instead he taught me about what this video is teaching. I've never spent money on any in-game purchases since.

This makes a whole lot of sense. Although for Pokémon Unite I was able to climb to the highest rank in the game within just a month of playing. I'm not entirely sure if it was just luck or the bad matchmaking in the game that helped me but I never felt the urge to make any purchases in this game.

Remember that crawling machine that we always wanted to get a plushie and then we realize it's always been rigged

I miss when you could just buy a game, enjoy a good story, and that was it

This is why I’ve gone back to play ‘retro’ games and avoid online gaming as much as I can. If I want to play games on my phone, I use emulators and just play classic games I loved growing up.

There’s a mobile game I play, where there always seems to be some kind of special offer. There’s a banner that says 16 HOURS LEFT! , the next day it says something like 18 HOURS LEFT!

Man, this is an awesomely detailed explanation of how FTP mobile games work. Alot of what you say clicked heavily with me when I've fallen pray of these practices. Great vid, thank you.

This moment, when you don't play the game, but the game plays you.

I played Unite on my Switch when it was first released. I never spend any real money, I ground out everything and leveled up everything. There is an amount of strategy involved in knowing each Pokémon's skills and abilities. Like I said, I never spent a single cent on the game, and I would still destroy people who clearly spent money on Pokémon and extra tidbits. This was of course when the game came out, so I don't know how much it has changed since then.

that is why i only play chess

Someone tell this man about gacha games

I've played Pokemon Unite for a long time and used to win most of my matches. Never felt the need for buying anything, even when my items weren't fulled out, it wasn't that hard to win.

As someone who foolishly spent money in genshin impact, I felt this on a spiritual level.

bro just removed his chance of any game companies wanting him to sponsor their game