Getting players to purchase with UX optimization

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Getting players to purchase with UX optimization

January 17, 2025•5 min

Monetization is the lifeblood of the gaming industry. Whether blockbuster AAA titles or indie gems, all games rely on monetization to sustain their development, support their teams, and ensure continuous revenue flow. A well-designed monetization strategy keeps the business afloat and enables the creation of better content and experiences for players. In today's competitive market, understanding how to design effective monetization systems is essential for any game developer. In this blog series, we'll look at what propels video game players to buy things—both in-game and online. There are six main reasons: time-saving, efficiency-boosting, user experience optimization, vanity, social pressure, and additional content. In this article, we'll focus on players who want to improve their player experience and learn how user experience optimization can guide them to buy more things in your game or from the web shop. UX optimization is always about solving a particular inconvenience. Often, developers deliberately create these inconveniences with the specific goal of motivating players to bypass them. Understanding how to introduce a limitation that doesn't discourage the user from continuing to play while providing enough motivation to make a purchase is critical for this type of motivation.

Gaming's visit to purchase cycle

It's important to note that monetization opportunities should not, inherently, block gamers from playing the game or stop them from enjoying the gameplay itself. Rather, they must be introduced as motivation to overcome the limitations that create discomfort - such as a limited number of slots for characters or limited inventory size. The chain of events leading from "I need this thing!" to "I'm buying this thing" looks like this:

Game mechanics create a challenge that motivates the player to overcome it.
This motivation leads to a solution, which might involve acquiring a new item or skill.
The player feels satisfied once the challenge is conquered and may look for new challenges.

To keep players engaged and encourage in-game purchases, developers must create mechanics that inspire players to make their gameplay BETTER or FASTER. If these mechanics can make players feel like there's always something new to learn or achieve that improves or accelerates their game, the cycle is likely to be completed. Let's break the cycle down. Game mechanics and obstacles The key mechanic here is the deliberate creation of obstacles that slow down or interrupt the player's gameplay. These obstacles are most often implemented through interface elements or game mechanics and serve to balance the game. For example, players may encounter:

Limited inventory slots for characters or items – as seen in World of Tanks and Hay Day.

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Interstitial ads that interrupt gameplay – a hallmark of all hyper-casual games.
Time restrictions on automated mechanics – such as 2 hours of resource accumulation in idle mode in AFK Arena or limited warehouse capacity in Hustle Castle.

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Motivation and overcoming the obstacle The game offers players a choice: stick to the standard gameplay or opt for a power-up that can make their experience more efficient. The motivation here is rooted in the discomfort caused by the developer-imposed limitations.

The desire for more space – for example, adding slots for tanks in the garage or expanding inventory capacity to simplify resource management.
The desire to save time by skipping ads – either after completing each level or to increase the amount of resources gained.
Classic FOMO intertwined with efficiency – such as extending idle time to 8 or 24 hours and automating resource collection so they seamlessly transfer from storage to inventory.

This type of motivation enriches the player's experience and contributes to long-term engagement rather than providing instant gratification. Other specific limitations exist at the intersection of UX and efficiency-boosting motivations. Some games allow players to perform specific actions only a few times per day. For instance, restoring a character's health might be limited to just two times a day. However, players can remove or expand these limitations by purchasing a VIP account or accumulating VIP points. This type of mechanic taps into multiple motivations simultaneously, enhancing engagement and providing added value to the player's experience. Purchase To overcome these limitations, the player makes a purchase. These purchases can take the form of various offers, either time-limited or providing unlimited benefits:

In Mob Control, any purchase turns off mandatory ads as part of the gameplay experience.
Buying VIP accounts or passes not only grants daily bonuses but also removes restrictions from certain game mechanics.

Purchases can enhance and speed up a player's experience by providing valuable benefits. However, these boosts usually last for a limited time. After the timed benefit expires, players need to make another purchase to keep enjoying those boosts. This encourages players to continue investing in the game.

How to use this motivation in the Web Shop

The motivation behind UX optimization doesn't directly apply to a web shop because purchase triggers are explicitly tied to gameplay and interface. However, the web shop is another platform for selling in-game offers that remove gameplay restrictions. The key rule is to provide players with added value for making purchases on the web – they are taking extra steps for this purchase, which should be rewarded. In the case of in-game limitations, the added value could be a bonus. For instance:

20% more tokens to disable ads when purchasing through the web shop.

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Extended VIP pass duration – 1.5 months instead of 1 month compared to an in-game purchase.

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No one knows better than you what kind of bonus will be most desirable for your players. However, Xsolla Web Shop provides ready-made tools to seamlessly implement any motivational mechanic on the web.

Conclusion

Players want to get the most out of their gaming experience. Offering them ways to level up faster, unlock exclusive content, or gain special perks can be a big draw. This is where features like in-game currency packs, VIP passes, and season passes come in handy. Providing enticing benefits encourages players to invest in your game and keep coming back for more. Combining this with rewards programs offering additional incentives creates a positive feedback loop that changes player behavior and drives engagement and revenue.