The idea of 'free to play' games is one that upsets a lot of 'real' gamers. What's the problem with 'free to play'? Well the issue is that the title is somewhat misleading, sure the games are 'free to play', but in order to get the most from them you will be prompted to pay up a large amount, repeatedly.
Take 'Candy Crush Saga' for instance. This is a game like 'Bejeweled' that challenges you to line up lots of colored candies on the screen by switching their positions, and it also just so happens to be incredibly addictive (I'm talking withdrawal symptoms here). The game would be great (annoying music aside), except for the payment model which gives you a limited number of lives until you have to either wait to get more or pay up. The shocking part here is that a handful of lives will cost you around a dollar, which is the amount you would normally pay to own a game like this with as many lives as you wanted. It's essentially like an arcade game, except without the fun experience of being at the arcade and it makes you feel cheated when you play.
That doesn't stop thousands of people from playing Candy Crush however, but it does mean that it's very much worth protecting yourself against the potential for losing lots of cash - particularly if you have kids. Read on to make sure you don't get caught out.
The first time that you pay for extra lives in a 'free to play' game, it will ask you if you want to go ahead and connect to the Play Store. This is when you hit cancel like a mad person - if it's connecting to the Play Store, then it's going to charge you.
If you do want to buy some extra lives or a hat for your character as a one off, then make sure you tick the box and ensure it asks you every time. Otherwise it can charge you sneakily and you can end up spending more than you intend.
Author Bio:
Today’s featured writer, Jason Haddad, is a tester at wellresearchedreviews.com. He is a tech enthusiast and enjoys reading tech magazines in his spare time.
Take 'Candy Crush Saga' for instance. This is a game like 'Bejeweled' that challenges you to line up lots of colored candies on the screen by switching their positions, and it also just so happens to be incredibly addictive (I'm talking withdrawal symptoms here). The game would be great (annoying music aside), except for the payment model which gives you a limited number of lives until you have to either wait to get more or pay up. The shocking part here is that a handful of lives will cost you around a dollar, which is the amount you would normally pay to own a game like this with as many lives as you wanted. It's essentially like an arcade game, except without the fun experience of being at the arcade and it makes you feel cheated when you play.
That doesn't stop thousands of people from playing Candy Crush however, but it does mean that it's very much worth protecting yourself against the potential for losing lots of cash - particularly if you have kids. Read on to make sure you don't get caught out.
Recognize When It's Happening
The first time that you pay for extra lives in a 'free to play' game, it will ask you if you want to go ahead and connect to the Play Store. This is when you hit cancel like a mad person - if it's connecting to the Play Store, then it's going to charge you.If you do want to buy some extra lives or a hat for your character as a one off, then make sure you tick the box and ensure it asks you every time. Otherwise it can charge you sneakily and you can end up spending more than you intend.
Be Careful Around Kids
You also need to be very careful around young children who might get carried away and end up spending more money than they intended to. Fortunately you can turn off in-app purchases altogether, and this is always worth doing before you hand your phone over to a young kid unless you want to end up on the news with a court case against Google. You should also ensure that you need to enter your password on Google to make purchases of any nature.
Avoid Dodgy Software
Some apps will attempt to abuse the in-app purchases system and use this to trick users out of their cash. Spammy apps are a big problem on the Google Play Store and can also end up covering your notification tray with obtrusive ads - so if something looks poorly made with a badly spelled promo or low res icons, consider looking elsewhere. Often you're better off paying $1 up front and getting a quality product that's yours to keep as a result…Author Bio:
Today’s featured writer, Jason Haddad, is a tester at wellresearchedreviews.com. He is a tech enthusiast and enjoys reading tech magazines in his spare time.
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