Why are freemium mobile games so popular?

If you buy a game outright it has a beginning and an end. For example I f you buy the room and after you solve all the puzzles the game is over. You just spent a few dollars on a short game.

With freemium it's a never ending game. You keep coming back because there's new content. I've been playing the Simpsons tapped out since the relaunch and I keep coming back because almost every week there are new contents. It keeps the game fresh.

The beauty of freemium is that you don't really feel like you're wasting money. What's a few dollars a week or a month. It's chump change especially if you have a lot of extra income. it's like buying Starbucks coffee. You buy 1 a day because you can afford it but you don't notice how much you've spent through the years.

One of the most prominent trends in mobile gaming is the move to freemium. Spotted as early as 2011, the move to freemium has come to dominate both the iOS and Android App Stores. With the legendary Angry Birds simultaneously sitting in the Top 5 Free Apps and #52 in the Grossing ranks, it’s clear that freemium games are not only more popular, but they’re making significantly more money.

Well if you haven't already, check out the South Park episode called "Freemium Isn't Free," they beat down the topic pretty well. It's from the most recent season which I believe is the 18th.

So check it out, cause I'm pretty sure that you'll love it hahaha

Peace

You know, I was actually reading a couple of a articles on that not too long ago, interesting stuff. I like how they compare them to Nigerian scams. I find the entire "freemium" business model sickening, especially now that console developers (looking at you Ubisoft) are starting to say "Well, why can't we do that too?"

http://kotaku.com/15-year-old-kid-spends-37-000-eu...

http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/5-ways-free-app...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BTGgCEFuQw