According to the whitepaper released by WildTangent and IHS, 86% of gamers prefer free games with ads over paid games without ads. Not only do a vast majority of gamers prefer ads over premium, ad-less content, 66% “want more opportunities to earn reward through ads.” Many games allow players to watch 30 second clips in order to accrue the freemium currency that would cost money otherwise. Gamers aren’t just ok with it — they want more.
I think mobile gamers rather play free games which are ad supported because many of the ads on games are also advertising games, or services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, etc which they are interested in, and paying for stuff on mobile devices are kind of a hassle because you need to add a credit card, gift card voucher, Paypal account, or other payment method which is kind of difficult because of the touchscreen keyboard on a smartphone or tablet, and some mobile games are kind of expensive at $5 for the amount of levels, features, and gameplay you get.
In my opinion playing free games with ads is better. I don't go to the application store everyday so, the ads that show-up during a free games introduces me to new games available. Because there are thousands of game application available I wouldn't know about new games. Even looking at the trending list still doesn't show all the new games. I've even experienced paying for an gaming application that was better when it was free. The cost of games does play a factor as well, especially when a free version is not available. I don't want to pay for a game I might not like, so having a free version with ads allow me to play and see if I like it.
My wife is like this. She will sit on her phone and play games for hours with an ad in between every round. It doesn't cost her(or me) a cent and she is happy for hours.
For casual gaming I don't really mind the ads, especially if they're non-intrusive and the game is high quality. I like the free-to-play option too. Pay-to-Win is very frustrating, but games where you have the OPTION to buy for convenience is great. That way you have the same content in the game available for everyone without so much need for advertisements. But I understand why many games do have adverts. But now that google has their opinion surveys i've racked up about $10 in google play credit for free, so I use that to buy apps I really want/buy in game perks. If the game is extraordinarily good, I'll buy a paid version if one is available. The developer deserves it, and it's usually only a buck or two.
Though ads could be a bit annoying at times, it's still a lot better than paying in order to play a game. I don't have a lot of cash. What I have right now is just enough to pay my bills. I can't afford to add mobile games to my monthly expenses. So, I'd rather just view ads and play for free than to ditch the ads and pay in order to play a game.
Sure ad supported games a better than paying just to remove the ads! I even click one or twice on an ad to help the developer. If it gets too intrusive I block it on an ad-blocker. Of course if you would rather pay $3 and buy the ad free game then you are supporting the developer. But for those of us who can't afford it, an ad supported game is the way to go.
Honestly, I would rather just pay a reasonable price. Most of the games that are supported by ads are way too intrusive and since they get minimal clicks they intentionally make it popup in front of you from time to time or place it in a location you're likely to accidentally hit.
I won't lie I'm not really one to spend much on apps, but I know for sure that ad-supported games won't stay on my phone long and it's entirely possible I'll leave a negative review if they have some shady practices.
Yes, I would enjoy an ad-supported game. For a third-world gamer like me, a mobile game which costs like $5 does appear expensive when you can get a 2010-2012 game on retail or on a Steam sale for around the same price here. If the same $5 game would be released for free with a bit of advertising here and there, I would play that game. It is a win-win situation for both the gamer and the developer. Also, ad-supported games tend to earn more money in the long run and also have more users. However, if the advertising is too much that it starts spamming your notifications, annoying you or starts ruining your game experience, I will probably not play that game.
I don't mind ads myself, I don't have the money to keep paying for games so I'd rather just play them for free (especially mobile games). Even if I were to develop an app or a game and upload it on the play store I'd let it run for free with a few ads... I think eventually you'd make more money that way and if people really want they can pay for the ad-free version. This is what most developers do and I think it's the best way to go about it.
Personally, I'm a mobile gamer myself. I get all my games from the Google Play Store. My phone is an Android by the way. I think that the free games are much better because you obviously don't have to pay for them. Plus, games on the phone tend to get boring much more quickly than games on other platforms such as the PC. I personally would rather have ADs and not pay for the game. But the thing is, if you turn off your internet connection on your phone, you won't see the ADs! But viewing the ADs does help the creator of the game because they do get paid for having people view their ADs.
I completely agree with burtpovski! I never find myself sticking to one mobile game for a very long time before switching to another one. Although, I do partially disagree with people being interested in ads, and not minding them being there because of it. I never pay attention to ads, as they are not very distracting to me. The only time I have noticed an ad on a mobile app was on Simsimi, and that's only because a portion of the game's view could be unlocked by buying the full version of the app and therefore removing the ad.
If the ads aren't that annoying and don't hinder the game experience, why not? You have a free game and it only costs you a couple of seconds here and there. Better than getting a game and regretting the spent money after a while.
Not for me.. I cannot STAND ads. They annoy the crap out of me I don't want to know about the latest air freshener thanks. I'd rather buy then see ads and besides, most phone specific games suck..
I don't mind ads as long as they don't interfere with my gaming experience. I think "Don't Tap the White Tile" has a great way of managing their in game ads because in the new update they allow you to choose between having banner ads or entire page ads every few games, so I think more apps should follow their approach.
I have this opinion as well. I don't mind the ads as long as they are placed well, and if they aren't then chances are I wouldn't really like the game anyway, since I'd doubt it was well made enough if they didn't even think of how to more adequately place the ads into their structure/system. If the ads are too annoying then I'd more likely just delete the game since there are tons of others I can choose over it anyway.
