Roskachestvo's Center of Digital Expertise is launching a large-scale study of mobile match-3 games to identify the manipulation mechanisms that encourage users to spend unplanned and over-engage. Representatives of the organization told RIA Novosti about this.
The sample includes 14 games selected by the number of installations, including international hits Candy Crush Saga, Homescapes and Royal Match, as well as projects from Russian developers – “Planet of Samotsvetov” and “Mir Domovyat”.
Testing will be carried out using Roskachestvo's own method. Experts will assess whether developers are using tools that increase level difficulty, limit progress, or artificially encourage purchases, including through intrusive incentives for paid in-game rewards.
As the organization's analysts note, a key feature of the match-3 genre is the frequent selling of extra moves when there is a minimum deficit (usually 1-2 moves) to complete a level – a scenario that increases the likelihood of spontaneous payouts.
The head of Roskachestvo's Center of Digital Expertise, Sergei Kuzmenko, emphasized that, unlike role-playing and story-based games, projects of the “three in a row” genre are often perceived by users as time killers, which reduces the criticality of the game economy and increases the vulnerability of the audience. The situation is exacerbated by simplified payment models – especially one-click purchases and debits through mobile service provider accounts.
The publication of the results of the new research and evaluation method is expected at the end of November.
Previously, it was reported that one of the best games of the year was temporarily free.
