Ethical tablet game, anyone?

The_Joker_2

I've tried to find a tablet game that doesn't feature in-game purchases, but it seems like a fruitless task. I guess this is how such games, like Star Trek Timelines and Disney Heroes, make their money, but does anyone know of an ethical, preferably free*, game that doesn't use these lures? Ideally one with real social interaction, so not Stardew Valley, for example.

*a small fee is acceptable, if all other requirements are satisfied.

ToxicWomble

Solitaire?

very little is actually free

The_Joker_2

So I surmised, I just assumed that some effort had been made to either protect people from spending too much, or provide safer alternatives. And it seems that's not the case.

Fixed Odd Betting Terminals have been made notorious by the drama, 'Broken', but despite plenty of evidence of how easy it is to spend what one can't afford on games online, the lack of discussion about this on any forum I've visited is jarring.

The_Joker_2

In the end, we went for an older game called 'Fallout Shelter'. It has microtransactions, and no interaction with other internet users, but that means there's no external pressure to 'keep up' by shelling out. We'll just have to be sociable in other ways.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kjwMTj8ZD0

jon81uk

Unfortuantly most developers have found that in-app ongoing purchases make them more money.
For example about 10 years ago Angry Birds was 79p or 99p one-off and was a great game. Now it has adverts, pop-ups, purchases for lives, purchases for power-ups and it is a confusing mess of a game.

For Apple there is also the option now of Apple Arcade, where for £4.99 a month everyone in the family can play a large range of games with no further costs.

A_Lert

You may find microtransaction.zone helpful. It's a website that catalogues what, if any, "microtransactions" are in a large range of games.
Unfortunately gaming on Android and iOS is currently dominated by 'freemium' microtransaction-heavy games, and the practice has spread to PC and consoles too.

Takmon

The_Joker_2 said:

I've tried to find a tablet game that doesn't feature in-game purchases, but it seems like a fruitless task. I guess this is how such games, like Star Trek Timelines and Disney Heroes, make their money, but does anyone know of an ethical, preferably free*, game that doesn't use these lures? Ideally one with real social interaction, so not Stardew Valley, for example.

*a small fee is acceptable, if all other requirements are satisfied.

So you expect a developer to spend time and money making a good game but if they try and make some money from their effort using in game purchases or anything more than selling it for a "small fee" they are being unethical?

I would say it's more unethical to expect people to work for free to make quality games that you can play.