League of Legends generates most of its economy through the sale of in-game cosmetics. A trend that has become a major controversy for the developer, which has made some concessions and seems to be considering what less it can offer with its skins before anger the community. A basic tactic to increase income which is not the developer’s first. Even though Riot Games has always been a good example, the studio has used different tricks to trick us into spending a little more money on the game.
Riot plays with your mind so you buy more Riot Points
If you’ve ever purchased Riot Points or gotten your hands on them through promotions like Prime Gaming’s, you’re already familiar with the developer’s few manipulation techniques. The first is the one that all players know: the conversion of real money into a currency that only makes sense in the game and whose conversion rate is relatively complex so that we forget what we spend. The second, much more subtle, is very important for the company: it is practically impossible to run out of RP.
While this may seem like a minor detail, Riot Games has made it a point that League of Legends players never run out of Riot Points. Once we have purchased or received currency, we can never run out of it by following a rather absurd specific purchase chain that includes buying champions or skins on sale. It’s okay to have less than the amount needed to buy an item, but the obsession with not getting to zero is almost unhealthy.
More knowledgeable League of Legends players will think of a possible trick to clear our account. The player support team offers the community the opportunity to make a drawing or game-related content when we are a few dozen points short of buying a skin. However, even this service usually gives us some extra RP, so we always have some in our account and are not able to empty them. A technique that has even been turned into a meme by the community in the past.
Despite this situation, the truth is that, overall, there’s not much to complain about the League of Legends monetization system. Apart from some studio experiments, such as the ability to hide skins behind a paywall or with events, the only other strategy Riot Games uses is the custom store. However, this service is highly appreciated by the community because, despite taking advantage of our fear of missing out on bargains, it often offers discounted skins for our favorite champions.
Despite this situation, all players of League of Legends or any other video game with payment system must know that the developers always want to increase their profits. The purpose of a business is to make money and it never hurts to be aware of these little techniques used to try and get us to spend a little more. In cases like this, it’s not too bad, but knowing them is the only way to avoid falling into the trap.
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