The Hidden Costs of Free-To-Play Games

Free-to-play games are becoming increasingly popular with developers for a number of reasons. When no payment required to download and play a game, impulse downloads are much more likely, and the problem of piracy is minimized.

Once people have begun to play the game, the developer then has various opportunities for revenue generation.

How Do these Games Make Money?

There are three main ways you give a game developer money when playing games designed on this model:
  • Advertisements are displayed when you start up the game or during gameplay, and the developer gets a payment from the advertising company.
  • You pay real-world money for in-game credits or items, such as fire-trucks or street sweepers in a demolition derby game.
  • You pay an additional fee to unlock extra content or new levels.
How the Costs Add Up

Free-to-play seems like a great deal for the consumer, and in many ways it is.
You can try a game out without the worry of quickly realizing you wasted your hard-earned money. Indeed, you can simply choose to play for free indefinitely! However, the costs of free-to-play games can soon add up.

Part of this cost comes from a basic psychological trick. If you saw that a game for your phone was going to cost $10, you might simply decide it wouldn’t be worth it and instead buy a $5 game or no game at all. However, parting with just $1 for an extra level or the ability to advance a character more quickly is much more palatable. If you do so twice a week over the course of a few months, you could end up paying twice as much overall and never even realize it!

Another problem is a direct result of innate human competitiveness and impatience. With games where you are playing with or competing against other players, you can often find yourself in need of some particular gear or extra abilities to remain competitive. While many games will let you earn those things in-game, if the option of paying to get ahead is there, many of us will take it, especially if we know others are doing so. This leads to a cycle of increased spending on the part of all players as they attempt to keep up with the Jones’.
That’s not to say free-to-play is an unethical or immoral business model. There is always the option of just enjoying the game that is accessible for free, and the developers surely should get some compensation for their work. However, when you are looking for a game, you should remind yourself that ‘free’-to-play games can end up costing you. Your best bet is to keep track of your spending and use that info to make the right buying decisions in the future.


This guest post contributed by Michelle, a technology enthusiast, with special interest in everything from social media to street sweepers.

Raiden - PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale



PlayStation® All-Stars Battle Royale is four player brawler featuring the greatest stars in the PlayStation universe! Watch the debut video of the newest All-Star, Raiden from the Metal Gear Solid series. PlayStation® All-Stars Battle Royale ©2012 Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Developed by SuperBot Entertainment, Inc. PS Vita development by Bluepoint Games, Inc. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale" is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. Third party characters and trademarks are licensed courtesy of their respective owners and protected by copyright and trademark laws. All rights reserved.

Free Fun App - Treasure Park - Official Trailer



There are so many games coming out in the next few years! LBP, Tearaway, R&C Full Frontal Assault, Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed, and my most anticipated game this year; PlayStation All-Stars! All that plus apps like these as well as PSOne Classics this Tuesday are making lots of people pretty happy to own a Vita right now!

The Enjoyable & Interesting Video Online Game: Sniper Games 356

Read More About Sniper Games


Online Gaming is very popular in the world today. In fact, you could say that gaming in our present days is very different & far from the games in the past. Online games are not well known in the past because we do not have the best technology during that time. We also experienced low graphics in games before. That’s the reason why there are many people not engaging to video online games.

In our word today, there are many people who are fund of playing games online because it can give them satisfaction & entertainment. Kids, teenagers and even adults engaged to it. In our old days, we can say that this is not very popular but as the technology arises the need of entertainment also increases. The mere fact, most of the people are now engaging to different online games on web. Besides, it can totally give them great enjoyment and in the end you will be interested to it.

Sniper Games 356 are highly recommended game for everyone. This kind of games is very good & suitable for everybody. Some great benefits of the games are usually quick, entertainment will come instantly and also it can give a wow factor to the gamer.

If you want an action scene for a video online gaming, Sniper Games 356 is the best one. It will test your ability how good are you in your scoring skills. It will also test your knowledge & it will enhance your strategic ability through engaging to these games online. It can also test you patience because the player is signing up for a variety of mission that involves assassinating rival gangsters. Here's the point, it’s not bad to start yourself playing video games because it can also gives you some useful benefits.

Sniper games will be extensively considered as being significant well-known and you will find varieties of games online. Throughout these online games you will be required to different comprehensive and variety of missions. Missions to accomplish the level in every game you will going to take. Those missions might include resorting to challenges, assassinating objectives that will be considered to be a huge priority and even fatality. Power weapons are advantaged kill-shot tools that should be used in sniper games. You have to choose the best rifle for scoring purposes.

A challenge in a game doesn’t really matter because as a gamer what matters most is the satisfaction that these games can offer to everyone.


If your interested in some great sniper games visit Sniper Games 365 and find out all of the different games you can play.

The 6 Top PS Vita Fighting Games of 2012

1. Street Fighter X Tekken
A total of 55 playable characters are included in SFXTekken. In addition to the robust roster of 43 characters from the PS3 version, the PS Vita version features 12 new playable characters. PlayStation 3 players will receive these additional 12 characters as free DLC. The long awaited dream match-up between the two leaders in the fighting genre can now be played at home, and also on the go! Street Fighter X Tekken on the PlayStation Vita builds upon the action-packed console experience and delivers an expanded version of the ultimate tag team match up. In addition to all 43 of the iconic characters featured on the PlayStation 3 version, 12 new characters will make their debut on the PS Vita, making for one of the most robust character line-ups in fighting game history. Playing at home or on the streets, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 Cross-Platform Play lets Street Fighter X Tekken players compete anytime, anywhere, against anyone. either locally, with 3G or via Wi-Fi. A host of additional new features and surprises designed specifically for the PS Vita system are being implemented and will be revealed prior to the game's release in fall 2012.

2. Mortal Kombat for the PS vita.
Still one of the best fighting games ever since the first Mortal Kombat a long while ago. So get ready to enter for a second time in the most deadliest tournaments you have ever seen. On this new vita version the game adds a new mature oriented fighter gameplay, with extensive story modes. Surely you have never seen the visuals this vivid before in a previous Mortal Kombat game. Fatalities are a big part of this franchise, and you know those have been improved big time here. It features a story mode, tournament and exclusive PS Vita functionality. A fighting video game like no other, I have been waiting for one with top-notch caliber like this one.

3. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
You get 50 total characters, Heros and Villans of both Capcom, and Marvel worlds. Touch screen capabilities lets you play in innovative way no other can compare. The power of the PS Vita allows its version of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 to play and look virtually identical to the console releases, but it also provides players with control functionality unique to the Sony handheld. Utilizing the PS Vita's front and rear touch screen and pad, players can unleash simple combos by 'mashing' the screen with taps. The basic level of these 'touch' combos ensures that players who choose to use standard combo input patterns using the Vita's d-pad and face buttons are not at a disadvantage, as more advanced combos are always available if the right button pattern is entered correctly.

4. BlazBlue: Continuum Shift EXTEND
The BlazBlue Fighting game franchise makes a makes a grand entry to the PlayStation Vita handheld gaming system with BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend. The game is a comprehensive BlazBlue experience, containing story mode from the first game in the series, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, 19 playable characters pulled from earlier DLC releases in the series, as well as all-new content including the devious all-new playable character Relius Clover, new story scenarios, new gameplay modes, and competitively balanced action. In addition to the four scenarios of its single player campaign, the game features two-player head-to-head local support, and 2-6 player support online that includes team battles.

5. Reality Fighters
How about instead of choosing a pre-designed fighter, you go and make your own? That is exactly what its offered here with Reality Fighters for the Vita. Reality Fighters is a game that empowers players to quickly create their own two-dimensional Fighting game the way that they want it using the immediate environment around them. Utilizing the PlayStation Vita's built-in front and rear cameras, players can create a background for use in fights made from any image that they can digitally capture. Using augmented reality functionality they can even overlay objects and obstacles onto backgrounds to create extreme challenges during bouts. The PS Vita's digital camera functionality also allows players to customize their fighter-characters with real-life faces. These can be saved for later use as well. Created fighters can utilizes a wide variety of fighting styles, including Wrestling, Muay Thai, western style Boxing, "Zombie" and even Ballet, and can take advantage of a robust system of over 300 costume pieces and over 200 different weapon types for use in fights. Additional features include: microphone and GPs functionality, as well as one-on-one, two player wireless multiplayer support which allows players to challenge friends and players from the Reality Fighters community at large.

6. Supremacy MMA
Supremacy MMA takes the non-stop brutal action of unsanctioned, amateur and unlicensed MMA fighting to new levels with the power of the PlayStation Vita. Featuring refined, amped-up gameplay and controls, as well as new fighters and new locations, Supremacy MMA on PS Vita delivers fast and furious arcade-style gameplay.

Upcoming PC Games You Should Be Excited About

2012 is more than half way through and so far we’ve had a whole host of amazing games, ranging Mass Effect 3 to unusual little gem DayZ, but with a good five months left in the year what else do we have to look forward too?

Borderlands 2 (Sept 21, 2012)

Without a doubt Borderlands 2 is my most anticipated game of 2012. The first was a successful space western with role playing elements and more guns than all the Call of Duty’s combined – seriously I’m hundreds of thousands - and the sequel is looking to build upon many of the great elements introduced in the first game: Four player coop will return and there will be a more expansive weapons system. Vehicles will have four seats now instead of two and will be imbued with new drift mechanics and reworked physics. So all we have to do now is wait until September 18 until we can begin sneaking past friends and stealing the nearest treasure without them noticing.

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs (Q3 2012)

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs is an indirect sequel to Amnesia: The Dark Descent, 2010s scariest game. Once again it’ll feature survival horror elements but this time will feature an intertwining narrative and an entirely new cast of characters. The story goes a little like this: Oswald Mandus, an entrepreneur fresh off an expedition to Mexico is struck down by a fever only to wake up in the middle of the illness to the sound of an enormous machine roaring into action. So get ready to lock yourself in a cupboard and watch the monsters rifle around rooms looking for you.

Guild Wars 2 (Sept 2012)

No game has done as much to revitalise the MMO genre as Guild Wars 2. First of all subscription fees are out the window. There is also no Endgame and the level cap is an enormous 80. That means players won’t have any reason to stick around and you can jump in and out of Guild Wars 2 without feeling like you’re missing out on valuable loot. That doesn’t mean there won’t be giant PvP battles or big bosses; simply here it is more about the journey than it is the destination.

Medal of Honor Warfighter (Oct 2012)

Medal of Honor uses the same engine as Battlefield 3 - the best shooter around - and to its credit looks as good as or even better than its older brother. First time around, this is a sequel, the multiplayer was developed by industry veterans DICE but for this Medal of Honor the developers have been left to their own devices. So whilst it looks amazing we’ll have to wait and see how it turns out but if it plays as good as it looks then I think we can all agree we’re in for a treat.
Of course there are plenty more games on the horizon. There’s not enough time in the day for me to play them all. So which of 2012’s games are you looking forward too? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below. Happy hunting.

The PC Game Best 100 Games of all time is a great read for all you budding geeks out there. Also, if you’ve been scouting around for a good online gaming shop, check out Grainger Games.

LBP gamescom 2012 Official Trailer

Take Sackboy with you on an adventure powered by your own imagination.

 Explore a quirky new adventure that mixes classic LittleBigPlanet platforming with innovative touch-based mini-games. Get to grips with brand new, accessible tools to create unique touch-based gameplay. Become a hit in the LittleBigPlanet community by sharing your masterpieces with PS Vita fans via PlayStation Network.

'Like' LittleBigPlanet on Facebook to get all the news on Sackboy's adventures first: facebook.com/littlebigplanet.

Augmented Reality Gaming Suite gamescom 2012



See AR gaming taken to another level only on PS Vita

Tearaway PS Vita Official Trailer




The greatest "buddy movie" game that will hit PS Vita, Tearaway stars Iota, a plucky little papery messenger, whose envelope head contains an urgent delivery—a unique message just for you!

 In order to read it, you'll need to take up the part of co-star and help Iota journey through this beautifully-crafted 3D paper adventure platformer.

Crafting Carnivalia - LBP PS Vita



Developers Tarsier Studios and Double Eleven discuss how they've brought the LittleBigPlanet series to the PS Vita and offer a glimpse of what players can expect when the game releases on 19th September.

Hot Tips to Paint Park



Paint Park is a free social app for PlayStation Vita that lets you conjure up colourful sketches, fun doodles and detailed drawings using the handheld system's intuitive touchscreen controls.

 Bring your images to life with these top tips from SCEE's very own Paint Park pro, Jawad Ashraf