If you've ever played a popular game like "Genshin Impact" or "Fortnite," you've certainly come across interfaces and gameplay mechanisms that are overtly exploitative. Whether they're demanding money for an in-game boon or asking you to check back in every single day, insidious design is widespread throughout the industry.

There's plenty of good to be said about these exceedingly well-liked games, but many of us older players have grown tired of the nickel-and-diming, timers, daily check-ins and other mechanics designed to keep people spending more time and money than they ever would under normal circumstances.

We reached out to Rami Ismail, a veteran game developer and consultant, to help better understand why these exploitative practices became widespread, and understand how we only have a few options to really fix the problem.

Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Rami Ismail lays it all out

Why is the industry so focused on keeping users playing day-in and day-out on a single gaming experience? What changed in the past decade?

RI: Mobile happened. Basically, on mobile, people didn't want to spend the money that they spend on larger PC and console titles, and the free-to-play game model was introduced. In under a decade, free-to-play games now represent more than 60 percent of the entire games industry's earnings. A large part of that is that there's really no spending cap on free-to-play games — a user can be made to want to spend thousands of dollars, as opposed to the $80 to $100 they'd spend on a PC or console title.

Can consumers do anything to push back against these trends?

RI: Not really. Sixty percent of the industry revenue is free-to-play games [note: one number suggests it is closer to 80 percent], the interests are simply too large. Regulation is the best option available, and voting for laws that limit exploitative practices is the best strategy out there.

What do you wish more people understood about the perils of modern game design and its monetization?

RI: The level of sophistication that goes into it. These mobile studios and free-to-play games optimize with a tremendous amount of data and science, and optimize relentlessly to get the most dollars and time out of their players. They will literally run experiments on button colors and sizing, or sneakily increase the difficulty to see if more people will buy a power-up. It's continuous, relentless experimentation on people's wallets as if they're lab rats filled with cash if only you can find a way to pry them open.

What can developers do to make their games less exploitative in the current market? How do they reject the pull of these addiction mechanics?

RI: Avoid working for shareholders that want to maximize profits.

[Image: Alex Green]