For 'High Roller' Gamers, the Perks of VIP Programs

Mobile games aren't just nudging players to spend: They're rolling out the VIP carpet for the ones who do. The New York Times details how Zynga and other major publishers have quietly adopted casino-style "high roller" incentives to keep a tiny slice of users—those responsible for as much as 90% of revenue—locked in and paying. At Zynga, big and steady spenders get personal account managers, custom perks like private concerts and cruises, and chances at cash sweepstakes. One daily FarmVille player, for example, walked away with $15,000 last year, which she used to purchase a new Buick.

Staff keep notes on players' habits and even life events, then reach out as many as 125 times a day. The model has spread well beyond FarmVille, with titles like Monopoly Go! and Love and Deepspace layering in multitiered VIP programs that can require five-figure spending. Some players describe the experience as motivating and social. Others, however, liken it to an "opium den" in their pocket and say the grind feels like a second job. "I lament it pretty much daily," one player who isn't yet in the VIP club says of his obsessiveness with games like Star Trek Fleet Command and Raid: Shadow Legends, which he tries to hide from his spouse. More here.