A controversial tweet this weekend by game engine developer, Unity, has sparked a conversation about how free-to-play games seek inspiration from the gambling industry.
In a now-deleted tweet, Unity was celebrating the release of new features that are ?especially helpful for developers in the gambling industry.? It prompted Xavier Coelho-Kostolny, an Insomniac Games Artist who once worked on free-to-play game Neverwinter, to pen a lengthy thread explaining that free-to-play games mimic slot machine design, especially the following aspects:

Pay-to-play
Sounds and visuals designed to heighten excitement and anticipation
Low initial investment
High accessibility
Intentionally stingy rewards
Highly broadcast high-end rewards
?Pay-to-play means you?re locked out of content until you drop some money, and that does some weird psychological things I?m not qualified to talk about,? wrote Coelho-Kostolny. ?Regardless, it sets a barrier to entry, but it?s designed to be low enough that anyone can play.?
The developer added that sounds and visuals aid in attracting players to loot boxes.
?They have a specific cadence built into them which increases tension over a short time, and then they flash pretty lights and play exciting sounds,? he continued. ?Slot machines perfected it, and now video games crank it to 11.?
Coelho-Kostolny?s full Twitter thread is a lengthy but very enlightening read, which he concluded by saying that he will never work on free-to-play games again.
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