How Freemium Game Mechanics Secure the Continuation of Play with the Zeigarnik Effect
Max TABIN
Production
How Freemium Game Mechanics Secure the Continuation of Play with the Zeigarnik Effect
The goal of my Thesis was to examine the Zeigarnik Effect as a primary mechanism for driving player engagement and retention within freemium mobile games. I chose this project to investigate the freemium business model, which attracted millions of players by lowering the entry barrier and using intentional design tactics to nudge engagement and spending. I examined how game designers strategically leveraged psychological pressure to convert free players into loyal, paying customers. My study gathered data on the emotional and behavioral responses of 178 participants across seven popular live-service mobile games.
In this study, I explored the intersection of game mechanics, personality traits, and emotional responses by measuring dimensions of user engagement and mood. I investigated how the
psychological tension created by unfinished tasks affected a player’ s depth of playtime, spending, and retention.
This project was highly beneficial to me, as it allowed me to apply psychological frameworks, such as the Big Five model and User Engagement Scale, to real-world game design challenges. This deepened my expertise in games user research and quantitative analysis. By analyzing the relationship between game mechanics and emotional responses, my research provided insights into how developers could balance effective monetization with an awareness of problematic gaming behaviors arising from dark patterns.
80 PRODUCTION