Damn You Matt Pat!!!

I've been thinking a lot about this ever since IceIX mentioned that they reduced the probabilities of the Featured Character cover packs because they made more money by essentially making it a worse deal. You know, like that She-Hulk 10 pack that on average, will get you 0 She-Hulks. He said that most of the devs thought that lowering the probabilities was a crazy idea and that it would result in fewer sales. But for some reason, they thought that they should try it anyway.

What resulted were indeed better sales from repeat buyers buying lots of 10 packs. This was around the same time that a new, nifty image of a gold package appeared when you hit 3* jackpot. Except that it was unlikely to be a jackpot, since that new character you wanted has terrible odds. What you got instead was a "near miss."

There's a well-researched (and well-known) theory out there that says that gambling addicts register these near misses as wins and still get that dopamine rush, whereas others might get angry at what a lousy deal they just got suckered into (and throw their phones out the nearest window). Because gambling addicts feel like they win even when they don't, they play again, and again.

Am I a conspiracy theorist for suspecting that Demiurge knows this?

This has led to some internal conflict within me about this game. Because I don't like casinos. I don't like that they take advantage of people who can't help themselves, so that the rest of us can have subsidized fun. But then again, I play this game, which seems to be the same thing.

BearVenger wrote:

Gunther, if you want a layperson-level reference for that claim, it's found in Chapter 9 of The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend that book.

Thanks BearVenger, I'm definitely going it give it a read. It would be good if I understood my own psychology at least as well as Target does, right?