A friend of mine told me about a potential solution to the idea of wanting to support a gacha game spending a very specific amount of money, which is:
Set a budget: let's say 60€, as in the previous article
Only buy completed battle passes: never buy a Battle Pass in advance, get it when all the paid rewards are already unlocked
Stop when you get to the budget amount: in this case, it's usually about 5-6 Battle Passes.
Part 1: Two Pitfalls
This looked like a really effective strategy, up until I realized it can be a pitfall. Here's the reasons:
You're going to feel the urge of completion, at some point: you'll be thinking about completing it to buy it, when you get to, e.g., 2/3, even if you don't feel like playing.
You'll feel like buying Battle Passes even after your budget cap is over: that's because you'll feel like missing out the rewards you're used to claim after having worked on it.
Here's what Aria thinks about it:
Even buying the battle pass after it's already completed can create tension and potentially lead to negative consequences. This is because it reinforces the idea that there are rewards to be earned and progress to be made by playing the game, even if you've already completed all of the objectives.
This can create a sense of "FOMO" (fear of missing out) and pressure to keep playing the game in order to earn additional rewards, even if they are not necessary or essential to gameplay. Additionally, buying the battle pass after it's already completed can reinforce the idea that spending money on the game is necessary to achieve success or progress, which can be harmful to players' mental health and well-being.
Overall, while buying the battle pass after it's already completed may not have the same risks as buying it while still in progress, it can still reinforce potentially harmful ideas and behaviors. It's important for players to be mindful of the potential risks and benefits of in-game purchases, and to make decisions that are right for them and their personal circumstances.
Keep in mind that these marketing strategies have been studied by experts, and are made to be foolproof, and not easily controllable. Subscription and Battle Pass strategies are:
A steady income: having a Subscription or Battle Pass structured revenue from players is a low-effort, effective way to have a steady, scalable income
Create a habit: getting rid of additional rewards can be a hard to remove habit, hence they're really hard to recommend Can both be a ladder step to heavy spending: usually the subscription is the first one, and the Battle Pass goes on top on it (for about 5€ + 10€), because the subscription is usually still the best deal, while the Battle Pass is much less convenient, and can be claimed with more effort
Part 2: A Possible Solution
So, is there a way to make a Battle Pass a support option without being addicting and dangerous?
As it can be bought after being completed, just make it a one shot. If you know you're going to buy only a single Battle Pass for the whole game life cycle, you're not going to feel as much hurry to complete one, because:
If the game is engaging, it won't be hard to complete one
If you never do, you just miss out on only one go
If, in the worst case scenario, you feel the 2/3 compulsion to complete it, it will be only once
See those extras as a one-shot pack. Don't see them as a "fruit of your efforts", because they are not. Just be happy of what you get, never fight for resources in gacha games - and in games in general: it's a bad habit. Play for the experience!
If you want to spend more than the amount of a single Battle Pass, follow what we suggest in the previous article: just buy a gem pack on top of it. Only do it once, and, possibly, at the same time of when you buy the Battle Pass, so that they end up being a one-shot (small) pack of resources.
Conclusions
Buying things in gacha games, even if just to support the game, is always risky. Always do it while being extremely careful, and never make it a habit.
Playing is an experience, meant to make you happy, learn new things, see new worlds, and feed your imagination. It can also be a good way to share something with your friends, and, sometimes, they can even be inspiring for real-life choices, as books or movies.
Games should never make someone feel trapped, even if the reward seem worth it: there are always better ways to get rewards while making an effort: learning a music instrument, finding a suitable job, or just looking for a nice environment where we can meet people we like spending time with are less immediate challenges that require effort but are extremely rewarding.
Best wishes for your gaming experience! ;D If you have any remark about Battle Passes, have better solutions, or just want to ask something about this subject, write down in the comments below!