My most recent purchase is an online game. I bought the game because I see ads about
this game on nearly other gaming apps that I am using. A couple of my friends also have the
game and have given positive review. Once I downloaded the app and created an account, I was
given a free access levels but to play competitive levels (challenge my friends) I had to pay. My
overall feeling is that the set-up of the game is such that it encourages upgrade. The free access
levels are uninteresting, but the display of the upgraded levels looks irresistible and exciting. The
goal of the upgrade seems to be to attract attention and create a perception that better experience
lies ahead. After I upgraded, I was given other upgrade options to make me more competitive. In
the end, it felt like the set-up of the game is that it encourages perpetual purchases. The game is
addictive, meaning the temptation to upgrade and finish the next level is always there.
Classical conditioning is the theoretical framework I would like to use in analyzing my
experience with the game. In classical conditioning, learning is through association. For
example, one stimuli is supposed to stimulate another response. For example, a Jeep wrangler
stimulate thoughts of off-roading and other adventure activities. One stimuli thus elicits a paired
response. Within the context of marketing, classical conditioning is meant to pair a brand with a
positive association. For example, driving a sports car and feeling cool or classy, eating healthy
foods and looking healthy. A brand thus becomes associated with a desirable positive outcome.
Repeated exposure only works to reinforce the perception of the positive rewards and the desire
to get the rewards.
In my case, I am a gaming enthusiast and I like trying new and exciting games. The
graphics is a key influence in my perception of whether the game will be interesting or not. The
game presented with cool 3-D experience and great renderings that made the game look very
PURCHASE EXPERIENCE 3
real. This was already enough motivation for me to install the game in my phone. Repeated ads
on the other games that I was playing and reviews by my friends only motivated me to download
and install the game. Once I installed, the desire to finish the next level or to boost my
performance so that I can beat my friends only made me to keep buying upgrade options. The
desire to be better, to reach higher levels only increases my spending on the game. I have spent
nearly three times my initial purchase in upgrades.
I think I am not alone in feeling frustrated by the constant alerts to upgrade and boost
performance and by clicking alert one is directed to a window with upgrade options. For
example, increase health, upgrade gun, boost speed and so forth. It feels frustrating because
buying one option necessitate the desire to buy another. For example, increasing health elicit the
desire to buy a more powerful gun, and to boost speed. Instead of upgrades being broken into
small purchases, they should be sold as a package, so that buying a package brings boosted
health, higher caliber guns, telescopes for aiming, body armor, invisibility tags and so forth. By
packaging purchases as a full package, experience of gamers in buying upgrades would be better.