Before in app purchases arrived, you bought an app or game and that was the price you paid. Updates would arrive, sometimes adding some new features, but you knew where you stood on the financial front. Move forward a few years, and we now have in app purchases.

Well we actually have a greed driven in app purchase system and here is why –

1) Freemium – these games really make me sick. There are meant to be free to download and play, but they are certainly not free to play. In fact, these game cost to keep playing and will end up normally costing you the earth. What we need with these games is a range of estimates from the developer as to the true range of costs it would require to finish a game. Problem is with some freemium titles, you have to spend the same amount of money each time you play the game.

2) Games – some games cost money and have in app purchases but without buying these you cannot finish the game. These should be banned, or as above a note in the game description informer the buyer how much is needed in total to be spent to finish a game. Using in app purchases to add a substantial new levels, or purchase optional items that have no impact on the gameplay like a new outfit for your character are fine. What I have found is games bought for £3 are suddenly switched to a new financial model, like freemium or a heavy use of in app purchases. That’s wrong.

3) Apps – in app purchases can be used wisely whereby you get a fully functional app at a low cost, but to add some optional features costs a little bit more. This is fair and reasonable. Two examples of this done well is pcalc and flightradar24 pro.

I really think all the companies with app stores need to monitor abuses with the in app purchasing system. At the moment I believe it has killed off gaming apps due to the excessive use.