A person plays on his tablet with Candy Crush Saga games developed by British King Digital Entertainment, on March 6, 2014, in Lille, northern France.Philippe Huguen—AFP/Getty Images
Roughly 97% of mobile gamers won’t spend a penny on in-app purchases this year, but the remaining 3% will shell out billions, according to new research that shows a tiny minority of gamers generate huge revenues for game makers.
Mobile gaming companies have lowered download prices and removed intrusive advertisements in a bid to get more gamers addicted to the sheer pleasure of advancing through their levels, the Wall Street Journalreports. The goal is to hook those elusive gamers who are willing to spend upwards of $100 a month in their favorite games to unlock new levels and enhance their powers.
Those big spenders may be exceedingly rare, but according to market research firm Swrve Inc., they single-handedly account for roughly two-thirds of revenue from in-app purchases.
The 10 Best Classic PC Games You Can Play Right Now
The Oregon Trail (1990)
Nostalgia for this elementary school library favorite has never faded — probably because they’ve relaunched the game so many times. Originally released in 1971, the Internet Archive’s edition is from 1990, but don’t worry, you can still die of dysentery in it.
MECCLemmings 2 - The Tribes (1993)
A cute puzzler, the object of this game is to lead the little rodents to safety, using lemmings’ specialized digging, blasting, and building skills to navigate the landscape of each level.
DMA Design Limited/Psygnosis LimitedIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade - The Action Game (1989)
This 1989 title was a Holy Grail for gamers, because it gave them control of Indiana Jones, one of the 80's coolest characters.Tiertex Ltd./LucasArts, U.S. Gold Ltd.Wolfenstein 3D (1992)
The precursor to Doom, Quake, and many of the gore-fests roaring across consoles today, this 1992 first-person shooter has you, as allied spy B.J. Blazkowicz, racing to escape the Nazi's clutches.id Software, Inc./Apogee Software, Ltd.4D Prince of Persia (1994)
Children of the 1990s will fondly recall this run-and-jump platformer as a top-notch adventure game, with great graphics and gameplay — and it has infinite lives. Score! Brøderbund/Terebilov KALeisure Suit Larry 1 - Land of the Lounge Lizards (1987)
Tame by today’s standards, this 8-bit, adult-oriented title was the Grand Theft Auto of its time, following the exploits of Larry Laffer as he strolls the city of Lost Wages, looking for love. Sierra On-Line, Inc.Dungeons & Dragons - Eye of The Beholder (1991)
Roll the dice in this 1991 Dungeons & Dragons role playing game — there’s nothing like the nostalgia of being a chaotic good paladin roaming the dark passages beneath the city of Waterdeep.Westwood Associates/Strategic Simulations, Inc.The Hobbit (1983)
Open door. Go East. Enjoy game. If you want to go really old school, you can turn the graphics off in this
text-based game, guiding Bilbo through Middle Earth using only your imagination as your eyes. Milbus SoftwareBurgerTime (1982)
Guide Peter Pepper in this hamburger-assembling action game, as he tries to build the biggest mouthfuls while being chased by enemy eggs and pickles and hot dogs.Data East Corporation/Mattel ElectronicsWhere In The World Is Carmen Sandiego (1985)
This educational title rocked elementary school kids’ worlds back in the 1980s, putting their geography and history smarts to the test. (How would you do with it, today?) Perhaps the best part of this browser version is its throwback sound effects.Bro/derbund Software, Inc.
