Artificial Scarcity
Limited time offers with unnecessary urgency.
One psychological trick that pushy salesmen use all around the world is artificial scarcity, and they often combine this with an unnecessary demand of urgency on the buyer. This is why you often see items listed for sale saying something like "Only 4 left in stock. Order now!"
Game developers use this technique to trick you into spending more time and money on their games. This often takes the form of limited time offers. The only reason for the short time limit is to make you rush into making an uninformed decision and prevent you from comparing the value of different items.
Games may also advertise items by saying that there are only a certain number available, "Hurry, only 47 magic daggers left in our inventory!" In a game where all the items are digital, there is no reason to artificially limit the supply of an item. In fact, often these numbers aren't even real and they may sell far more than the stated limit. The only reason for emphasizing the scarcity of the item is to make you hurry up and make a purchase before you think better.
Game developers use this technique to trick you into spending more time and money on their games. This often takes the form of limited time offers. The only reason for the short time limit is to make you rush into making an uninformed decision and prevent you from comparing the value of different items.
Games may also advertise items by saying that there are only a certain number available, "Hurry, only 47 magic daggers left in our inventory!" In a game where all the items are digital, there is no reason to artificially limit the supply of an item. In fact, often these numbers aren't even real and they may sell far more than the stated limit. The only reason for emphasizing the scarcity of the item is to make you hurry up and make a purchase before you think better.
Citations and Sources • Dark Patterns in the Design of Games
• Seven Psychological Sins of SimCity Social
• Seven Psychological Sins of SimCity Social
Examples
War and Order"Store rotates items on sale and locks. Certain events and modes limited to 24 hours every week or two."
Fishdom"there are always limited time events, and they make their cute images sad if you dont complete or win them"
Soul Knight"There is a limited time offer for new players but that doesn't really do much. However there has been a few skins and pets, usually from crossovers that have been limited."
Play Together"There’s always a different limited time event with exclusive prizes you can only get through that event."
Cookie Run: Kingdom"they're not too urgent, but there are limited-time events."
Dragon RPG: Dragon Village M"Monthly dragons that you can only get that month or by trade"
Peridot"In game “sales” and bundles every few days"
Dragon City Mobile"Nearly everything in this game is urgent. The worst example is the events, as their timeframes are on average 2 days long. F2P players are guaranteed to never be able to complete these in full, and even players who spend money on in-app purchases aren't guaranteed success, either, as many events are based on luck."
SortPuz: 3D Color Water Sort Puzzle"There are often different rewards going on. Right now it's a "ladder" event — the more you climb, the bigger the reward. But it only lasts for a few days."
Love Live!School idol festival"That's how they release all the cards. A limited-time banner with a particular card or set of cards. There are usually options to get them easier months down the line."