Fear of Missing Out
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.
Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) is an anxiety that occurs when you worry about missing something exciting or important. In games, this can happen when there are timed events. If the event gives a special participation reward, then this anxiety can be heightened. If the player misses the event, not only will they miss the excitement of the new experience, but they will also miss the special reward. If the reward provides a benefit to the game, then the player will be behind everyone else and it will be difficult to catch up.
This anxiety can drive people to play the game at times when they wouldn't otherwise. It may even keep them playing a game long past when they derive enjoyment out of it. For example, a player who has lost interest in a game may see the announcement for the next event and think to themselves that maybe this new event will make the game interesting again.
Many online games are under continual development with new content and updates being added all the time, so there is a constant trickle of new things that players are at risk of missing if they take a break from the game. This is a strong motivator to keep playing. Often these types of timed events provide an incentive to spend money on the game in order to fully take advantage of the event. This enriches the game developers at the expense of the players who may be playing for reasons other than enjoyment.
This anxiety can drive people to play the game at times when they wouldn't otherwise. It may even keep them playing a game long past when they derive enjoyment out of it. For example, a player who has lost interest in a game may see the announcement for the next event and think to themselves that maybe this new event will make the game interesting again.
Many online games are under continual development with new content and updates being added all the time, so there is a constant trickle of new things that players are at risk of missing if they take a break from the game. This is a strong motivator to keep playing. Often these types of timed events provide an incentive to spend money on the game in order to fully take advantage of the event. This enriches the game developers at the expense of the players who may be playing for reasons other than enjoyment.
Examples
Fishdom"you miss out on the time limited games they have"
The Simpsons™: Tapped Out"events with exclusive rewards happen every month with a tight window to fully complete them, and require checking back in several times a day to efficiently complete."
Star Stable Online"star stable occasionally releases "magical" horses, which only stay in-game for a limited time. they do come back from time to time, however, allowing people to get them at a later time."
Cookie Run: Kingdom"yeah, occasionally :/ its annoying."
Cooking Diary® Restaurant Game"Frequent limited-time events"
Dragon City Mobile"YES. Constant extremely short-lived events, most releasing powerful dragons with good abilities and stats, as well as several extra rewards that make progression easier, as well as items that allow players to empower pre-existing and new dragons. Being away from the game for a long period of time means months-worth of progress lost and inability to keep up with the PVP metagame."
NYTimes - Crossword"Cannot go back to see past Wordles"
Figure Fantasy"Attend the event daily & buy, or miss out, you MIGHT get one chance but it'll cost you more time & money, or skip buying all together and miss out character payed function and those functions upgrades, skip a day and risk missing out gathering resources to unlock or power up collab figures."
Tiny Tower"This is a new development, with all the new and timed "features"."
Empires & Puzzles: RPG Quest"That was my number one problem. I felt as though I had to be in the game practically 24/7 in order to not miss things, or fall behind."