Game-Changing Sega Patent Fills Gamers with Excitement!

Highlights

A recent Sega patent reveals plans for implementing a prioritization system in video games, offering preferential treatment to players who invest more money.

According to the patent, gamers who spend a higher amount will enjoy various advantages, including accelerated HP recovery, increased drop rates for rare items, and exclusive access to supplementary content.

Encouraging players to explore new games may appear to be beneficial to consumers, but it ultimately leads to increased monetization, resulting in players having to spend more money to unlock advantages.

A patent filed by Sega could bring concerning news for gamers, as it suggests plans to introduce a prioritization system in games, where those who pay more money receive better treatment. Specifically, Sega's patent outlines a system that incentivizes players who have spent a substantial amount of money in one game to play another game by offering them preferential treatment. This preferential treatment may include faster HP recovery, higher drop rates for rare items, and even access to additional content.

The monetization of video games has experienced significant growth in the last twenty years. What was initially limited to downloadable content like horse armor in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion has now evolved into a thriving industry of microtransactions. Even subscription-based games have lost popularity while premium battle passes, gacha systems such as loot boxes, and costly premium stores have taken their place. Mobile gaming, in particular, showcases excessive examples of monetization, with gameplay mechanics designed to encourage players to spend money for enhanced gameplay opportunities.

However, Sega has recently introduced a patent that takes monetization to a new level. The patent, titled "Recording Medium and Information Processing That Guide User to Utilize Plural Functions," aims to incentivize players to spend money by rewarding them with preferential treatment in other games. Essentially, when players spend money in one function or game, as defined by the patent, they earn ranks that grant them special privileges in a second function or game.

The patent provides an illustration of Sega's concept. Players are required to spend a specific amount of money, for example, 5,000 yen or 10,000 yen. Once this spending threshold is exceeded, they are assigned a rank and bestowed with titles such as private or private first class. Unlocking these thresholds also grants them a license that can be applied to another game. In this secondary game, players can enjoy various bonuses, such as reduced recovery time for stamina/HP, free stamina/HP recovery, character evolution without the need for resources, additional lotteries, or quests that reward high-rarity content, and more.

The patent seems to allude to a type of free-to-play mobile games that heavily rely on monetized gameplay systems. Starting these games can be challenging, especially for players who are already deeply engaged in another free-to-play game offering a similar experience. Sega's patent aims to make switching to a new game more rewarding for those who are hesitant to leave an old game due to their monetary investment.

While incentivizing players to try new games may appear consumer-friendly, the outcome still results in increased monetization. Players would have to spend more money in one game to receive preferential treatment in another. They would gain access to benefits that other players wouldn't have. This does not involve any gameplay or challenge but simply requires spending a specific amount of money to unlock the benefits. It is uncertain if Sega is actively working on implementing this patent in any of their games, but it may only be a matter of time before they do.