Get rid of FOMO

Games Halo Infinite
1

Aside from being manipulative and insulting, FOMO is actively hurting this game.

The rotating store is a huge contributor to why people are up in arms about the pricing system. It uses FOMO to pressure players to buy the things they like NOW because, if they don’t, those items may never appear again, or not for a very long time. This, combined with everything being in bundles, is a HUGE contributor to why players are feeling price gouged. There are effectively 13 “armor slots” - if all the components we want for an armor set are spread across 13 different Legendary packs, that costs a whopping $260 for an armor set. And, since we don’t even know what’s coming to the store, we have even MORE pressure to buy NOW or potentially forever miss out.

The solution is simple. Bundles can still rotate through (and be actual DEALS), but all armor added to the store should remain there permanently and should be able to be purchased as individual pieces (except shoulders, which should come as a set).

The other, more damning FOMO problem is the Weekly Ultimate Challenge. While not bad in theory, the problem is that this is a huge part of what’s causing players to ONLY focus on Challenges - because they fear they will miss out on unlocking the weekly Ultimate, especially before it’s too late to finish (17 wins ain’t easy for some people) rather than playing more naturally (which would be the case if all challenges could be worked on simultaneously).

Again, the solution is simple. First, once a player unlocks an Ultimate Challenge, they can complete it on their own time whenever they want. Second, all players who play at all during the week unlock the Ultimate Challenge at the end of the week, even if they don’t complete the weekly challenges. This allows some to still grind out the challenges and the weekly ultimate, and allows more casual players to complete the weekly even if they aren’t able to do all of the challenges in a week.

However, this still leaves one FOMO avenue: people who didn’t play that week. This will be a pretty common occurrence, like for those who go on vacation. Those people need to be able to unlock those challenges as well, which is why I propose selling “missed Ultimate” challenges in the store for 100 cR OR allow players to unlock an Ultimate Challenge of their choice upon completing all weekly challenges. This will allow dedicated players to unlock two Ultimate Challenges a week to catch up on weeks that they missed.

FOMO is a blight and weaponizing the psychology of it should honestly be an illegal practice, but it’s so new that the law obviously hasn’t caught up to it yet - not that it necessarily ever will. 343i, you have the opportunity to set a new standard in F2P gaming! Instead of joining the ones that are selling out for a quick buck, have some dignity and pride in your creation and set the new F2P model. If you build it, they will come.

76 Likes
2

What, you don’t like being manipulated? You don’t like being lied (they said they wouldn’t encourage FOMO)? You don’t like having to buy everything in bundles even when you just want one item? Too bad, because Microsoft wants your money, and they’re going to do whatever they can to get it. Even if it means dragging 343 and Halo through the mud.

33 Likes
3

You’re forcing the fear onto yourself and acting on impulse. Not you specifically though.

3 Likes
4

Make the storefront bigger…

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5

The suits are encouraging FOMO. There would be no fear of missing out if you could buy any item you wanted. There wouldn’t be FOMO about weeklies if you knew this wasn’t your only chance to get them. The suits are encouraging FOMO. They want it to happen. Just because people probably should control themselves if they can help it, doesn’t mean we should respect these kinda of business practices. It’s manipulation pure and simple.

19 Likes
6

I used to get FOMO really bad about nights out, but I don’t any more. Think it’s probably an age thing.

Anyone else have that experience?

2 Likes
7

Fear fear fear fear
OMG, how weak are you?
Any pressure being felt to purchase NOW is all on you. Holy yoink

3 Likes
8

That’s like seeing a Wendy’s 4 for 4 and buying it because you were afraid it would go away and calling it manipulation.

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9

No, it’s really not. At Wendy’s its not the sandwich they will disappear. It’s the deal. Which OP even mentioned they were okay if the bundles were removed. Another way it’s not like Wendy’s is you want have that sandwich a week from now, but the stuff for your Spartan you’ll have forever. Also, every Sandwich sold at Wendy’s costs money to produce. With items in Infinite once they recoup initial profits, any additional sale is profit. You’re comparing apples to oranges my friend.

10 Likes
10

Probably, but it’s hard to find a proper comparison.

11

This is my main issue.

I ignore the stuff in store, I’m not paying for that.

But there’s so little free customisation in this game that I definitely go for the ultimate reward each week, but the FOMO spoils it a bit.

9 Likes
12

How about comparing it to other Free to play games who have hired psychologists to better understand how to manipulate people? You can be okay with what they are doing, but they didn’t mean it isn’t manipulation.

7 Likes
13

At the end of the day I just want to play the game. I think I’ll be off the forums for a good while. Too many arguments for my liking.

1 Like
14

what FOMO stands for??

15

It’s Japanese for “weak minded”.

6 Likes
16

It’s not really about the feeling. I don’t have FOMO myself about anything in the store. But it is a blatant attempt at manipulation, and that is going to ultimately hurt 343i’s wallet.

I didn’t coin it. But they are intentionally turning the burner to HIGH, possibly so that they can set it to a simmer and we’ll thank them for it. Honestly, they’re using a lot of manipulative tactics right now. Which paints them in a bad light, once you can see the manipulations for what they are.

These business practices show a complete disrespect for the playerbase and will make them lose a lot of potential money. No one likes feeling like someone is even attempting to manipulate them. That’s what a FOMO business practice does.

I actually don’t think the weekly was fully intentional FOMO, it probably came from a place of trying to keep the players engaged week-to-week, and rewarding players who want to unlock things through playing the game rather than through purchases. But, I already outlined a way to do this without FOMO, so it’s hard to believe they couldn’t come up with something on their own in 6 years.

It’s also artificial, as there is no supply chain or limited time deal that would entail the need for a time limit on anything. These are all in-house proprietary creations that take no additional assets to sell after they have been created. And they have a full monopoly on them, allowing them to set whatever price they want with no repercussion. It is a toxic combination.

10 Likes
17

“FOMO” doesn’t work on me, but it is sad how many fall for it that a lot of players have been conditioned to think they “need” whatever when in reality, they don’t.

There should always be 2 paths when it comes to cosmetic items, but it doesn’t look like 343 is even interested in looking for other options at this point, and that is more of concern to me than anything else. What are they really going to offer…

2 Likes
18

oooh, like there is always pressure to buy stuff

20

This is where I am - When this first went live, I tried fulfilling the challenges and getting the unlocks. Doing this, I found that I wasn’t enjoying the gameplay. After I played for a few days, I thought, I just don’t care, because if I do, it sucks the fun out of it. I like to have a break, with the very little time that I have to take a break and play a game of Halo. I play the round, whether it be oddball, protect the zones, BTB, whatever and focus on the objective. Once I started doing this, I was back to enjoying my Halo. I don’t even bother to see what the weekly challenges are, if I fulfill a weekly challenge, it’s just collateral to my game. There does exist though a huge number of players in the FOMO zone. I honestly understand this. Halo has had massive customisation for years, no charge. I look over my customisation list in Halo 5 and it’s massive. I ground out the whole list and I never purchased a single req pack. Here is my opinion, accountants and actuaries went over the numbers, realised that if even a percentage of players are in the FOMO mode, that they would make more money as F2P, as opposed to a single, up front purchase. I would have paid $150 for the game if needed. If that is required to cover costs, so be it. We have fiat currency issued from a central bank that causes inflation, we have increased costs, we have games that are far superior in graphics etc. After that, part of the initial purchase is invested, for a return, to keep the servers active.

4 Likes
21

That’s part of it. FOMO stands for “fear of missing out”. As @Ken_CTF mentioned, it’s pretty common among the younger crowd to worry that if they don’t, say, go out on a Friday night, they’ll miss the biggest party ever, which would be the happiest time of their life. Something like that.

In the shop, FOMO is a means of pressuring players to make snap purchases without thinking because

  1. They like the thing
  2. They don’t know when or if they will ever have the opportunity to get the thing again
  3. They don’t know if they’ll ever like anything that appears in the future as much as the thing

For example, say I like the Anubis helmet, but I prefer the Deadeye helmet. But I don’t know if the Deadeye helmet is ever coming, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get the opportunity to buy the Anubis helmet again. So, my options are to

  1. Purchase the Anubis set (because I can’t just buy the helmet) now and hope that the helmet I like better DOESN’T come, so I won’t have wasted my money on the Anubis set
  2. Wait and hope that the Deadeye helmet comes, or that the Anubis armor comes back - and every week, I have to play and check and see if I can get either of them
  3. “Miss out” and spend my money on something I like less than either in the future, after I give up on waiting on the Deadeye and Anubis helmets
  4. “Miss out” and not buy anything

Now, we’re SO LUCKY in that apparently all the helmets this season have been leaked, so we know what is and isn’t coming. And we’re right in the beginning of this mess, so there’s still an opportunity to change it.

In the Weeklies, the FOMO is a bit different. There it is a means of enticing players to come back and play every single week. Which, while a good thing in theory, is just another manipulation. And it is affecting gameplay, as many/most players are EXCLUSIVELY playing to get their unlocks - which means they are ruining matches for everyone else. My solution makes everyone happy by removing the pressure from the enticement AND allowing 343i to make more money off of people who actually did Miss Out and want the thing.

We have no way of knowing when or if any items will be returning to the store or to the weekly ultimate unlocks. As for the Events, I actually agree that it is okay for event items to disappear - as long as they reappear in full for every event, and the events repeat forever.

6 Likes