I was playing Diablo IV when I noticed something weird. The game kept pushing me toward microtransactions—not in an obvious way, but subtly. Enemy drops weren’t quite as rewarding as they should have been. Cosmetics in the shop were way cooler than the ones you could earn in-game. The seasonal battle pass felt almost necessary if I wanted to keep up.
It didn’t feel random. It felt designed.
And that’s when I realized: this game is studying me.
Actually, scratch that. Every game is studying us.
Games Are Tracking You—Whether You Know It or Not
Most people assume data mining is just a mobile game problem. Like, yeah, of course, some sketchy free-to-play game is tracking your clicks and trying to get you to spend more.
But it’s not just mobile games. It’s everything now.
Every time you play a game, the publisher is watching you—how long you play, what you spend money on, when you log in, when you quit, what frustrates you, what excites you.
And they’re not just tracking you—they’re using that data to manipulate you.
- Call of Duty tracks which guns you use and adjusts matchmaking to keep you engaged.
- FIFA (and every sports game) tracks how often you buy loot packs to determine how hard it should push you toward microtransactions.
- Fortnite uses heat maps to see where players spend the most time, then redesigns maps to increase engagement.
- Even single-player games like Assassin’s Creed track which in-game items players grind for—so they can make sure the best ones end up in the cash shop.
This isn’t game design anymore. It’s psychological manipulation.
How Publishers Are Using Your Data Against You
Game companies don’t just collect data—they use it to shape your experience in ways that maximize profit.
- Adjusting Rewards to Keep You Playing
Ever wonder why modern games feel grindier than ever? It’s not a mistake.
Publishers use data-driven game balancing to tune rewards just low enough that you get frustrated—but not so low that you quit.
- In NBA 2K, players literally calculated that progression was designed to push people toward spending money on upgrades.
- In Diablo Immortal, Blizzard studied free-to-play psychology to make sure players only hit paywalls after they were already invested.
- Even single-player games like Hogwarts Legacy use engagement tracking to push cosmetic DLCs.
They’re using your own playstyle against you—feeding you just enough dopamine to keep you hooked, but never enough to feel satisfied.
- Matchmaking Algorithms That Push Microtransactions
This one is insidious as hell. Some multiplayer games manipulate matchmaking to encourage spending.
- They’ll pair new players with experienced ones, making them feel weak—then offer paid boosts to “catch up.”
- They’ll make free-to-play users struggle, while making paid users feel stronger and more rewarded.
- Some even track engagement and adjust difficulty dynamically to make sure you never get so frustrated that you quit outright—but just frustrated enough to spend money.
This isn’t a conspiracy theory—Activision literally patented this. They have an algorithm designed to match players in ways that encourage spending on microtransactions.
- They Know When You’re Most Likely to Spend Money
Game publishers track when and why players spend money.
- If you usually buy cosmetics after a winning streak, the store will show you premium skins after a big win.
- If you log in at specific times of day, the game will time-limit deals to make them more tempting.
- If you stop playing for a while, you might get exclusive “comeback” offers designed to reel you back in.
They know what kind of player you are, and they customize their monetization strategy accordingly.
Even Single-Player Games Are Doing This Now
At first, this was mostly a multiplayer problem. But now? Single-player games are just as bad.
- Hogwarts Legacy has DLC tied to engagement tracking.
- Assassin’s Creed games are designed around artificial grind to push XP boosts.
- Shadow of War (before they removed it) literally designed its campaign around loot boxes.
Even games without microtransactions still use engagement tracking to influence how they’re updated, patched, and monetized in the future.
Is This Just How Games Work Now?
It didn’t used to be like this. Games were designed to be fun first—not to trap you in an algorithm.
Now? The game isn’t just a game anymore. It’s a system built to study your behavior and extract as much engagement as possible.
And unless players push back against these practices, publishers have no reason to stop.
So next time you feel like a game is subtly pushing you toward spending money or logging in daily, just remember—that’s not by accident.
The game is watching you.