What makes PUBG Mobile so irresistible?

Believe me, guys, I’m a huge PUBG fan. Like many others, I have been playing PUBG Mobile on and off for over five months. And with COVID-19 lockdown (which has proved a boon to the gaming industry), we millennials and Gen Z are getting bored at home. As a result, the number of hours we spend playing PUBG has shot up. The more we played, the more we ached to improve in PUBG Universe. It got me thinking of how irresistible the PUBG team has designed, not only the game but also the whole user interface. It justs reel you in, spending as much time as possible.

Hence, with my novice attempt to understand the PUBG Universe from a (gamified) psychological lens, I have attempted to follow all significant (obvious but hidden) gamification, designed to tick any human brain. Below is the shrewd observation of the same. Feel free to add more in the comments.

1. The novelty wheel — If you have ever played PUBG, you know what I’m talking about. Every time you open the game, PUBG greets you with what’s new. It may be unique skins for your avatar(s), a recent update, or intro of a new character. These tempting limited-time deals kick the same feeling that we get while browsing through the season’s fresh clothing collections. You might not buy any but will enjoy trying them on your avatar. (By the way, PUBG Corp. has raked millions of dollars by selling these virtual merchandises, passes, characters).

2. A price tag for (almost) everything — Unlike other mobile games where you don’t have an option for a lot of things, PUBG offers a wide array of options. From changing your name tag to optimizing your characters, and so on. But, the catch is everything comes with a cost attached to it (either in terms of money or time). Sometimes you need to shell out come virtual coins; other times, you need to level up your winning skills to be eligible for those rewards. Hence, like real life, PUBG Universe sends you an early message that there is no free lunch. And thus begins your game of investment in PUBG.

3. All about permutation and combinations — If you have ever noticed (even though you might not have played PUBG before), there are myriads of personalization possibilities. Faces, hairstyles, skin color, and hundreds of virtual clothing options available ranging from caps, goggles, face masks, t-shirts, bottom wear, and whatnot — all these results in millions of ways you can create and dress up your avatar. And the way you want to portray yourself among your friends. By the way, if you happen to find a few of those faces kind of familiar, don’t be surprised if I reveal you that those are the faces of famous actors and actresses.

4. Find me where my friends are — In many ways, PUBG is a game of socialization. Unlike single-player games, online multiplayer games have higher stickiness. They offer you the possibility to bring onboard your real-life friends and play/compete with/against them. PUBG has also taken this factor into account. It gives you the option to invite your friends using WhatsApp and other social media platforms. It increases your synergy level if you play with your friends (which again can be redeemed for rewards). Furthermore, you can categorize your friends into four categories (BFF, Bromance, Buddy, and Lovers), and create pose with them. And after all who won’t love to visit a place (or game) with whom you and your friends have sweetest memories attached.

5. Visit me daily — Human is all but a creature of habit. And we all know whatever we do every day, becomes habit. One good thing (and equally bad thing) about habit is that it takes much less cognitive effort as the neural patterns are already established in our brain. Like many other gaming apps, PUBG also wants you to log in daily (and better intends to keep up with that streak) into the PUBG Universe and spend some time there. For this, they give daily login rewards, which, if followed for a week, results in a bigger reward (getting a supply crate where you can get more skins and virtual prizes for free).

6. Jumping through the hoops — PUBG knows playing any action game on your smartphone can be quite tricky. It can take months of practice (if not years), before you learn how to land correctly, or kill your enemies while running or even understanding which gun is best for your taste. To tackle this problem, PUBG has put small missions like to kill three enemies using a particular weapon or land on the roof of the buildings in a specific area, and so on. Gamers attempt to complete these missions for the sake of more significant rewards, and in the process, they become better players.

7. Help others (and we will help you)- Many people uninstall PUBG (other than the fact that it takes a lot of space in the smartphone) because they find it difficult to get used to the game (after all where’s the fun if someone kills you every time in the starting of the game). To overcome this problem, PUBG has come up with a solution knows as “Brother-in-arms.” The gaming system pairs up an experienced gamer with a rookie. This way, you protect her in the game, help her in learning hidden tricks to kill enemies, and you get reward points for helping — a win-win for both the players (and a considerable win for PUBG).

8. Humans belong to clans — In July 2018, PUBG introduced a new virtual social system — clan system, where like-minded players can team up together and form a clan to compete with another clan. The clan system also offers virtual rewards (these coins are different than regular PUBG coins), medals, and in-game prizes as you contribute to your clan’s strength by killing more (and winning more).

9. The itch for new — Just like new smartphones gets launched every other month, PUBG launches new seasonal events better know as “Royale Pass.” Here you get whole new character sets, some major changes/updates in the PUBG such as different weather or a new weapon, teaming up with real-world people (like Alan Walker during Royale Pass 6) all to bring the excitement back to the table. And before gamers become bore of it, PUBG launches another seasonal event and keep the ball rolling.

10. The game of unexpected rewards — PUBG loves to throw probability and uncertainties. Every time you pay for a spin or open a crate or even watch a video, you never know what reward you will be getting. Surely it sometimes irritates the gamers (as the rewards get repeated) but also makes you keep coming back in the hope this time will be different, and you will for sure get that beautiful outfit, or that funny new emote. I guess PUBG understands that a predictable game is a boring one.

11. Who doesn’t love to watch — PUBG loves to engage its players. Even when you are not playing, with its Watch Match option, you can spectate the matches of your friends, how they are playing, the mistakes they are making, and how it all can be improved. Later on, these all become fodder while you are chatting with your friends. And hurray, PUBG has successfully found a soft spot in your heart, even when you are not playing.

12. It’s boys vs. boys and men vs. men — PUBG has an elegant 8 tier system, each offering a rank (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Crown, Ace, and Conqueror). A novice player starts at Bronze and moves towards Conqueror every time he wins the game. But since an experienced player has spent so much time playing PUBG (thus has the upper hand over newbies), these tier system separates them via a simple match-making system. Therefore, when entering a match, newbies complete only against other newbies (and more bots, who are super easy to kill), and master players compete with each other. As a result, easy wins motivate newbies to play more and more, while an experienced player keeps their interests as the game has become challenging to win.

13. Rat in a maze — As compared to other mobile games, I have found PUBG Mobile very complex. Many gamers take a few weeks to adjust entirely and feel better with so many (confusing) options on the screen. But what’s more interesting is that there are many rewards hidden (battle coins, silver coins, BPs, crates, etc.) that you might not even be aware of. It’s as if an experienced rat knows that cheese cubes are hidden in the maze but don’t know where for sure (and only discovers some of it in future, by accident). This makes things interesting at a whole new level.

What are your thoughts about this awesome game, that has successfully found it’s way to the heart of gamers?