The predatory games succeed because they have huge marketing budgets and casuals don't have the skills/motivation/etc. to actively seek out the good games instead.
Getting into the industry as a dev does not help with this problem.
this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2025
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flappy bird
... the lightning struck. If you're looking for some greater pattern there... flappy bird is from a different time. Anything you could've learned from it is no longer relevant.
I assume that iPad moms only install games from the front page of the App Store and to get on the front page you probably need to spend a fair bit of money. To get that money you need to run ads and have microtransactions etc.
Not saying it's impossible and I admire the sentiment, but it might not be as simple
There are a lot of good mobile games these days, but I’ve yet to find one I like that can be played in portrait view. I don’t enjoy holding my phone sideways. If they could figure out how to let me enjoy Balatro or Slay the Spire with one hand, I’m investing.
-Edit So grateful for all the recommendations. Keep them coming!
More typical "mobile game" fare than what's being recommended, but I did enjoy playing a fair amount of Sorcery Variants Daphne, if you'd like a first person dungeon crawler turn based RPG
Mindustry is great and FOSS. It gets rather difficult, though. While it will run in portrait on your phone, I'm not sure I would recommend it there because it gets rather intense quickly.
The game needs keyboard and mouse, it's complex to handle conveyor belt hell wothout these.
Downwell
Luck be a landlord. Addiction warning though
Solitarica is also solid
Try Pixel Dungeon! There's a lot to learn to actually beat the game but it's super rewarding when you do!
Slice & Dice
Wordscapes, Unblock Me
Wordscapes is a good answer and all but he probably blocked you for a reason.
You must build a boat
Threes
I think Apple Arcade has so many good games without transactions.
- Goat Simulator
- Monster Train
- Grindstone
- Slay the Spire
- Balatro
- Angry Birds
- Hello Kitty Island
But my mom just plays solitaire. I try sitting with her and playing new games but she doesn’t go back to the new games. I know she has found new games in the past—she played all of Plants vs Zombies—but that is a long time ago.
Most people allow habit to dictate what activities they do. They don't make a conscious choice. Without a conscious choice to play Balatro regularly, a habit can't be formed. Once a person sacrifices conscious control over their daily routine, it's very hard to come back. They've become a zombie.
I hated homescapes and that guy who's gaslighting his parents into keeping their huge villa that they wanted to sell. I actually think all these characters are pure evil.