I played Cats & Soup, a live service game by HIDEA that was created for everyone ages 12+. I played the iOS version on my phone but it’s also offered on Android devices. The game is a meditative yet addicting game created for cat lovers and art lovers. The graphic design themes mirror sketching and doodles with cute and round cats – each personalized to a soup-making task.
Cats & Soup puts players at risk for addiction by using mechanics that rapidly overwhelm the player with rewards in forms of shiny coins while also making the generation of coins constant, flat, and with steady rhythm. The game uses randomness to induce big emotions of jackpots, wins, and near-misses in mini games like opening treasure boxes, gift boxes, fishing, and other arcade-like games. These choices drive compulsive engagement through its contribution to the economy system of the game where soup-making cats generate coins which then open access to customization and upgrades.
The game creators apply the use of addiction loops and cycles through its rapid generation of coins. The creators visually exaggerate the amount of coins generated from the soup. Though the actual number may be small, the visual animations and sparkles to embellish the win celebration to be much bigger than it is in value. Not only does the game use visual indicators but also give feedback audibly and haptically to further heighten the “win feeling.” In the video embedded below, the rhythmic coin generation is occasionally interrupted by a big surprise – a large jar of coins or a hot air balloon filled with coins, ready to be shaken. Though the player cannot predict when the large bonus occurs, the uncertainty feeds into the anticipation of a large earning. This mirrors other games of chance like slot machines and its unexpected jackpots – wins that are completely independent of the player’s skill level but still instances that the player anticipates.
Though Cats & Soup does not present near-misses as obviously as slot machines, it presents near-misses through the illusion of control and skill. For example, the opening of treasure chests, gift boxes, and fishing for rare fish seem random, but are likely tied to an algorithm that make users feel like they have more control over what they win – when they don’t. When fishing in the pond, whether a player pulls the fishing rod quickly enough seems to determine whether they catch a fish. This sense of skill creates an illusion of control. The act of pulling a fish from the waters is like the chance game Pokemon TCG Pocket where players feel the illusion of control when opening a rare card or catching a rare fish. This illusion of choice grant players with the belief that they are winning from strategy when their skill level does not influence the win result.
The basketball arcade game that’s embedded as a mini game allows players to engage more closely with the experience of a near-win. Though players can aim their throws, whether the ball goes through the hoop is determined by an algorithm. When a ball bounces just off the edge of the hoop, players are pulled more deeply into the repeated loops of addiction. Although they lost by missing the hoop, the outcome is masked as a near-miss. These near-misses make players feel that wins are just within reach and further encourages repetition of play and engagement.
The game uses scarcity of customization items to encourage players to either stay on the game longer to generate enough coins, or to spend their own money in order to buy the items. Seasonal costumes and furniture are presented in tiers of rarity – making the unlocking of secret, limited items and rare species of cats and fish more enticing. Gift boxes and bonuses are sometimes hidden within the world itself but disappear if not interacted with quickly enough. If the hot air balloon flies by without being shaken, the player loses those coins. If they don’t pick up the sparkles in the grass fast enough, they disappear. This sense of loss paired with scarcity keeps players even longer on the game. Moreover, the use of streaks and daily goals further create a sense of urgency to stay on the game platform. Losing one day risks missing a higher-tiered reward.
Chance should be used to enhance the joy experience of the game, the expansion of the world, and the challenge aesthetics to make the game experience variable. However, chance and randomness should not be used to exploit emotional and behavioral changes in the player. When the use of chance crosses from enhancing the experience to changing to player, themselves, the design impact then becomes manipulative.
Macgregor, Jody. “We Should Redefine Live Service Games as the Living Dead.” Rock Paper Shotgun, 16 May 2024, https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/we-should-redefine-live-service-games-as-the-living-dead.
Schüll, Natasha Dow. “Programming Chance: The Calculation of Enchantment.” Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas, Princeton University Press, 2012, pp. 61–98.
