Better Internet for Kids

We asked Daria from Romania and Meadhbh from Ireland to describe pay-to-win in their own words

What is pay-to-win?

Pay-to-win (P2W) is a strategy where players are encouraged to spend real money to gain significant advantages, bypass progression barriers, or acquire exclusive items. It often exploits psychological tactics like FOMO, social pressure, and competitive desires to drive spending. This creates an imbalance between paying and non-paying players.

Examples

• Speeding up progression: Players can pay to skip long wait times for building upgrades, troop training, or resource gathering, giving them faster progress than non-paying players.
• Exclusive powerful items: Premium weapons, characters, or equipment only available through real-money purchases provide significant advantages in battles or competitions.
• Randomised loot systems: Players spend money to open loot boxes or packs, hoping to obtain rare and powerful items that dramatically improve their gameplay performance.