Seal vs. the Mansion
by SealWyf, HSM team writer
Well, I finally learned what that invisible seat, “Cloud City Sit”, is doing on the Nebula Airship. It’s a Captain’s Chair — and it’s visible only to those who own a significant part of the Mansion. And so, as one of the last holdouts against that gold-plated multi-part personal space, I didn’t see it.
Not owning the Mansion has become increasingly difficult. At this point, my friends sigh and say, “Just buy it already. It pays for itself.”
And I have to admit they have a point. The list of benefits conferred by Mansion ownership is reaching embarrassing proportions. The Mansion adds a Jeep to the Winter Villa and a helicopter to the Tycoon Penthouse. It inserts a hot tub in the Creek Falls apartment, and an extra room in the Gothic Manor. It makes a fountain magically appear in the French Chateau. And then there’s the captain’s chair in the Nebula Airship and a chariot in soon-to-be-released Mount Olympus. I think it’s safe to assume that any new personal space from Sony Computer Entertainment will include a feature unlocked by the Mansion.
Even the public spaces of Home are affected. Mansion owners can walk through the infamous velvet rope in the Theater Lobby to reach a VIP space with direct portals to — you guessed it — the Mansion. The Mansion and other premium blingy items, such as the Gold Suit, also give their owners substantial discounts on some item bundles in the Mall.
These things add up. From a strictly dollar perspective, the Mansion is probably worth the twenty dollars it would cost me.
But I’m a child of the ‘sixties, and I’m sensitive to perceived injustice. I distrust strong-arm tactics. Not owning the Mansion has become a matter of principle. I refuse to buy it — not because pixel-gold is a non-renewable resource mined at great environmental cost in third-world nations, or because the Mansion developers are enslaved child laborers who work for pennies a day and sleep in squalid, rat-infested barracks. No, the reason I haven’t bought the Mansion is simply because… I don’t like it.
Like most of us, I come to Home to feed my fantasies. And my fantasies don’t include living in a huge Southern Califoria crib with a gold refrigerator and a bling-collared tiger. To be frank, the Mansion feels like it’s aimed at the kids who hang with their fams in the Godfather 2 space, typing in capital letters and asterisks, with three inches of underwear above their jeans. It’s ostentatious and vulgar. It’s tacky. I don’t want anything to do with it.
This impression is only deepened by the over-the-top bling a Mansion owner can present his guests. That animated diamond-studded sofa, that gold canopy bed — give me a break! The only space where those things work is the Dragon’s Lair, which is already wall-to-wall over-the-top fake gold.
All that glitters...
I’m sure the developers think it’s funny. This space, and its spin-off furniture, are so completely and unapologetically tasteless that I know it’s all a joke. It’s the same kind of humor we see in the Casino hotel rooms, which quote every tacky, overpriced hotel their designers have ever suffered. Don’t worry that the Home Casino will corrupt the young — one look at those rooms will convince them that casino resorts are creepy.
So, yes, I get it. You don’t have to explain the joke. I appreciate humor in space design, and I like “reading” the developers from their creations. I’m not sorry that I’ve visited the Mansion. It has given me some laughs, and a grand collection of fake bling. But it’s not a space I enjoy. If I break down and buy it, it will only be to unlock the benefits its ownership confers. And I may still do so. But I’ll resent it.
I don’t expect to use Home for free. Monetization is necessary, and PSN cards have become a staple of my household budget. I’m not going to tell you how much I’ve spent on Home in the three years I’ve lived here, but it’s huge. I enjoy adding to my overflowing wardrobe closets and my warehouses of Home furniture. I have personal spaces I haven’t visited in months, and I add another every few weeks. I am definitely here to stay, and so is my money.
But, Developers of Home — you whose real-life houses which are not gold-plated and are paid for by our purchases — the challenge is not to make us spend. We’re doing that already. Your job is to keep us from resenting it.
Being an active Home spender, I’ve thought a lot about monetization and the ways to make it emotionally painless. I notice what works for me, and what just gets my back up. And my current thinking is that there are two, apparently contradictory, strategies that work. One is to make the purchase simple, direct, and understandable. The other is to decouple the transaction — to separate the spending from the purchase by inserting a game or social activity between them.
Let me explain. The simplest monetization strategy is a direct purchase: I see an item I like in the Mall, I add it to my shopping cart, and it’s charged against my wallet balance. I like this. Most of my Home purchases will mimic the simplicity of purchases in real life.
Invisible helicopter
However, there is already an element of decoupling in the wallet itself. You add money when you run low, through credit or PSN cards. Once money has been added, the only way to get it out is to spend it. This effectively tokenizes the money. It’s not money any more — it’s credits. This the strategy used in casino table games, where the currency of gambling is not cash, but colorful, toylike chips. Spending is easier if it’s not real money on the table, but something one step removed.
Another form of decoupling is bundling items for a discount. The thinking works like this: that’s a nice outfit Lockwood has put out, but I’ll probably never wear the gloves. However, with the bundle discount, the gloves are just about free, so I might as well get the whole package. Since the unwanted items are part of a larger, discounted package, it doesn’t really feel like I am buying them.
A variation on this is bundling not-so-great items with something extremely desirable, which can only be acquired with the bundle. A prime example of this was the Midnight Glade personal space, which could only be acquired by buying the full set of Lockwood fireworks. In a way, the transaction was inverted: I wasn’t buying the fireworks — I was buying the personal space. The fireworks came along for the ride.
This was also the marketing strategy for Lockwood’s Dream Yacht — it was bundled with thirty furniture items, which were delivered as unlockable content over the next few weeks. Most of them are not things I would have purchased separately, but there’s also a gorgeous giant fish tank, which excited serious object-lust. That tank made the Yacht’s steep price tag much more palatable.
All these bundling strategies work well, and no doubt they will continue to be used in Home. But a new and very powerful form of decoupling involves games. You spend money on the game, play the game, and receive items as rewards.
This works in two ways. Most of us will spend more on the game than we would on the items, if indeed we would have bought them at all. Conversely, earning the rewards makes us more likely to spend money on the game than we would if we were playing it for fun. As illogical as it seems, this strategy is very effective.
Invisible Jeep
Consider how truly lame most of the rewards in the Midway and the Casino really are. For me, the only things worth winning in the Midway were the Flying Carpet and the Disco Ball. But that didn’t stop me from playing those silly games and rejoicing in every ridiculous prize I won.
It’s even worse in the Casino. There’s nothing to be won there that I really want to own. But I’m slowly earning the prizes, one by one — and, to win them, I’m playing boring, lossy games that make my skin crawl, as well the games I enjoy. The monthly list of top-selling items from Sony shows that I’m not alone. Token packs for the Midway and Casino are consistently among the top sellers.
Another top-selling item is packs of tokens for the Lockwood Gift Machine. In this case, it’s not a game that has been monetized, but a social interaction — the ability to “gift” unique items to your friends. Like the Midway and Casino token packs, this taps into the psychology of tokenization: once you have bought the tokens, you can’t use them for anything else. And you use them freely, because it’s no longer real money you are spending.
For some reason, this form of tokenized pay-to-play seems to be more successful than the “freemium” model of buying upgrades to free-to-play games. Successful examples of the freemium strategy have included Salt Shooter and Project Velocity, the Aurora games and Novus Prime. But the freemium model was also used in failed games, such as Conspiracy and Dragon’s Green. Is the monetization strategy why they failed? It’s a complex question. But I suspect that the business model may be part of the answer.
So how does all this apply to the Mansion?
I see the Mansion ploy as a disguised loyalty program, similar to the benefits given to PlayStation Plus subscribers. But they are not really comparable. With Plus, Sony gets a predictable revenue stream, and we receive previews, discounts and invitations to betas. With the Mansion, Sony gets an occasional large sale, and we receive discounts and extra unlocked features in unrelated spaces.
But there is an undesirable layer of resentment with the Mansion. On an emotional level, the transaction reads as, “Buy something you don’t want, and we’ll let you have some perks.”
I understand loyalty programs. I was a Plus subscriber for a while, and may well become one again. I have set aside a section of my wallet for frequent-buyer cards — buy nine cupcakes (or lunches, or nights at the bed-and-breakfast), and get one free. I pool my Amazon purchases so I can get free shipping. These are legitimate ways to reward loyal customers. They are straightforward and easy to understand. They don’t feel like strong-arm tactics. But the Mansion-linked benefits do, for reasons that are likely more pyschological than real.
So, how could this program be changed, to make it feel more fair?
Invisible chair
One strategy would be to link the bundle discounts and unlocked features to Plus membership rather than a specific in-Home purchase. The main reason I let my Plus subscription lapse was that there were not many benefits for habitual Home users. Discounts on games don’t attract me, because I rarely play games any more. All my online time is spent in Home.
Another idea would be to let users buy apartment upgrades, in the same way that they pay for downloadable content for games. Purchasing upgrades is a known business model. It’s now standard for a disk-based game to support additional purchased adventures. But I would suggest that the purchase of space upgrades be decoupled by inserting a layer of game-play or gifting or tokenization into the transaction.
For instance, sell “Apartment Upgrade Packs” of tokens, which could be spent purchasing the extra room, the Jeep, the helicopter, the captain’s chair, the hot tub, the chariot and so on. Even better, let us send tokens to our friends. People love to send and receive gifts. Sending tokens would be like sending gift certificates — the recipient can decide how to spend them.
Better yet, don’t sell us Apartment Upgrade Tokens — let us earn them by playing a game. Then monetize the game.
It doesn’t have to be a game in the apartment to be upgraded, though it could be. Real-estate upgrade games could be hosted in the Mall, or in another public space. Or it could be a purchased game — buy the game, earn the tokens, spend or gift them, and unlock the upgrades. At that point there are so many layers of separation that the transaction feels fair and non-coercive.
I’m going to make a prediction based on my own experience and what I see of other users in Home. If you do this, if you build this for us, we will use it. And we will spend a heck a lot more money on it than we ever would on the one-time purchase of the gold-plated Mansion.
More importantly, we won’t resent it. We’ll be too busy playing games, earning tokens, and upgrading our personal spaces. We’ll be exchanging upgrade tokens with our friends, and deciding how to spend them. We’ll be in active competition to see who can unlock all the extra content first.
More importantly, we’ll be having fun. And fun is what this place, this Home is all about. Build fun, make the transaction a game, and the bottom line will take care of itself.
February 24th, 2012 by SealWyf_ | 23 comments
SealWyf is a museum database programmer, who has been active in online communities since before the Internet, and in console gaming since the PS1. In games, she prefers the beautiful and quirky, and anything with a strong storyline. She is obsessed with creating new aesthetic experiences in PlayStation Home.
Very, very good article, Sealio. I think that if you got the job of head-muckety-muck @Home that we would all end up spending much more money -- and smile all too wide while doing so. I’se gots nuffin’ but love for da’ Seal…but your clarity of vision is oft times scary, heh heh.
Holy wah! That was pretty good reading.
I like the gold mansion quite a bit but it’s not worth the whatever it costs. I have it through a pricing glitch that cost me twenty clams. Pretty deal for me, imho.
But I wouldn’t buy the mansion for the whatever higher price, at least I doubt it. (Who knows? I wasted $19.99 on chips at the Casino but then again I had fun losing all the money. Warning: The VIP hotel room sucks and the free one is cool, or will be once they clean up the water mess.)
I’m still wondering why I bought the big boat. It’s big but does nothing. Cool furniture though, especially the giant fish tank.
And just wait till I get that helicopter flying. I used to fix those things so I figure I got a chance. Look to the skies.
I do feel the angry, disappointment, and pain that some feel when they don’t get perks because they don’t own the gold mansion. I know I would be disappointed. Even more so then spawning in the Hub.
Very well written article.
Bye.
Very nicely stated Seal… that Sealed the deal! I agree about the Mansion. I get the joke. I don’t want to own the joke. As for blinged out gold stuff, even Donald Trump would say…”that’s over the top. You’re Fired!”(tm)
I completely agree with this article. Seal your vision on personal space upgrades is one i wondered about. If these were available on home we could build our own mansions. I would love to add to my lake house. Maybe have the option of having daylight there, or a boathouse…the ideas or endless. Good job Seal.
Thanks for the kind words! I honestly expected Jason would try to talk me out of publishing this piece, since I had turned the sarcasm dial up to about 6.5. I’m pleased that it appeared here intact.
Kid Fleetfoot, I disagree about the Comped Room — it’s cool BECAUSE it’s flooded. I hope they continue to play with it, and continue the story. The next step could be a carpet of mushrooms!
I have no issue with the article at all; it’s an absolutely brilliant read. For those who recall my review of the first Mansion segment, I was…less than kind towards it.
HSM is a Sony-positive publication, but that doesn’t mean we refrain from constructive criticism. And that’s the big thing about this article which makes it work: it offers analysis and solutions.
A general rule with HomeStation journalism is that if you’re going to bring a problem, bring a solution. And we do our best to adhere to this standard. Seal’s article exemplifies this ethos.
Yup, SealWyf, the Comped Room is cool because it’s flooded. It’s funny and was certainly unexpected even though I read about it on the PS3 Forum.
As to my original post, I don’t always mean what I say even when I do. My humor is somewhere under water along with my money. I got it out though with my diving outfit.
I don’t know what a Comped Room is, btw.
I do know (think, believe) the cheap room is much better than the VIP hotel sweet even though it stinks a bit. I got a good outside view on mine cus the very first thing I did was put the Loot city window over the curtains. That in itself gives it class.
I’ve said way too much.
Nice article Seal. Maybe the developers will see this, and see the resentment some of us have for this space, and it’s ‘membership privileges’. Its not likely though.
This mansion is creating a ‘class’ situation in home. The haves and have nots. As you said, many of us use Home to escape reality. To escape the world of ‘have’ and ‘have nots’.
I rarely visit Home now, compared to what I used to. I only go there now to visit old friends. Not for Home itself.
I appreciate the comment, Lab. I actually doubt the people who do the programming have much say in how their work is used. We tend to conflate designers and their managers under the title “developers”, a shorthand I’m sure they find annoying. Somebody comes up with the idea for a multi-space mega-apartment, and someone else says, “Hey, we could totally monetize this!” And someone else tells their designers, “Please add something to this space that can be unlocked by the user’s owning one of the items on this list.”
I think what is needed is a focus group of thoughtful Home users, a group that can be shown an idea and asked, “How would you feel about this?” Or a beta test that focused on the emotional reaction to items and policies rather than finding bugs. If volunteers are needed, I’m available…
Excellent read seal, your voice carried the article smoothly. wonderful read. I don’t own the mansion and never plan to. The tie in unlocks in the other apartments just makes me less likely to buy those apartments too. I love your ideas about games that earn upgrades but I would be afraid of the system getting too complex.
I agree Seal I haven’t bought the mansion either, not just because of the gaudiness involved but also because it is already furnished and for me that is the real fun when getting a space, I like to make it my own.
I don’t care how many perks they add to spaces I have bought that tie into the mansion, I still won’t buy it, all the perks in the world don’t justify the purchase to me.
If it had a bit more buyer useability, like allowing us to move the furniture or something I might reconsider.
Great read, I bow to your sarcastic wit!
Right on Target Seal!!! I have the same feelings towards the Mansion in general & wholeheartedly agree with you. I won’t buy it simply due to the fact with all the “Baked-In” Furniture, there’s no sense of individuality. Yea, the X-Tra unlocks are “Cool”, but at what cost truly, your dignity? On the Mansion, I think I will take a pass on it, I enjoy the Spaces that I do have & the way Lootgear (The Space Apt.) & Lockwood(The Dream Yacht) are doing, they’re putting out a slightly better product entirely. Kudos to Sony for at least trying.
I’m glad I’m not the only on whole finds the Mansion tacky. If you open up Architectural Digest and look at some of the homes there, none of them look like that.
However, I to am starting to see the benefit of owning at least one part of the mansion as it extends benefits well beyond the space. It would be nice if Home created a second premium space like this so at least we had a choice. Or instead offer the same benefits to PlayStation Plus members. We’ve ponied up a lot of money to subscribe to this service the least Sony could do is create some better benefits for Plus members in Home.
I like the bundling some of the developers are doing. I don’t even mind paying more if it means I get a space and furniture at once. I really like the 100 item super bundle, however, in order to take full advantage of these deals. You need the mansion.
“But I’m a child of the ‘sixties, and I’m sensitive to perceived injustice. I distrust strong-arm tactics. NOT owning the mansion has become a matter of principle. I refuse to buy it…simply because I don’t like it.”
Perfect. We’re in complete agreement there. Except that I’m a child of, like, maybe 5 years ago but point still taken. I’ve refused to buy any of the spaces with mansion-related perks as well. That stance would be out of principle as well because I do kind of fancy the Winter Villa. Oh well, Sony’s loss not mine.
Excellent article.
Very nice article Seal and very well stated. I do not like anything about the mansion. I don’t even like the items that are gifted. I have them, put them out once and then put them in storage (Have you ever tried sleeping on a gold bed?). You also pointed out something that really bothers me, “Why do I have to buy something I don’t want to upgrade something I do want?” I can accept Sony, in a way of role-playing, creating a pseudo-upperclass with perks, such as exclusive access, but having the captain’s chair (an integral part of any spaceship) only visible in the space if the owner of that space also owns the mansion is ridiculous. Upgrades for the Nebula ship or any other space should be done within that space. People who like the Nebula ship may not like the Mansion (considering the two spaces it is almost guaranteed that they would not). I do like your idea of buying the upgrades directly for a space, rather than indirectly by buy something you do not want. Again, I enjoyed this very much.
Great article seal,
I think that we have all become more savvy when buying personal spaces and most of us have bought one that they wish they saved the receipt!
I also am totally in with you regarding space upgrades/add on content. I think it is bound to happen at some point.
Wonderful article, as always, SealWyf. I love your style and your insights. I too, do not own the mansion. There’s so much that I don’t like about it! Also, I take a very hard and long look at any space that offers a mansion tie-in before I purchase it. And I haven’t purchased any of the 100-item bundles, btw.
I CONCUR!!! *ahem*
I’d go further and say the mansion isn’t just tacky, but I even find it repulsive. However, I was nearly tempted to buy a part of it because of the benifits that are tied to it. If only Sony could have made me drink a few more beers that night, they’d have had their money out of me. Ahh well, looks like common sense pervailed again, despte intoxication.
Exelent article by the way, a summery of thoughts that have been swirling around my own head that lacked the diction to come out coherently. Well done.
very well write, funny read for me! i share your point of view on the mansion at 100% sealwyf!
Even with all the new perks I find the mansion too expensive.If I do ever buy it,and I probably will eventually,it would be to use as another location to shoot machinima.I can’t parody the mansion if I don’t own it…I agree that the gold furniture is difficult to decorate with but those items are heavy which is useful when I need to push other heavy items into position.I’m not tryin to make a case for mansion ownership here,just leaving my two cents…Canadian
I completely disagree about the Midway prizes though.I love my stuffed animals and Miz prizes are awesome!
I own and actually enjoy the mansion, although moreso since ownership has given me three 100-items-for-$1 bundles so far. Those deals, plus the added items in recent personal spaces, make the $35 total pricetag a little easier to swallow.
However, something has always bugged me about the space, and I’m not talking about the gold furniture or lack of decorating opportunities: who the heck builds a one-bedroom mansion?
Or a one bathroom mansion?