Ravoniarison, Aina <br/><br/>
Mobile user resistance to models combining free and paid content: the “game-within-the-game” 

 -  2021.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 42 
<br/><br/> • Research objectivesThis article focuses on two goals: based on the study of free-to-play video games, it aims to determine mobile users’ perceptions of models mixing free and paid content, and to identify the methods of resistance employed by the players. • MethodThe authors based their work on various concepts like free use, psychological reactance, resistance and cheating. A qualitative methodology was defined, blending netnography with semi-structured interviews (n=18). • ResultsThe research sheds light on the observed methods of resistance and on the ambiguous relationships between mobile users and these models. It also enabled the characterization of a number of resistance profiles. • DiscussionThe study formulates recommendations for mobile video game publishers, as well as for marketing managers in charge of mobile apps. It encourages them to emphasize the transparency of their business models, to be less persuasive/directive by promoting an alternative to paid purchases and, lastly, to offer an added-value experience through experiential benefits. • OriginalityThis work reveals and explains an aggressive, controversial phenomenon of resistance: strategies for circumventing the rules by means of deviant behaviour (cheating and neutralization strategies). It will fuel discussions of users’ relationships to free-to-play games and shines a light on value-shaping mechanisms within the context of mobile apps.