I didn’t even write an intro for this one because of how terrible I am at them, someone please help AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

FOMO stands for the Fear of Missing Out, and has been a term with a history that extends far beyond gaming. In its simplest form, FOMO explains the phenomenon of a person feeling a sense of regret or anxiety around an event, product, or interaction. The possibility of missing out on a novel event such as a meeting or party, a one-of-a-kind product, or even something as simple as a new flavor of ice cream can all contribute to FOMO. It can spiral out of control quickly, to the point where FOMO can convince you that even the idea of turning down an opportunity is the wrong idea.

In the context of gaming, the term is usually used in conjunction with the tactics that gaming companies use in order to receive more money from consumers. Keep in mind, FOMO isn't a black and white issue. While there's not a clear definition of when FOMO comes into play, I'll be going over examples that are generally agreed upon by the gaming community to be tactics that prey on FOMO.

Daily login rewards have become the standard in modern gaming, primarily in online service games. The process is simple; every day that a player logs in the, the game will give them a special reward, such as in-game currency, or a farming booster. If a player misses a day, they will just get the reward that they would’ve gotten the prior day. Games that feature this system can punish players who don’t login everyday but not giving them all of the rewards available, cycling login rewards every month. This small addition has a major effect on player retention, making gamers feel as though they have no choice but to keep logging in to get more benefits.

Going a little deeper into the rabbit hole, we have limited-time events. Just like daily logins, this system is self-explanatory. Online games in the modern age will feature events, such as a Christmas event or a Halloween-themed dungeon, that players can engage in for a certain amount of time.  These events are mostly targeted at returning, or veteran players, causing them to log back in for the new rewards. Games can add further incentive to these events by making the rewards exclusive; the rewards for 2021 may be different from the rewards from 2022.

Finally, the worst culprit of FOMO exploitation, in my personal opinion, pre-orders. Consumers use their money to purchase not the game, not the tangible product, but the promise of the game. In exchange, the company will offer them bonuses such as merchandise, early game boosters, or exclusive in-game cosmetics. Pre-orders are almost always a bad idea, as the consumer has no idea what the state of the game will be on the date of release. In recent years, this has led to a culture in the AAA gaming industry of publishing unfinished games with hundreds of pre-orders, then issuing a statement that the games would be fixed over time, in order to make the purchase worth it.