I am trying to design a system for economics/monetization/metagame for our AR-app (sports/physical game) that has been out for a while. We are re-releasing the game with some new features, such as cosmetics and a battle pass-style progression system. Eventually there will be rewards tied to leveling up your profile, so there is real money “value” tied to the rewards.

I am a bit torn about how to balance the distrubution of experience points and levels, information and topics on the subject are scarce to say the least. And I most of my knowledge is based of my own whaling endeavors in various games with microtransactions (Rocket League, Dota 2, Apex Legends). Our game being an AR-game makes the transition not as seamless as one would hope, it requires a lot more investment and effort as far as time and physical activity goes.

How much should a player have to invest to gain one level? Imagine a session is around 40-60 minutes long (over several games)

Should XP be based on time played or perfromance? There are player vs. player-aspects.

Are there any good examples of AR games with a simillar business model?

General do's and don't's?

Thank you for reading!

simon9 said:
so there is real money “value” tied to the rewards.

General do's and don't's?

DO talk to some real life lawyers who understand both business law and gambling law in your region.

Any time items with real money value are involved, gambling laws can be invoked and they can be nasty.

simon9 said:
How much should a player have to invest to gain one level? Imagine a session is around 40-60 minutes long (over several games)

As there is an actual monetary value associated, it is probably best to have this associated with real life costs and for it to be tied to regions.

Over the years various systems have been abused, misused, or used in ways the developers didn't intend, such as people in low-wage countries getting ‘coerced’ into working at sweatshops in virtual worlds, earning virtual currency that is traded in high-wage countries, then converting it back to their regional currencies. While it may not seem like much in the US for a game to reward in-game goods with a trade value of a dollar or two per hour, there are locations where a day's in-game labor equates to a month of real-world wages if they can only navigate the political hurdles to transfer the cash to themselves. While it attracts people who want to better their lives, it also attracts criminals, including organized crime.

Whatever plan you have, make sure you discuss it with both a lawyer who handles business law, and at least one lawyer who regularly works in your local gambling laws.