One of my absolute favorite games is Path of Exile. Don’t worry, this is not going to be my typical unhinged rant about one of my favorite games. Rather I’d like to talk about something that I feel Path of Exile does particularly well that other “live service games” could and should steal. Path Of Exile is a true seasonal game. Due to the nature of the game’s economy, regular fresh starts are needed. During these fresh starts all players must make a new character and start from scratch. These resets allow new players to start on a mostly even footing with experienced players. Experienced players will still progress faster due to more knowledge and practice. The resets still give newer players an entry point. Fresh starts don’t work for every live service game, I think this strict seasonal model of releases gives an opportunity to multiplayer and live service games. I think seasonal resets that align with large new content updates allow Path of Exile to respect player’s time and use less dark patterns in Path Of Exile’s design. The game doesn’t use any of the annoying dailies, weeklies, or login bonuses that are so common in other persistent games. This creates a game that is a comfort to come back to. For me, it feels like coming home every time a new season is coming and knowing I won’t have to ever stress about missing a daily.

So let’s start with the problem as I see it. There are just too many games to play! The average gamer has to pick and choose what to spend their time on. Even if the games you play are free to play or relatively cheap. The average single player game takes twenty hours of your life to play through. That is not counting any new game plus, replays, or achievement hunting that you might do. The other problem is that a lot of these games are pretty good. It’s hard to argue that they aren’t worth your time. Throw in live service games such as MMOs, Shooters, and Gacha Games and gaming is suddenly in the middle of the attention economy. It’s not just your money they need, it’s your time and attention. So most games use what are sometimes called “Dark Patterns” to keep you playing. These are your typical engagement mechanics that force you to log in every single day. Daily bonuses, daily quests, weekly raids and dungeon lockouts. A whole lot of time gating and forcing the player to make the game a part of their daily routine.

Resets or new seasons in all games are a time to build hype and engagement. Content creators make reactions and videos breaking down new content or speculating on what may be coming. This is where I think Path Of Exile really shines. It is my example of  a perfect live service game. Since I know the game will reset every couple of months. I don’t ever feel a need to compulsively play it. I still do play it a ton because I adore the game and I am addicted to it. That being said I can find time to fit in new releases and other games around Path Of Exile. In a strange paradox of forced time management, knowing that I don’t have to feel pressured to play more allows me to stay engaged with the game. The game does this without dailies or weekly rewards. You don’t lose anything if you don’t login regularly. The lack of pressure makes the game much more comfy and enjoyable.

I do have to address that Path of Exile does have a battlepass. However, the battle pass is also something you can complete on your own time. Most battlepasses follow the same pattern as described before. The Kirac’s Vault Pass, as Path Of Exile calls it, doesn’t require you to complete specific quests to fill it. You just have to complete all of the game’s endgame maps. Without going in depth on the endgame of Path Of Exile that might not make sense. It is something that any player who makes it to the endgame is going to do anyway. Most experienced players will reach the endgame and complete all the maps within about twenty to thirty hours of play. The battle pass is very reasonable to complete over a four month period. The paid portion of the battle pass only provides cosmetics as well. That is another of Path of Exile’s tenants, their monetization does not affect gameplay or character progression.

Most gamers should agree this is a very ethical and reasonable model when compared to most free to play, live service games. This model keeps players engaged but doesn’t have the typical dark patterns of dailies, weeklies, and battle passes. The game respects your time and doesn’t have to make use of typical engagement mechanics to keep its playerbase logging in everyday. This is why every live service game should look to Path of Exile and steal this design. It shows how live service games don’t have to be abusive to be very successful. So please, give me more seasonal games to get excited about and leave all that silly dopamine manipulation to the side.