Eh, it's all just business tactics. Can't blame the devs for trying to make a living. But yeah, it's super annoying when functionality's locked behind a paywall. Sometimes there's a gem out there that does 'free' right though.

Nothing's free. That's the one thing to always remember. You pay with your time, your attention, your wallet, or your personal data. Or all of the above. We're just walking wallets to them.

This is exactly why I refuse to get sucked into 'free' apps these days. I used to spend hours getting hooked on some game only to hit a paywall. And it’s not just games, but utility apps too. They’re all built on psychological manipulation! Game theory, making you wait or grind unless you shell out cash to speed things up. But guess what? Your 'reward' is just another level-up, just another transitory dopamine hit. Do yourself a favor and delete them.

I mean, devs need to eat too, right? Sure, it sucks when the monetization is heavy-handed, but someone's gotta pay for the app's development and maintenance.

Not to mention how these free apps harvest your data while you play. They track everything from play time to purchasing habits. Then sell it off to who knows where. Makes me put on my tin foil hat before I even think about downloading.

Ads are the bane of my existence. I get that devs gotta make money but when I'm hitting more 'X's to close ads than actual game buttons? Ridiculous.

Totally feel your pain. It's like every 'free' game is just a gateway to getting nickel-and-dimed. I miss the days when you bought a game and that was it, no more extra spending required. Seems like they’re really out to exploit impulsive spenders.