game-monetization · diff
git:20260912.a9e64a4 to git:20260913.3c614b8
26 added, 54 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: game-monetization
- description: >
- Engine-neutral money columns for games and game-like apps. Use when a
- shop is a second combat clock, when a paywall is called a tutorial, or
- when a debug VIP is treated as a new-player funnel. Ask the column first.
- Does not promise conversion or revenue.
+ description: Use when a game or game-like product introduces paid offers, ads, passes, subscriptions, trials, premium unlocks, paywalls, or store copy and the boundary between pricing, entitlement, gameplay, and evidence is unclear.
---
- # Game monetization
-
- Ask the column.
-
- | Column | What the player pays for | Combat clock |
- |---|---|---|
- | cosmetic-iap | look, dance, pet | unchanged |
- | battle-pass | seasonal track of cosmetics + small convenience | unchanged |
- | ad-reward | optional wait → currency or continue | optional, never required mid-combo |
- | premium-unlock | one-time remove ads / unlock acts | must not thicken hitboxes |
- | live-sub | live ops / extra slots / cloud | cost must match ongoing service |
- | fair-f2p | ads or cosmetics only | same windows as payer |
-
- Do not mix fair-f2p with a shop that sells +frames or shorter cooldowns.
- A hard paywall before the first verb is a column you name, not the default.
+ # Game Monetization
- ## Order
+ This skill owns **monetization model selection, offer/gate semantics and evidence boundaries**. It does not verify store transactions, grant ownership, set combat timing, or guarantee business outcomes.
- ```
- feel the verb (tutorial-design / game-planning slice)
- → understand the offer (what is gated)
- → buy / skip / restore
- → entitlement lands
- → measure with real purchases, not debug flags
- ```
+ ## Modes
- Value before wall. Copy after the player has used the free verb once.
- See gameplay-validation: a scripted VIP flag is not a new-player funnel.
+ | Mode | Offer model |
+ |---|---|
+ | cosmetic-iap | paid cosmetic/presentation goods |
+ | battle-pass | seasonal track tied to `season-track` |
+ | ad-reward | authored optional reward/continue/ad flow |
+ | premium-unlock | one-time content/feature gate |
+ | live-sub | recurring service/content entitlement |
+ | fair-f2p | project policy emphasizing non-paid gameplay parity |
- ## Offers
+ These are product modes, not moral or revenue claims. A project can define additional models explicitly.
- - Name the gate: whole app, one act, one tool, one cosmetic.
- - Trials are timed access to *that* gate, not a silent full unlock.
- - Lifetime SKUs must price the ongoing cost (servers, AI calls, live ops).
- - Stroked-through prices need a real prior price. A planned future price is not history.
- - "Most popular" needs a count. Otherwise say "recommended".
- - Restore-purchase is a job on the paywall. Missing restore is a defect.
- - Debug entitlements write lab-slot only (save-integrity).
+ ## Ownership boundaries
- ## Evidence vs wish
+ - SKU/offer copy, gate and price intent live here/`iap-offers`.
+ - Verified purchase ownership and idempotent delivery live in `entitlement-grant`.
+ - Restore behavior lives in `restore-purchase`.
+ - Wallet accounting lives in `currency-dual`.
+ - Gameplay timing/hitboxes/cancels remain in `action-feel` and their real owners; this skill does not secretly author +frames, cooldowns, or collision.
+ - Seasonal tier/claim state lives in `season-track`.
- | Allowed | Forbidden |
- |---|---|
- | this SKU exists in code at path X | this SKU converts at 12% |
- | public store page lists price P in region R | guessed monthly from a yearly string |
- | a recorded purchase on a test account | debug VIP equals a customer |
- | unknown cycle | invent a cycle so the table looks full |
+ ## Offer evidence
- No internet → mark prices unverified. Do not invent competitor medians.
- Calling this skill does not authorize shipping a price change.
+ Every offer identifies what is gated, duration/renewal if applicable, price source/region when known, trial/expiry behavior, and restore/cancel path where the platform/product requires it. Unverified price or competitor data stays marked unverified.
- ## Accept
+ Claims such as conversion, retention, ARPU, uplift or revenue require actual analytics with population/window/experiment context. A configured SKU, debug entitlement, test purchase or design hypothesis does **not** prove revenue impact.
- A player can finish the first slice without paying if the column is fair-f2p or ad-reward.
- Payer and non-payer share action-feel windows.
- A wall states what is bought, what happens when the trial ends, and how to restore.
- No sentence promises revenue lift.
+ Store/platform compliance is version- and region-specific; verify current platform requirements before shipping. Calling this skill never authorizes a production price change by itself.
- ## See also
+ ## Acceptance
- App-style onboarding / paywall method notes: `docs/cases/app-monetization-ref.md`.
+ A reviewer can trace offer → verified entitlement/restore owner → granted product state without monetization code owning combat mechanics. Test buy/skip/restore/expiry paths appropriate to the selected model, and keep business performance claims separate from implementation correctness. No sentence promises revenue lift without measured evidence.