Digital goods guide
Design items players can understand before purchase
Digital goods include cosmetics, content access, consumables, convenience features, social expression, and other non-physical rights. The design task is to make the promise concrete: what changes, how long it lasts, where it appears, what the player owns, and what happens after cancellation, failure, duplicate ownership, or reload.
| Type | Value to explain | Ownership question | Risk to review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic | Appearance or expression without hidden power | Permanent, character-bound, or account-wide? | Status pressure, misleading preview, or compatibility |
| Content unlock | Defined chapter, level, mode, or expansion | Which versions and saves can access it? | Unclear scope or an unusable base experience |
| Consumable | Exact quantity, effect, and duration | When is it consumed and can it expire? | Accidental use, repeat purchase, or power pressure |
| Convenience item | Time or effort saved without removing play | Is the benefit durable or repeatable? | Frustration created to sell the solution |
| Social item | Emote, badge, gifting, or group expression | Can it be transferred, revoked, or duplicated? | Harassment, trading abuse, or audience pressure |
| Currency bundle | Exact amount and permitted uses | What happens to residual balance? | Obscured real price and misleading best-value claims |
Decision boundary
Specify delivery as carefully as the catalog
A good catalog description is not enough. Document pending, success, failure, delayed delivery, already-owned, incompatible, expired, interrupted, and restored states. Show the owned result where the player uses it, not only in a confirmation message.
Scarcity and urgency require evidence and precise rules. Avoid countdowns, limited labels, crossed-out prices, or popularity claims that the product cannot substantiate. A prototype should make these risks visible for review rather than simulate unsupported commerce claims.
