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The many game mechanics of Clash Royale

Clash Royale is one of the most addictive games we have played. We have been playing it on and off for a few years now - almost from the time it was launched. So, I have a view of the game from the time it was launched (and a spinoff of the wildly successful Clash of Clans - which we were again playing with some interest until Clash Royale came about). Both as a person who has more than a superficial interest in games and gamification and learning and as a person who plays - it has almost all features that push it to addiction levels.

What makes it so addictive?
Some fairly obvious mechanics:

Most of these are new - not when it was initially launched.
The battle button is highlighted and blinks. It also has special challenges mentioned on it.  (Gold Rush/ Crown Rush)
When a Clan war is on - the battle icon at the bottom is animated
Constant stream of rewards - Tier Rewards, Time Rewards, Collection and Challenge specific rewards
The game play - including sound, light, the spectators, the applause, the crown collection, the celebration
Social: The entire set up including being part of a clan, interacting with friends, working on challenges (and not necessarily about sharing on social media) is all about a collective purpose.
Emotions: The game draws you in. There is an emotion with winning and losing and the game does make it worse. If you get sucked into it, it takes a lot.

At one point, it used to have a break filter - if you play too many matches in a day, the app forces you to take a break- that is the level of addiction..

But for all those work on online apps and think how to make something sticky, Clash Royale is a must play!

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