Solutions or Challenges?

Recently we downloaded this game – Pudding Masters and we have been having fun playing it. The game is unique in the sense of its ‘money making ‘ model.

Traditionally, most apps offer a 'freemium' model – where one gets a few levels free – and we pay for the rest of the levels. The Angry Birds and Cut the Rope app fall in this category.

Then there are those who offer in-app purchases like some random thing like a jetpack or gold coins or bananas or some such thing to make progress inside the app better.

Pudding monster (like Push Cars before it - though Push cars does both) sells solutions.

The question I have in my mind – is it easier to sell 'solutions' or 'challenges’?

For a person like me, buying a solution is an ‘ego’ issue – I would rather do it myself whereas the challenge of unlocking newer levels is more amenable to my ‘ego’. I personally feel that selling ‘challenges’ works better than selling ‘solutions’ at an app level. But keep in mind that everybody is into selling 'challenges' and the audience profile of Pudding Masters is children who probably want 'solutions'.

But wearing a learning hat – what would work? Solutions or Levels? I am inclined to think it is the latter, but who can say, perhaps it is a different level of thinking!