The rise of platforms as the premier model of videogame distribution has led to a number of changes in the business models of producers and distributors. Consumers are constantly hailed by games platforms through freemium business models that offer cosmetic items contained in loot boxes or recurring subscriptions. Thus far, game studies and consumer studies have been unable to account for the totality of how these new and dynamic platforms circumvent legal barriers and attract potential consumers. This paper argues that a hybrid research model combining platform studies, socio-cultural critique of gamblification, and political economy is required in order to theorize and explicate how these platforms operate. The platformized and gamblified model for game distribution seeks to regulate and configure networks of association between consumers and producers with the ultimate aim of eliciting participation on platforms.

平台作为视频游戏发行的主要模式的崛起导致了生产商和发行商的商业模式发生了许多变化。游戏平台通过免费增值业务模型不断吸引消费者，这些业务模型提供战利品盒或定期订阅中包含的化妆品。迄今为止，游戏研究和消费者研究还无法说明这些新的动态平台如何规避法律障碍并吸引潜在消费者。本文认为，需要有一个结合了平台研究，对游戏化的社会文化批判和政治经济学相结合的混合研究模型，以便理论化和阐明这些平台的运作方式。