Confession
I’ve spent probably around $200 on Clash of Clans.
I started playing 2 years ago and I deleted the game recently.
Gameplay
Clash of Clans boils down to two things: build time & resources.
The reward of diligent play is building on an accelerated schedule. Of course, one can also spend money to build, by purchasing gems.
The trade-off is clear. I wait hours for a building to complete or I can spend gems and complete it instantly. I spend gems to accumulate the resources needed to build when I am short.
After playing a while, one realizes that it would be foolish to spend gems for resources. The rational side started to take over. The rush of instantly upgrading buildings balanced against my bank account. I’d come to a state of equilibrium.
Season Pass
If I’m grinding every month, I might as well buy a season pass to obtain spells & potions.
Everything takes a long time to build. Logging on does not speed up the process. It feels wrong to base one’s life around Clash of Clans. I consciously log on less to play more efficiently.
At the end of the season, the season bank empties. There are more resources than needed, and all the spells & potions are gone.
Thus, buying a new season pass presents itself as an affordable option to quickly spend resources, as long as you plan on grinding. If you buy a season pass early in the month, you can also take advantage of build time bonuses.
Final Thoughts
At one point, I told myself I’d get to a fully upgraded Town Hall 10 and stop. However, sometime after I completed this, I reopened the game. I upgraded to Town Hall 11, and gave myself the same task. After a month, I quit.