#Addiction

Just as with the other one it ends up reaching a point where either I accept it as a chore or pay to cover my relaxation (neither is desirable).

So, ironically, I can see the flaws with it that Mesmer mentioned earlier. It doesn't fit very well into anyone who has a busy lifestyle and who then doesn't want to spend much on a game.

The core issue is that games like this require consistent effort and dedication from the player. This, of course, is by design and makes it a very stimulating pastime, except that when you factor in how many hours are in every day, how much energy you have and the emotions of real life vs even the game (yes, it gets emotionally intense, it's a social clan game with drama and rivalries) it amounts to a grind, where the grit required is something that acts against the pleasure from the game. There is no pleasure from spending money on a game in itself, the pleasure if from the progress but if you constantly feel like the progress is requiring you to either work your ass off in the game or in real life to pay, it amounts to the game not being a game, it's a chore. Thus defeating the reason you played the game in the first place (to have fun as you let off steam from your chores). 

I do see the appeal of these games and could even see ways each could be refined and/or improved but ultimately it doesn't matter how you design a real-time strategy game that is based around clans and building, either it becomes a chore or it becomes a bore... I know it rhymes but that is indicative of the irony of it all.

Eventually, of course, it becomes both but at that stage you feel so invested into it all that you don't want to quit and let all your time, effort and actual money go to waste.

This doesn't make me at all say that I see particularly how this type of game is worse than any particular game franchise that is pay-to-play, since this is actually free to pay and all payments are your choice but I do see the problem with the structure of it, you end up trapped and don't know a way out. It may take your phone breaking (but then you have emulator, however it will still factor in) or something along those lines for you to start to see the issue.

I happen to be someone who both can get 'addicted' to these games and yet can remain resolute with how much I spend etc (I guess it's upbringing that plays into this though, since I was always raised to understand what any cost really means and stuff) so I don't personally notice the 'predatory' aspect of these games as too brutal or harsh and don't see these companies as particularly immoral, compared to any sort of 'pay us to get pleasure' service. However, I can somewhat see the issue given the social elements of the game (you're in a clan etc) and how it keeps you stuck, afraid to wither away and lose all your progress. It doesn't matter how mentally disciplined you are, the quitting feels horrible at worst or dull/numbing at best. I would say that one thing that could improve these game types is if there were 'levels' and I don't mean newer servers because that's already there and is fair enough. There could be 'levels' to the servers and you move up or slide down the servers based on your progress, this would be far, far fairer and superior even helping you with matchmaking for the clan wars. The reason they don't do this, which is justifiable, is that this would also force you out of your clan and make you stuck in a whole new server, interacting with all new poeple who are just as powerful or even slightly more powerful than yourself.