Why I need to logon to Game Center?

[hajime]

Hello, I am new to iOS. I installed some games but whenever I try to run the apps, I am asked to logon to Game Center. How come? Does that mean I have to pay money if I want to play?

What is Apple's Game Center anyway?

 

[MetalCores]

It's just a community of iOS gamers if you will. You can add friends on it and see different achievements you have earned while playing just like on Xbox or PlayStation. And it doesn't cost anything

 

[hajime]

The App I installed is NamcoArcade. After signing in Game Center, I got an error message. Then, the home screen of the game app showed up. I could select from a variety of games. Most of them has a sign "1 Play Free". One of them has a sign "1 free play each day". So, although installation of some of the games apps are free as stated in App Store, after installation the programers could ask for payment in anyway they like?

 

[Tyler23]

The App I installed is NamcoArcade. After signing in Game Center, I got an error message. Then, the home screen of the game app showed up. I could select from a variety of games. Most of them has a sign "1 Play Free". One of them has a sign "1 free play each day". So, although installation of some of the games apps are free as stated in App Store, after installation the programers could ask for payment in anyway they like?

When you look the app up on the App Store and go to its page, you'll notice that it says "Offers in-App Purchases." That's what you are encountering. Many apps (on iOS, Android) follow this method. They let you download the app for free to get you interested, but then require further purchases to obtain more content, features, etc.

Pretty common practice. Some apps/games provide quite a bit of content for free and offer only extras with purchase. Others are seemingly useless without taking part in the in-app purchases.

It has nothing to do with Game Center. You can generally just ignore Game Center of you don't want to participate in the social aspect of it.