I think your article is great and really touches on what it is that makes the 'Battle Pass' mechanic of F2P games so rewarding.

But oh boy do I have a chip on my shoulder about energy mechanics. Well implemented (ie without a way to buy more of it) it can be a good way to deliberately limit how long a player can play for. This makes them come back the next day and also implies a little altruism from the developer on how they don't want the player to become an F2P gambling addict.

Devs that charge for extra plays? It just seems like a predatory barrier put up because the developer isn't confident their core gameplay hook is good enough to maintain attention. Its up there with premium currencies as one of the worst things about the market.

The comparison might be slotting 50p coins into an arcade machine for one more go but arcade titles are built around a solid gameplay base that with pure skill can give the player more value. In 40 years I have never paid an arcade game that seemed like a way to extort money from players.