I would like to be able to filter out all games which have IAP such as timers or pay to win. Could we add such as filter on the reviews ?
Although I am not an anti-IAP person, considering the way many are in here, having a couple categories both in the forums and list sections have to do with IAP makes sense; like one for "Yes there is minimal IAP but it's only for people who REALLY likes e game or want something very specific" as opposed to "IAP is needed for full experience" and even one for "IAP is only for speed" etc. Basically just two or three categories for IAP, as the IAP in Terraria is different than TaiChi Panda is different from Star Wars Commander is different from etc etc etc, and though some don't want any, some may only want certain kinds.
I recently responded to an email where someone asked for the ability to search our reviews for games with no IAP. Here's my response, which basically 100% applies here- tl;dr- Until Apple adds a method for us to do this automatically it's unrealistic to maintain every game on the App Store which could get updated to add IAP or change how the monetization of a game works at any time.
would be pretty cool hopefully this happens sometime in the future. I really wish apple would give us a toggle on the app store. Wow it would look different!
A toggle to hide IAP... Right. What about games where IAP unlocks the full game? Or full premium experiences where the IAP is more of a tip to the developers? Or expansions and DLC? There's no need for a blanket fire approach. That's why sites like TA and various communities exist - to highlight the good stuff. Besides, as an educated consumer it falls to you to take the time to decide what you do or don't want to support.
Apple has a "pay once and play" category already. Just like you can sort by Paid, Free, Top Grossing. Something like that is what I meant. By no means did I mean permanently hide any games with IAP.
You have to remember though, all their featured categories are curated manually. I do realize what you meant and my post was perhaps a harder jab than it could have been, but who would identify which kind of IAP a game has? Apple? Developers? Players? None of those options are great solutions. I firmly believe that as consumers it is our job to do the research into where we're putting our money. Sites like TA already do a fantastic job with highlighting the best of the best - whether it is games with IAP or those without. To look at that content and then say "well I don't want to read about the top 0.01% of the best games just because they happen to have IAP" feels like a massive middle finger to anyone who works hard writing the content for a website which covers a massive and varied audience. I'm all for giving readers a choice, too, but really... How much of a problem is it? How many games are there that get reviewed on this site which you would filter out?
I come to this site (and have since 2011) because I trust the reviews and most of the forum posters opinions of games. My suggestion was more about the App Store helping the "general public" understand there are more games than the top 150 that they suggest (per category). I think talking to us in the forums is one thing...but like 98% of the guys I work with don't realize how deep the App Store is lol
In all fairness, the original post was about filtering reviews on TA, which I was responding to more directly. The App Store is an entirely different bag. Just like you, I know people who have literally never downloaded anything that wasn't featured. In multiple years of using the App Store. Not even the "top" lists. At the same time though, I don't think those people you and I know would care in the slightest about an IAP switch like that. Only those who are invested in the platform and the games on it do, but those people are already here and in other communities. They already know how to find and identify the good stuff. There's just no easy solution, is there?
