Hey guys, I'm a developer and I ask myself if you really watch gameplay videos (like on youtube) before you purchase a game and if you skip games without gameplay videos. /edit: I hope this is the right forum for this thread.
Video's are a suresell for me. I have been burnt badly in the past by buying a game based off screenshots only to see that gameplay wasnt what I imagined, or framerates were horrible. EDIT ADD: Doesnt have to be a trailer or internal recording, just a video of someone playing it would work. Ide say a video would = alot more sales.
Gameplay videos are definately important as they show the gameplay, which can't be shown by screenshots. I rarely buy a game without watching a gameplay video first.
We've been looking at this recently - What's said above definitely gets echoed a lot. Also - the quality of the video seems just as important as making one in the first place - Use the simulator or a good quality camera, and edit the thing with some love - make it look like a good quality professional piece of media.
Yes. Edit: I don't care how pretty the video is. Just want to see how the game plays. I've seen lots of "cool" videos that last 30 seconds with only 3 seconds of actual game play. Those are crap. Edit #2: Also prefer to see "fingers on the device" play the game vs the others... Whatever you call it. Sorry tired today... lol
This. If the dev releases a shoddy video edited in WMM then it'll greatly detract from the credibility.
Gameplay videos are extremely important for me. Screenshots can do a game justice, but more often than not a gameplay video definitely sells me on the game first.
I only watch a video if I like the look of a game but don't get the concept. Eh Doodle Jump would be an instant purchase but something like Tilt to Live or Osmos cannot really be explained - a video is easier.
Before I buy a game I usually read 2 or 3 pro reviews (Touch Arcade, Slide To Play, etc), I read some customer reviews on iTunes, and then I go to YouTube and look for a gameplay video.
Oh wow, I didn't think that videos are that important. Maybe that's why my game is not selling too well Guess I'll have to make a video now. Thank you guys for your input!
A video certainly helps, yes, although a solid review does too. Touch Arcade is nice for giving you a look at promising games with some 2 minute videos and a quick overview, but some in depth reviews would be nice.
Uh, getting a review on a well known site like Touch Arcade is really not that easy. I hope you guys don't just dismiss games because there's no review yet.
No, we don't, but getting people to write some in-depth reviews on this site in your game's thread helps a lot. ataloss, LordVader, and several others do some great reviews. I'm a technical writer, and I do some shorter ones. However, we have 10 to 20 people that will do several paragraphs of great info. That really influences sales. IMHO. Best of luck.
Defiantly. I never buy an app with out one. There so many apps that have misleading screenshots and descriptions and some are along the lines of scam.
Depends on the game. It kinda gets split into three categories for me. Some of them are presented well enough through the screens that I can tell it's exactly what I want, others aren't so clear and I want a better idea of what's going on, and the third type is when I'm just not interested at all... then happen to see a video and it changes my mind. Every game should have a video though, not least because it helps build interest before your game is even released.
Of course they are! It's not like console games where we get demos weeks before the fact, chances are the closest way people can get to understanding the game works is by seeing gameplay. All devs should have a gameplay video ready to show people BEFORE the game is released. Exactly. Look at Blue Hole 3D, a great polished game that has been trying to get reviewed by Toucharcade and other sites to no avail.
