Its a shame how everything has become about $$$

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by 99c_gamer, Feb 26, 2012.

  1. mer10

    mer10 New Member

    Feb 8, 2012
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    I agree with the OP that certain simple things should be free, like flashlight apps and calculators. But original games which take a good bit of time to make? Like antireality said, unless everything else is free we'll keep charging for our apps.
     
  2. 99c_gamer

    99c_gamer Well-Known Member

    Mar 23, 2009
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    That's what I initially meant. Complex games obviously different so I can understand charging for an app a serious amount of work into.
    But If your only means of income is charging people for a simple calculator and then harassing me to send more money I'm sorry but you should not be in the app making business.
     
  3. NinthNinja

    NinthNinja Well-Known Member

    Jan 31, 2011
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    #23 NinthNinja, Feb 28, 2012
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2012
    The point is because people do make games for free then the perception of what people expect on the App Store becomes very distorted... Why should I pay for games when I can get ones for free... Really good games that cost above $1.99 are getting ignored, even if their production justifies it.

    The biggest con on the App Store is freemium... free games that have hidden costs but people download them because they are free.

    In a modern world where people's attention spans are pretty short, spending more than 20mins on a game is a luxury when all you have to do is hit the download for the next game.

    Kids love this because of choice and don't really care that these games are watered down.

    The upshot of it is kids will go into burger joints and spend above $2 on junk food that only last seconds but they will not spend the same on iTunes for a game.

    Who is to blame? Apple for setting the min price to been 99c, IAP, and hobbyist developers who decided to set their games at 99c because they knew they were making junk. And now people perceive this to be the norm and expect quality stuff for free.

    So the developers that set this trend off will not be able to compete with the publishers. The publishers are now releasing quality at low costs so that they own the space. Most of the hobby developers that started this trend never bought the license off Apple for a second time. But for everyone that dropped out you would get lots more signing up with the hope of making millions, so the trend carried on. Well those days are long since gone because most Apps fail, nobody knows about them. For Apple they don't really care - they got the $99 license fee.

    There will be a point where developers will abandon the App Store because the effort for making something will be pointless, even if you are in it for fame, a hobby, you need to be recognised and that my friend is the big problem.

    Edit:

    To the original post - this trend is effectively developer's last ditch attempts to compete on the App Store. This is why the App Store is becoming known for tat. The sad fact is no sane developer or publisher will sink millions into an iOS game because they know the market will not except a game at $20.
     
  4. schplurg

    schplurg Well-Known Member

    I'm going to bite my tongue because, as a dev that is moderately succesful, I like to be careful about what I say on public forums.

    "Should" be free? Wow. Get a f'n clue.
     
  5. ScottColbert

    ScottColbert Well-Known Member

  6. TheGreatWhiteApe

    TheGreatWhiteApe Well-Known Member

    Dec 13, 2011
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    Games Designer, animator, writer
    Melbourne, Australia
    Covering costs

    I agree things are getting a bit out of hand, especially with in App advertising. I don't mind paying for a quality game or app because I know how much work goes into it, and how expensive the staff costs are for quality developers these days. To be honest I would rather pay to encourage good operators to stay in the business and keep making great apps.

    I think the app store has attracted a high percentage of flogs though just in it to rip people off. I think it is like anything consumers rate down apps that over capitalize. The problem is that there are too many companies and apps available for consumers to build up dev company loyalty like they do with XBox and other game platforms.

    Also apple has built a market where the .99 price tag is the norm, and I think a lot of developers that aren't producing apps up to the standard of the big players are finding they can't cover their costs so are resorting to inApp advertising and pushing it to the extremes, which is pulling down the whole apple store.
     
  7. Vovin

    Vovin 👮 Spam Police 🚓

    Nov 28, 2009
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    #27 Vovin, Feb 29, 2012
    Last edited: Feb 29, 2012
    Omg, this thread IS the new low.
    I like to bash my head against a wall again and again (would cause no damage anyway), these demands are really out of this world.
    All I can see here is preaching water but drinking wine.
    And who needs to eat anyway?
     
  8. Takiyah

    Takiyah Member

    Apr 22, 2011
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    Developer
    Toronto, Canada
    Very true. Although, I don't think all develops will abandon the App Store though; the user base is just too strong. Larger development studios will be the only ones with the capacity to turn out iOS games cheaply - which you'll need to in the hopes that ONE of your games will catch in order to turn a profit. And by turning out cheap games, I think there will be a limited depth/scope that most iOS games will eventually have. Even simple polished games aren't cheap to make, so they will have to be created in very stream lined production cycles. (which some companies are already getting down)
     
  9. Takiyah

    Takiyah Member

    Apr 22, 2011
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    Toronto, Canada
    What you'll eventually get is just a few players creating "polished" iOS games, and then lot's of quality indie that will generally fall by the way side.
     

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