Review Site Outs Developer for Reviewing Own Apps!

Discussion in 'Public Game Developers Forum' started by Sinecure Industries, Apr 3, 2012.

  1. Hey that's you!

    I know there has been a big discussion about this before and people were on both sides of the fence. If your friends buy your app, can't they leave their own review? In the other thread (can't find it now) someone paid for reviews from Fiverr. This, along with 1 person opening multiple iTunes accounts to review, is what I would consider manipulation. I saw an app that had a very high amount of reviews. Upon playing I found that one of the quests was to leave a review (which I didn't do). What would you consider that?

    This article makes me feel like I'm watching the local news. Not much going on so you sort of pick the best story you have and put a spin on it to make it sound like breaking news. Just my opinion.
     
  2. Sinecure Industries

    Sinecure Industries Well-Known Member

    That is me! I was having some fun on my personal twitter and messaging every single follower I had to say hey (as opposed to a marketing blitz :rolleyes:) and he just seemed to... take it the wrong way I guess. I loled pretty hard that he took the time to write the article so the least I could do is share it.

    As for our reviews - I don't see why a reviewer could leave a review for themselves, big deal. A couple of our friends with iPhones bought it as well (surprisingly "mikeysaunite" is not related to me) and left reviews. If they paid for it, that's their entitlement as far as I know.

    As for paying for reviews, that I disagree with. We have 10 reviews, maybe 4 are people I know, including me. Opening multiple iTunes accounts is also gaming the system, a tedious one I'm sure, haha. Having people you know support your app? I don't see it as particularly devious.

    The quest to leave a review is particularly stupid, hahaha. Clever, but stupid.
     
  3. binaryhelix

    binaryhelix Well-Known Member

    Oct 15, 2011
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    #4 binaryhelix, Apr 5, 2012
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2012
    The problem is you didn't disclose you were the developer in your review. It's a trust and ethics thing. Would a buyer find your review as useful if you disclosed this fact? Probably not.

    Times are tough for indie devs, but we've never reviewed our own apps. Even when some idiot on the Amazon Appstore gave us a one-star review with a ridiculous childish rant that had no bearing at all on the game. This is what it said for a few days all by its lonesome:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/product/B007N8XZE0?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

    I swear this is one of the funniest things I've ever read. I'll have to frame it some day. Luckily, a couple of our fans jumped to our rescue. Even if they hadn't, I would never review my own app.
     
  4. Blackharon

    Blackharon Well-Known Member

    Mar 15, 2010
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    Game Designer for Ludia
    Canada
    I wouldn't want to review my own app... at least not at release.

    I would have to say something along the lines of 'Played it so much, saw (and fixed) so many bugs that it doesn't interest me anymore.' One star. :D

    As a personal policy I don't review my own apps. Just so that people like that appaddict reviewer can't say anything about me.
     
  5. schplurg

    schplurg Well-Known Member

    Rather than pick a side, I will simply point out that big companies spend billions of dollars every year to lie to us. They hire actors to portray "real people" and tell you how wonderful their product is and how it's changed their lives.

    They don't say "Hi, this is Toyota, and we are paying the people in this commercial to tell you the things we want you to hear about our trucks. They look like actual truck owners, and some of them may actually be, but we aren't required to tell you that, and we don't care either way."

    I've said it before - big companies don't have consciences, they have lawyers. They'll say whatever they can legally get way with to get you to buy their products. If they get caught lying then they must pay the consequences, if people give a crap enough to even bother calling them on it.

    When it comes to iTunes reviews, or TV commercials, or TV in general, assume that most of what you are hearing is bull excrememnt and act accordingly. If a company gets caught cheating the system then they will have to deal with the public backlash, if any.

    I guess my point is...I dunno. I forgot.
     
  6. Eli

    Eli ᕕ┌◕ᗜ◕┐ᕗ
    Staff Member Patreon Silver Patreon Gold

    Why wouldn't you review your own games? I don't understand why people continually feel the need to white knight this shit. The iTunes rating system is so abysmally broken that it's not like you and a couple of your friends posting positive reviews makes any difference.

    It's beyond me why these weird little sites try to do these massive exposés (Is that accent mark pointing the right way? Hell if I know.) on things that have basically been happening since the App Store went online. It sorts of reminds me of that story that recently "broke" about the chart boosting services.

    Ah well, I stopped trying to understand why people on the internet do the things they do in like... I don't know, 1999.
     
  7. binaryhelix

    binaryhelix Well-Known Member

    Oct 15, 2011
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    Because it's an obvious conflict of interest. I noticed TA goes out of its way to say that its reviews are not influenced by advertisers. So your reputation is important. If you were caught giving out a five star to a crappy game due to their massive ad campaign, people would start to avoid reading TA. It's strange for me to hear that you can't see the parallels here considering how reputation is even more important for review sites.

    The important thing is disclosure. If a dev does it, he should identify himself in the review. But of course, this immediately invalidates that review in the eyes of any buyer. As it should. While Apple's review system may be broken, I won't violate my principles for the sake of a one-time gain. So if we think TA's review system is broken, should we try to game your site, too?

    I think it's pretty pointless in the long run as a good game will garner good reviews all on its own.
     
  8. jaze

    jaze Well-Known Member

    Aug 19, 2010
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    I don't know why you say the app store review system is broken, I find it great, sure there might be some stupid reviews but overall if a game is decent it has a good amount of reviews/stars, likewise if a game is garbage you can tell by the ratings.

    I leave reviews for games I like, as for the games where they ask you to leave a review, well same, if its good I will, if I don't like it I will leave a review saying so, and for what reason. It makes no difference that I was asked in app to leave a review. The ones that ask for a five star rating in return for credits are lame yes that's shady but there's always someone in the reviews who mentions it.

    I like the app store reviews and ratings.. Its good to be qble to help a good game or leave a bad review for some garbage you bought..Why is that broke. It would be a lot worse with no reviews or ratings surely.
     
  9. Rocotilos

    Rocotilos Well-Known Member

    Dec 5, 2009
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    iOS Apps & Games Developer
    Developers reviewing their own apps are not something new.

    I used to do it as well when I was starting up.
    But I no longer do it, coz it's just a waste of time. Really.
     
  10. lolzappan

    lolzappan Well-Known Member

    Feb 7, 2012
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    I agree LOLZ it is a sort of much ado about nothing. One review or two is not going to move the needle either way and we've seen with Zynga and other larger companies that they do it all the time anyway so what's wrong with the little guys doing it (or not?)
     
  11. David Phan

    David Phan Well-Known Member

    Feb 27, 2012
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    President & Producer
    Vancouver
    As a small studio or indie, you got to take advantage of everything you can to even have a remote chance of success for your app and for your business. You should be using every possible trick in the book (that doesn't put you in jail or court) to hustle your goods.

    With regards to this specific article, there's better targets to go after in terms of shady practices done by larger companies to give themselves an edge.

    DP
     

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