SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Gaming was like breathing. It was the biggest part of my life as a teenager, one of my priorities as a college student, and eventually one of my most expensive “hobbies” as a young professional.
Then all of a sudden, after thousands of hours spent playing across genres and platforms, boredom hit me hard for the very first time in my early thirties. Some of my favorite games soon gave me the impression of being terribly long. I couldn’t help but notice all the repeating tropes and similarities in game design between franchises.
I figured it was just a matter of time before I found the right game to stimulate my interest again, but time continued to go by and nothing changed.
Is it that games have failed to innovate, or that real life is ultimately more engaging?
(Score: 3, Touché) by Pino P on Wednesday January 09 2019, @02:37AM (4 children)
If all games in Apple's App Store and Google Play Store should be avoided, then on which store should a new studio offer its first game? Is Itch.io the best way?
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday January 09 2019, @05:36PM (3 children)
A new studio will likely be looking to make as much money as possible and should put their game up on all platforms possible. To win over those of us that don't like being treated as marks. I would suggest not including in-app purchases or advertisements. Though, that seems to be where most mobile games make their money. It's not going to be an easy thing to fix. People like getting a free game. The big issue here, is that it's not a free game they're getting. It's like a dealer offering a potential drug user the first hit for free. How do you get from using an addictive model to something different? In the case of drugs, it usually takes an intervention or a serious wake up call for the person to stop. I would say the current mobile game market is the same. In this instance though, it's the developers who are addicted to the model as they are raking in the dough for very little work.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Pino P on Thursday January 10 2019, @08:26PM (2 children)
Then let me rephrase: Which platforms ought to be possible for a studio's debut game?
With the demise of the PlayStation Vita, the closest replacement for iOS games and Android games is Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo Switch games. But a release on consoles, which are more tightly curated than smartphones, might prove impractical until a studio has built up enough capital. If a simultaneous debut across all platforms is not possible with the capital available to a studio, what steps would one take to determine which platforms ought to be first?
I agree with you about repeatable in-app purchases. But if even a handful of one-time in-app purchases are forbidden, that would make providing a demo less practical. I can envision three approaches to providing a demo: free app with one-time IAP upgrade to full version, free demo and paid full version as separate apps, or no demo at all. For example, Nintendo offers three levels of Super Mario Run without charge, with a one-time IAP to unlock everything. A different company like Bethesda could offer (say) a Doom app without charge containing only the "Knee Deep in the Dead" episode, with additional mission packs (Ultimate Doom, Doom II, and Final Doom) available for one-time purchase the way one might buy a movie or an album. Making each mission pack its own app would incur substantial friction related to device storage and Internet caps, as would not providing a demo at all.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday January 10 2019, @11:32PM (1 child)
What you've described is what I would call a pretty decent system. What Google Play and the iTunes Store have is a hive of Scum and Villainy, so to speak. With Apple's offering being slightly less scummy. I have purchased a game or two on mobile that were reasonable, 1 time purchases. Android / iOS, etc, gaming is a semi-passable affair in general. Nintendo's handheld is designed for gaming. It's not overly priced, has lots of fun games, and you won't be terribly upset when your nephew tosses it on the ground. It's also, one of the last kid friendly ecosystems. Kids don't need to be able to run up a $500 bill on a game. It's illegal for a 5 year old kid to walk into a Casino and play a game. Loot boxes, virtual money for virtual items, etc, should be treated exactly the same. Much the same addictive traits as gambling, but without the extremely tiny possibility of a pay-out. Which actually makes letting your 5 year old kid gamble, the more responsible thing to do.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Pino P on Friday January 11 2019, @04:54AM
Having "lots of fun games" doesn't help when the particular indie game that a friend recommended isn't ported quite yet because the developer is prioritizing its resources, and you instead see this on the buy page.
Send us a message