Gamers are spending more than $700 a year on games, according to a recent study conducted by IGN Entertainment. IGN’s study, which profiled more than 5,000 consumers [90% of them male, BTW] frequenting the IGN.com and GameSpy.com properties, found consumers:
* Spend more than $700 a year: $341 on console titles, $233 on PC games and another $140 for accessories.
* Play games an average of 20 hours a week; ten percent spend 40 plus hours a week.
* Influence others. Respondents say they advise 5 – 6 people per month, on average about computer, console or game-related purchases.
(from a press release I received today)
“$700 per year” is a helluvalot of disposable income. Gamers are more financially able, and more financially disposed, to pay for entertainment than ever before. While it may be a while before an indie game soaks the average player for that much, the sheer volume means that there’s a good chance of at least picking up a bit on the splash.
Here’s more:
Reviews, Word-of-Mouth Most Influential
When it comes to buying video game titles, consumers make their purchase decisions based on game reviews and media such as trailers, screenshots and demos.
* Game buyers do a great deal of research online on titles they are thinking about purchasing.
* Reviews are influential. Twenty-five percent say they are most heavily influenced by what game writers say about titles they are considering.
* Review scores and word-of-mouth about the game are the next most important, followed by game demos
* Few respondents choose their games based on the publisher or developer.
* Publishers’ websites and print advertising were the lowest ranked factors.
And here, in a way, is good news for the try-before-you-buy approach:
Renting Games Provide Opportunity for Trial, Often Leads to Purchase
Video game rentals are a popular way for gamers to decide if they want to invest the money to own a title.
* More than 50 percent of the respondents rent video games, on average about 11 games per month.
* More than 60 percent of those who rent games say they eventually purchase the title they rented.
All in all, it’s hard not to be positive about trends like these.
b) Yes. I’ve borrowed from games I’ve enjoyed, but I’ve arranged them in a unique way.
c) I’d share my ideas with you, but your puny mind couldn’t grasp them.
2. Are you looking for a publisher?
a) Oh, gawd, yes.
b) I’m open to the “publisher option.”
c) Bah. Publishers.
3. If you build it, will they come?
a) Not without proper marketing and exposure.
b) Yes, I have a marketing plan to find and attract players.
c) Hell, yes. The world has been waiting for me to build it.
4. What makes your game a success?
a) Strong sales.
b) Strong sales and a feeling of accomplishment.
c) The self-referential pronoun: the “my” in “my game”.
5. Why do you make your games?
a) I just like making games. Games are cool!
b) I enjoy making games, and I want to make a living doing something I enjoy.
c) To change the world.
Scoring: Give yourself 1 point for each (a), 3 points for each (b), and 5 points for each (c).
If you scored 20-25, you are an Arrogant Bastard. Good for you. You’re prime Indie Material.
If you scored less than 20 points, the news is not so good. You’re just not Indie Material. If you think you just gotta make games anyway, send your résumé to EA and accept their offer.
For those of you that passed: Congratulations. The rest of you, check your “I Joined the Revolution” IGC t-shirts at the door on your way out.
There’s been a lot of chatter over the past few years about “how do we create games for women?” A lot of the chatter has been done by men, and, typically, they (we; I’m hardly blameless) have ignored what they already knew and focused on what they (the men) wanted: sleeker graphics, more power, and so on.
We should know better. It’s not like they haven’t told us already.
Most guys have heard this explanation for why the Hot Chick is dating the Ugly Guy:
“He makes me laugh.”
It’s not always the first reason given, but it’s almost always in the Top 5. In fact, it’s arguable that since it’s not given as the first reason, it’s probably more true than what is given first. Humans have a tendency to first say what they think the listener wants to hear, and then sneak in the real reasons under the verbal smokescreen.
Regardless, this is a reason that has a tendency to fly right by most men as they stew in their jealousy and plot and plan how they can get “Jesse’s Girl”. Being “cool with the lines” seldom seems to work, but they keep plugging away at it.
At GDC, I attended the “Attracting Women to Game Development” roundtables. To follow the pattern I described above, I attended because, hey, it had the phrase “Attracting Women” in the title. (That’s what I figure you want to hear, and it is the most humorous reason.) But also because the moderators are personal friends of mine (the real reason), and because I thought people reading GDNet’s GDC coverage might find it interesting (a secondary reason that provides additional, believable support for the real reason).
In Day 3 of the roundtable, one of the female attendees made an offhand comment that stuck with me. She was talking about games that she liked playing. Why did she like playing them?
“They make me laugh,” she said.
That comment jumped out at me at the time, and has stuck with me. It has made me think that maybe, just maybe, when they (girls, women, femmes of all stripes and colors) say that, they mean it.
“The Sims”, one of the examples the woman gave, has a lot of comedy built in (otherwise why would you play it?), and provides support for players to generate their own comedy. “Snood” was not one of her examples, but is an example of a game where people (usually women) have talked about the funny faces and their expressions as one of the reasons they enjoy playing the game.
A few weeks ago, Thomas Warfield blogged about “The Power of Personality” (sorry, couldn’t find a direct link; go to A Shareware Life and scroll down a bit). Here are some excerpts from that post:
“Personality is a great way to be different. … Personality humanizes the game. … Very few games are given personality by their authors. But every game I can think of that has personality is a successful game.”
While that’s a great post, I’m thinking that maybe it’s more than just overall personality that’s important. It’s how that personality presents themselves, how they surprise you even when you think you know them so well, and how they make you laugh even on your worst days. Even guys learn the importance of a good personality. Eventually.
As indie game developers, we can’t afford to chase the hard core (mostly male) gamer with their demands for increasing photorealism, uber-realistic physics, and 117 CDROM’s of content. That can be a jarring realization since that is how many of us came into game development in the first place. It can be hard to learn to look past what we want, and see what they (the underserved game players of the world) want. But it’s a lesson well-learned.
The good news is, we can still compete. You don’t need complex texture shading to be funny. In fact, technology tends to get in the way of humor. The best humor is the most personal, because that’s the most true.
So, if you want to make your game attractive to women, definitely consider the humor angle. Make them laugh. They’ll love you for it.
“Turbine, Inc., a leading publisher of online subscription entertainment, announced today that it has finalized a deal with Tolkien Enterprises and Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) that grants Turbine the exclusive right to develop and publish massively multiplayer online worlds based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit literary works. As part of the agreement, Turbine will own all of the game assets to the upcoming, highly anticipated massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) The Lord of the Rings™: Middle-Earth™ Online. All publishing responsibilities previously assumed by VU Games for the online license have been transitioned to Turbine effective immediately.”
Ah, the memories. Let me tell you a story…
Imagine, if you will, a small independent game development company, run by a couple of brothers in their spare time. They’d never hit it big, but they had rolled out their second online game just a couple months before. That project had taken nearly 3 years of part time effort, but they had done it.
And then, quite literally out of the blue, a deal fell in their lap. A publisher–a Big Publisher–contacted them, offering them the chance to create a game based on what had to be the biggest, most famous literary license of them all. There was a series of movies in the works based on these books, and so there was no doubt a game based on the license could be HUGE.
Of course, the Indie Company got excited.
The Big Publisher wanted the Indie Company to create this licensed game using their recently completed multiplayer, real-time-strategy game as a base. The Big Publisher needed the game completed quickly. Money wasn’t really an issue, but time certainly was. The deadline couldn’t be missed.
After a bit of contract haggling, this little Indie Company pulled together a new team, created a design document, and got started.
And they did it. They came in on time, under budget, with a game based on the book. A small game, given the time and resources available, but one that could be extended as it grew.
But as soon as they delivered the game, it was placed on “indefinite hold”–because that was when the lawsuits began. The Big Publisher told them it was unlikely that the game would ever be released.
The Indie Company was disappointed, of course. Having a game based on those books would’ve been a landmark event for them. For anybody, really.
The Indie Company had no idea what the lawsuits were about. Not for another year.
It seems that the Big Publisher had had another licensed game in the works before, a game that had been canceled after delays and budget overruns. Unfortunately, that left Big Publisher in a bit of a bind. Their license to make a game expired if they didn’t have a game based on the books completed by a particular date. A date, incidentally, that was only a few days after the inflexible deadline.
So, the Indie Company had been only a pawn in a much bigger game. A game, it seems, that has finally ended, almost 5 years later. How important was their little contribution to the final result? For all they know, it might’ve been the pivotal piece. It’s hard to say. The Big Publisher forgot about them soon after sending the last check.
The Indie Company doesn’t bitch about it. Much. After all, they got paid. And paid pretty well.
Still…to have been able to say they had created a game based on those books…that would’ve been really cool.
That’s the end of the story. Not much else to say on that.
Indie/Small Developer Opportunities Seen at GDC 2005
I thought I was finished posting GDC-related stuff, but there were a couple things I realized I missed and wanted to cover. Specifically, opportunities that I think could be of value to indie/small game developers.
Serious Games
“Serious games?” you ask. “Aren’t all games serious?”
To which I must respond: “No. They’re not.” But that’s a completely different topic.
What’s meant by “serious games” in this context are: “games whose primary purpose is other than entertainment.” Especially those games used to educate, train, or inform.
Serious games were definitely one of the hot topics at GDC this year (along with free TV’s). The first Serious Games Summit was held at GDC 2004. Since then there has been the Serious Games Summit in Washington, DC, the Synergy Summit in Orlando, FL, and now the Serious Games Summit GDC 2005. So, yah, there’s a lot of interest.
Why so much interest? In short, because as video games have matured as a communication medium, the possibilities they represent are being recognized. Also, we have a whole generation of video game players growing up and entering schools and jobs. Games are something they recognize and relate to, much more than a professor lecturing at the front of the class or a talking head on a video training course.
Most game developers tend to sneer at anything that skirts “edutainment.” But if you do that, you’ll likely miss out on an growing opportunity to:
Grow games as an art form.
Expand the reach of games past “mere entertainment.”
Experiment with new game play styles.
Experiment with new game play content.
Get access to government funding (from your local city council all the way up to The Man).
While it may not be feasible for an indie to become a government contractor (I hear the paperwork is about 1 foot/20 cm thick, and can involve months of background checking), but there are plenty of possibilities (with far less paperwork) as a sub-contractor. The military is the biggest funder of serious game research, currently, usually highly detailed simulations. But the military and the federal government isn’t the only game in town. State and local governments could be interested in games that address their concerns (think local history, local issues).
There’s also education, and again the interest runs all the way from the Department of Education down to your local Board of Education. You don’t even need to work through the education agencies. If you think you can make a game that will teach something, you might be able to market it directly to parents or anyone who is looking to learn about your topic.
Business training is another growing area, and another opportunity with local possibilities.
And don’t think that the government, with all its taxpayer money, is the only one interested in serious games. Going local again, you might have access to organizations that are interested in experimenting and are willing to provide grants.
“All politics is local,” Tip O’Neill said so long ago. Game development can be much the same. Look around and see the possibilities.
Reaching Asian Markets
This second opportunity applies more to developers who have built or are building online communities and/or multiplayer games.
If you have an online game that’s currently reaching only the USA, Canada, and (maybe) Europe, you might be interested in Singapore’s Game Bazaar. I wrote about the Game Bazaar last year for GameDev.net (you can read the article here: Game Port: Game Development in Singapore Part 1), so I won’t cover it in too much detail again here. In a nutshell, Game Bazaar offers:
Inexpensive, scalable server hosting.
Inexpensive, scalable connectivity to Singapore and the surrounding Asian markets (Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Korea, India, etc.).
Since you can sign up for even just one server, you can dabble in the Asian market, and scale up if it seems to be working out.
At GDC 2005, Singapore Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) announced that they were extending the Game Bazaar to include a promotional component to help developers “extend their market outreach through Singapore to Asia”. The new program includes “advertising in key targeted online and print media, regional and international consumer road shows and conferences.”
The advantages to small developers is that they can “test the waters”. Not only to test if the Asian markets are receptive to their games, but to test which of the myriad Asian market(s) are the best fit (you knew there was more than one, right?). And then promote and expand into those markets.
The IDA is interested in small American and European developers. After all, the bigger publishers, like EA, already have the infrastructure, teams, and connections to operate in the Asian markets.
If you’ve lusted after the Asian markets but been stymied about how to actually get there, you should give Singapore IDA and their Game Bazaar and Game Exchange Alliance (GXA) programs a serious look. Drop IDA a note to learn more: dx@ida.gov.sg
I also attended Will Wright’s presentation, “The Future of Content”. However, Will’s presentations are an audio-visual experience that I doubt I could do justice too. So I’m not going to post coverage of it, except to say that it was awesome–as it always is. The game he demo-ed, “Spore”, looks to be one I’ll be buying when it comes out. The possibilities in that game are…well…awe-inspiring. You had to be there. If you missed it, look for the demo at E3 in May.
Every Exhibitor who gave me something to bring home to the kids. =)
Every Party Sponsor who provided an open bar.
Some last GDC “Shout Outs”:
Sande - Miss you already. Have fun in Taiwan! Work on the book will go forward in your absence. Promise. =)
Ricardo - Great to see you again, man. Until the next serious games get together, have fun!
Michelle & Elaine - I enjoyed meeting you both (again), and actually getting to talk to you this time. Viva la Girls in Games!
Eric - Great meeting you, and talking to you. Maybe the parties will be more to your liking next year…
Sarah - As always, it’s a treat to talk to you. I hope you had a great flight back. Here’s hoping that I’ll make it out that way this year. Good luck with the new business!
I’m getting tired and looking forward to going home. But I’ve had a blast this week.
Yesterday, GDC Day 4, I didn’t get to as many sessions as I had planned to. That often happens in the last day or two of the conference. For me, anyway. There’s only so much new information I can take in before I start feeling…full? And as the week draws to a close I would rather just sit and talk with people I’ve met or only see at GDC once a year.
I went to “Fluid Loop: The Splendid Tangle of Science Design in Ciname, Games, & Life” by John Underkoffler yesterday. A very interesting talk about the intersection of real science and media, and how science is portrayed in media, and how science is influenced by media. The talk centered on the technology portrayed by the movie “Minority Report”. How the tech was researched and extrapolated (a word John used a lot) into the future. He stressed creating “self-consistent” future worlds, instead of just grafting a tech onto a culture without considering all the implications of that.
In the afternoon, accompanied by John Hattan and Elaine Cho, I made a sweep of the Expo floor and picked up some very cool stuff. I adopted a very forward style this year, walking into a booth and asking for…well…everything: posters on the wall, figurines, games, anything that struck my fancy. It didn’t work all the time, but you might be surprised how often it did work. Of course, it definitely helped that I have a press pass and companies want press coverage.
I saw a book called “Origami Design Secrets: Mathematical Methods for an Ancient Art” and picked it up for my wife. The author, Robert Lang, is supposed to be demo-ing his folding at the Expo today (Day 5) so I’m going to get it signed.
I went to the WildTangent demo of their new “casual RPG” game, “Fate.” It looks really snazzy. The first thing I said when I walked into the room was, “I want a poster.” (I got one I expect my son will like.)
About posters: GDC Expo exhibitors need to giveaway more posters, in tight comic-book-store rolls. A lot of developers make some damn cool posters for their games, stuff my son would go bananas for. And he’s hardly the only one. So why not more posters?
After that, I picked up my crew (the “GiG Gang” it’s been called), and we headed out to the parties. The Women Celebrating Women in Gaming party we arrived at too late, so most of the excitement (if there had been any) had passed. From there we went to the Charles River Media author party. Didn’t expect much excitement there, actually, and we weren’t disappointed. Still, it was a nice do.
Then on to the tail end of the Great Aussie BBQ 2 where I got to hook up with Amelia King (of Film Victoria) and Helen S. (of ACMI) who had been instrumental in flying me out to Melbourne last year. I was excited to learn that the Free Play indie game dev conference will be held again this year. Now to get myself flown out there again. =) I loved Melbourne, and would jump at a chance to go again. And maybe take my wife this time. (She’s getting tired of me travelling so far afield and she has to stay home.)
Then the Speaker’s party, which Sande got us into, and the RealArcade party, which Eric got us into. At the Real party, I got to meet Brian Feet (sp? I didn’t get your card, man, so I’m not sure). Brain and John Vechey (who I missed meeting) had played Paintball Net back in 1997-ish while they were working on ARC. Brian said, “Oh! You’re DavidRM! You guys were an inspiration that we could make a game and then make money on it.” We chatted a bit and then the crew pulled out and pulled me with them. Sorry, John. Still love to actually meet you. No one *really* believes me when I say I knew the Popcap guys back before they were the Popcap guys.
Pictures:
Today…it’s 8:21am as I write this, and I have no idea what I’ll do today (besides getting the origami book signed; I have even set my alarm for when the guy is supposed to show up). But whatever I do, I’m sure it’ll be cool. As I explained to Elaine last night: “When you got to a party, you bring your fun with you.”
As I already mentioned, I started GDC Day 3 by winning a TV (Microsoft gave away 1000 of those). A nice way to start the day.
The sessions I went to, and will upload coverage of later today, are J Allards alleged “Keynote”, Stephen Rubin’s “IP Deal Breakers: The Five Intellectual Property Rights Developers Should Not Bargain Away”, and the “Attracting Women to Game Development” roundtable discussion.
Day 3 Party Track
The party started with the Expo Booth Crawl, which I spent mostly in the Singapore booth talking with people I met in Singapore last year.
From there I headed over to the audio party at the Chieftain Irish Pub, meeting up with my companions for the evening Eric Cha, Michelle Sorger, Sande Chen and Elaine Cho. Here are pictures from there:
From there we walked over to the Course authors party. Eric and Elaine aren’t authors, but we didn’t hold that against them. This picture is of Dave Astle and Emi Smith (Sande & my editor):
Finally, we made it to the very crowded Linden Lab’s Second Life party. We ran into Will Wright there, and talked to him briefly.
On the way back to the hotel, we saw some construction workers cutting into the street. I thought it looked it pretty cool, so I snapped off a picture:
(That’s what I figure you want to hear, and it is the most humorous reason.) But also because the moderators are personal friends of mine (the real reason), and because I thought people reading 
