That's why indie games are worth every penny
Stinginess is done in indie games. That has to stop. For at least five good reasons.
I know it from myself: Ah, a new indie game on Steam - oh, that costs 20 euros - hm, I'll click on my wish list and wait until it's on sale. On the one hand, the PC game platform Steam is a reliable channel for indie developers to bring their games to customers. On the other hand: With its constant discount campaigns, Steam consistently trains its users to bargain hunters.
Even indie developers such as Johannes Roth, head of the Munich games manufacturer Mimimi Productions, have an understanding of such buyer behavior:
"I do exactly the same, really. I put all the titles I want to get in the wishlist and then I wait until the discount email arrives. There is simply a huge oversupply of titles. You become everyone Kill the day with new releases, games that are on sale and so on - but when I see there is a title that I find incredibly cool, I get it at full price because I want to support the developer privately. "
Nevertheless: Some gamers, and thus potential buyers, simply do not appreciate the value of indie games and complain on the Internet. That has to stop. For at least five good reasons.
Reason one: diversity has its price
The wish list discount box is one thing, but some players go much further. Like the other day in the Steam forum. A user got excited about the price for the indie game "Brigador". $ 20 was too much for him - $ 15, however, was perfect and would be enough.
But: what's the business? Anyone who is drawn to new indie games, but puts a fuffi down for GTA 6, FIFA 17 and Call of Duty 13, has not understood one thing: there is uniform breadth in the canteen kitchen, lovingly made, innovative games need independent game studios. If indie developers continue to either not sell their titles well enough or at a low price, many of them will have to give up sooner or later.
Reason two: There is hardly anything stuck anyway
Stellar Jockeys, the developers of "Brigador", responded to the user comment above by the way - and in great detail. They virtually strip naked and disclose numbers: Yes, we charge $ 20 for our new game "Brigador", but after taxes there is only a tenth left. Less rent, salaries and development costs of five years - that only pays off with 50,000 copies sold, says the studio. At full price, mind you. Johannes Roth of Mimimi Productions knows what discounts can do: "It can happen that you might end up seeing two euros for a 20- to 25-euro title as a developer."
If you want to pay your employees and yourself a minimum wage, you don't have much scope for pricing. What is a matter of pocket money for gamers is one of existence - and appreciation - for indie game makers.
Reason three: playing time cannot be outweighed by money
A user on Steam wrote about the indie game "Firewatch", which was only released last week:
"I liked it ... but it only took two to three hours! Should I get my money back?"
Seriously? Try that with concert tickets - after the gig. In the meantime, one of the game designers of "Firewatch" has also responded with an emotional response, the forum user has revised his opinion and kept the game - but the problem itself is therefore not out of the world. Games such as "Everybody's Gone To The Rapture" (playing time four to six hours, price 20 euros), "That Dragon Cancer" (playing time two hours, 15 euros) or "The Beginner's Guide" (playing time two hours, price) also apply nine euros). And it also hits Johannes Roth from Mimimi Productions with his last release "The Last Tinker" (eight-hour season, price 20 euros). But there is still hope:
"A lot of players now say they'd rather have two or three really great hours of play than an 80-hour RPG, which contains 60 hours of filler material - the game time doesn't necessarily make up the development time, and that's ultimately what causes the costs. "
Reason four: "Indie Game" is also a seal of quality
Even if many indie studios do not like the "indie" label at all and prefer to be called "creatively independent": Twenty euros for an indie game usually only go into the game itself - and not into expensive licenses or a huge marketing campaign.
Reason five: it's not all that expensive
Hand on heart: for what nonsense do we otherwise spend our money? The aforementioned Stellar Jockeys game studio once listed in its long forum post what is more expensive than a game for $ 20: branded underwear, a trash can, a nickelback poster and a toilet, toilet on Amazon. OK.
It's true, nobody forces indie game designers to throw their games on the heavily oversaturated games market, not even investors, sales or the Kickstarter campaign. And nobody forces us gamers and customers to buy these games at full price. But I ask for it. Otherwise the indie game will soon be over.
Earning Money from your indie games;
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