Hi Cara, You raised an interesting question of how much I would be willing to spend for a simple but high quality game. That depends on a number of factors which I will address below, and these factors determine over all quality.
First, an interesting storyline. Even the simplest arcade game can be improved by giving it some kind of story which ties all the game play together. The story doesn't have to be complex or very in depth, but some story is better than no story at all. Take for example Troopenum II. It does not have a complex storyline, but I find having a boss like Lord Vector trying to take over the Earth more engaging from a story perspective than the classic Space Invaders game which I don't believe had any story at all. Both were fun, but I think Troopenum II is slightly better for the storyline and big bad boss character aspect. Second, high quality sounds and acting. Good sounds and good acting can always improve a game. While this is secondary to the actual game play good sound effects and decent acting can really make a game sound professional and make it attractive to potential buyers like me. Once again I'll use Troupenum II as an example. When I first downloaded that game I was blown away by the games sound effects, music, and high quality voice doing the menus, scores, and other announcements. It really sounded professional, and got me into the game play, and I might have purchased that game based on an audio demo alone. Finally, over all game play. If a game doesn't have good game play no amount of high quality sounds or great story can save it from being a poorly designed game. So design is probably the most critical aspect that sways me towards paying or not. For example, the Bavisoft games have never really interested me. I've listened to podcasts on the games, and while they have a storyline, decent sounds, once you solve the puzzles there is little to no replay value for the $40 price tag. The poor design lowers their quality in my opinion and I'd pay maybe $15 tops for a game like that. On the other hand the GMA games like Tank Commander are in the same price range as the Bavisoft games, but I have never regretted buying them. The replay value, over all quality, and design makes them among my favorite accessible games. Of course, they are a good deal more complex than the Bavisoft games too which may also be a part of the design factor. When it comes down to how much I would or would not spend it really comes down to a game per game basis. I mentally gauge how well a game rates in the categories above story, high quality effects, and design and give it a rough idea of what I think it would be worth. I can not just say I would spend $30 for a game unless I was able to mentally rate it for myself before hand. Pricing games is definitely not something I could give a general standard for other than to say a decent game I would pay at least $25 for and perhaps more depending on how good it is. However, I won't pay much for a game poorly designed or that lacks good sounds or an engaging story. Cheers! --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
