Jim Butler said this: > From a business marketing standpoint, the problems with awards of any > sort have been ones of timeliness. Winning an Origins Award, for > instance, isn't really an honor that would result in increased sales of > a product. By the time the award is granted, the 90-day shelf-life of a > product has come and gone. It is certainly a mark of achievement for the > company itself, but few products ever bear the mark of an Origins Award > winner.
Right on. I hesitate to comment on this, as I don't have a real solution myself, but I think this point is especially important for an OGF award. If the benefit of the award should be tangible and timely, then maybe it shouldn't be an annual presentation sort of thing. What about broader-category prizes awarded quarterly to just a few products? First, the award could reach a product closer to its release. If the reward includes some sort of paid-for sticker to be sent to retailers (is that even feasible?), the award could renew a product's shelf life. Something showy like an award logo sticker would help clue-in consumers that, even if a product appears amateurish or bland, the award-winner is a quality, respected product. This is especially important for third-party publishers, for obvious reasons. Second, if these awards are quarterly (or whatever), they could be used to draw fans (or whomever is voting) to the OGF website or spark ballots in game stores or somesuch. This could serve to both educate the consumer on the nature of the OGF and/or create the focus needed to form (or solidify) a sense of community in the game store. Imagine roughly the same number of awards given out per year as the Origins, but in four batches, seasons or waves. This sort of organization, if really successful, might help define release schedules or reveal market trends. Publishers might release similar books in the same season so they go head-to-head for the same awards, or they might pace themselves to avoid stiff competition. I don't know what specifically the awards should cover, but I certainly think they should be lighter and more maneuverable than the Origins. If nothing else, it will make them a markedly different creature. I don't know how many quality products I'm missing out on because they're not pretty enough to catch my petty eye. That alone is a good reason for the OGF awards, methinks. word, will www.opengamingfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/ogf-l _______________________________________________ Ogf-l mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.opengamingfoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/ogf-l
