What I HATE most about the "minnows and whales" analogy is that it dehumanizes your customers. You may as well call them shit bags and cash bags. The analogy still works and it's much more clear on what you really think of them.
Jimquisition: Monetizing Whales For The Retention Of Virality
- Thread starter Jimothy Sterling
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Wow, this is both hilarious and incredibly depressing at the same time. Jesus Christ, I always assumed these people would at least pretend to have some respect for their customers, but... wow.
"Whales".
Seriously.
What can even be said about this? The people who set up these panels and the people who decided they needed them must have realised how screwed up this crap was. I suppose they just don't care.
"Whales".
Seriously.
What can even be said about this? The people who set up these panels and the people who decided they needed them must have realised how screwed up this crap was. I suppose they just don't care.
Clearly you just don't understand how the monetization of viralities can streamline the Six Sigma cash flows into mobile development. You need to reassess your scope creep and integrate your agile processes to maximize your baseline NPV and fulfill the critical path method for the Escapist Limited Whales Corporation.
wait, wait, what? so the guy who made the "reducing backlash" panel wrote that. that's hilarious. I can imagine him getting all the developers in the room and then just berating them for half an hour for being shit because they wanted to do something people would hate and make them more money.Jimothy Sterling said:
This planet...
I think I'm going to start drinking, and keep drinking until "How to Reduce Backlash" looks more like "How to Own Up to Your Mistakes...and Fix Them."
I think I'm going to start drinking, and keep drinking until "How to Reduce Backlash" looks more like "How to Own Up to Your Mistakes...and Fix Them."
Gaming is going straight into the toilet.
Also thanks for reminding me the disgrace that is going to be Roller Coaster Tycoon 4.
Also thanks for reminding me the disgrace that is going to be Roller Coaster Tycoon 4.
Great video, Jim, but one thing that I'm surprised wasn't brought up, by you or the other posters here:
The term "whale" comes from Las Vegas, and is another word for "high roller" -- i.e. somebody, often very wealthy, who drops huge amounts of money, often in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, at the slots and the tables. Casinos love whales, and offer them lavish packages (called "comps") to draw them in, filled with private jets, limos, the best suites, and free lines of credit so they can keep gambling.
The fact that F2P developers have proudly adopted the term "whale" to describe the biggest junkies (sorry, players) illustrates perfectly how the F2P racket is pretty much only one step above casinos in terms of ethics. Maybe not even, because casinos are at least honest about the fact that they sucker people.
The term "whale" comes from Las Vegas, and is another word for "high roller" -- i.e. somebody, often very wealthy, who drops huge amounts of money, often in the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, at the slots and the tables. Casinos love whales, and offer them lavish packages (called "comps") to draw them in, filled with private jets, limos, the best suites, and free lines of credit so they can keep gambling.
The fact that F2P developers have proudly adopted the term "whale" to describe the biggest junkies (sorry, players) illustrates perfectly how the F2P racket is pretty much only one step above casinos in terms of ethics. Maybe not even, because casinos are at least honest about the fact that they sucker people.
Your panel on how to reduce backlash was way too long, this is my panel: Don?t be a greedy twat and make good games.
I used to think that publishers where not evil just stupid but this convinced me that there evil, if they get the chance they would take every dollar out of your wallet and leave you homeless.
Also I like whales so I hate it how publishers use their name for their anti consumer bullshit.
I used to think that publishers where not evil just stupid but this convinced me that there evil, if they get the chance they would take every dollar out of your wallet and leave you homeless.
Also I like whales so I hate it how publishers use their name for their anti consumer bullshit.
Exactly. They're corporate euphemisms for what they really think of the people using their product, used to "minimize backlash".Eric the Orange said:
When you're only building a game for the small percentage of people who you can leech money out of and despise the rest, it infects your design at a fundamental level.
My My, Jim really snapped~
It was quite arousing~
Especially cause he's right, all this corporate bullshit needs to die in the deepest and most torturous pits of hell there are
On a side note: Jesse likes Dynasty Warriors? Now I wanna see him play one, so excuse me as I go find a window through which to badger him about that~
It was quite arousing~
Especially cause he's right, all this corporate bullshit needs to die in the deepest and most torturous pits of hell there are
On a side note: Jesse likes Dynasty Warriors? Now I wanna see him play one, so excuse me as I go find a window through which to badger him about that~
I am sure they are using it because didn't some study show that a very small percentage of F2P gamers spend all the money.ars731 said:
That will be the first slide shown at all these presentations, and then ways to get more whales as a percentage of playerbase, how to keep them, or how to transition a minnow to a whale.
Can... Can I... can I get one of those flashdrives? For... a friend
There is a very malignant attitude towards free to play games. You shouldn't design a game around the notion of "Whales." Its unsustainable business. That "Whale" is going to sing somewhere else eventually.
You should design your game in a way that's fair. Free To Play games like League of Legends do this well. You're never required, or coerced into buying something. In fact, the only reason that store is in (atleast, in the beginning) was to keep the business afloat. League was a labor of love that Riot wanted to give out for free. They felt that having a paywall blocks potential players from enjoying their pet project. The paying features are only cosmetic or a boost that really doesn't change the dynamics of the game. Buying every champion in the game, or one of their skins, doesn't give you an advantage over someone who just players the rotated champions. It gives them more options, but not more power.
That's the free to play model I have faith in. The kind that puts the game before the money - not the money before the game. That is sustainable - League's not going to die out any time soon. A year from now, who's gonna remember Dungeon Keeper?
There is a very malignant attitude towards free to play games. You shouldn't design a game around the notion of "Whales." Its unsustainable business. That "Whale" is going to sing somewhere else eventually.
You should design your game in a way that's fair. Free To Play games like League of Legends do this well. You're never required, or coerced into buying something. In fact, the only reason that store is in (atleast, in the beginning) was to keep the business afloat. League was a labor of love that Riot wanted to give out for free. They felt that having a paywall blocks potential players from enjoying their pet project. The paying features are only cosmetic or a boost that really doesn't change the dynamics of the game. Buying every champion in the game, or one of their skins, doesn't give you an advantage over someone who just players the rotated champions. It gives them more options, but not more power.
That's the free to play model I have faith in. The kind that puts the game before the money - not the money before the game. That is sustainable - League's not going to die out any time soon. A year from now, who's gonna remember Dungeon Keeper?
Well, I kinda would have understood one or two panels on how to monetise a game or more precisely: how to weave the monetisation of a game into the design to make players gladly pay some and feel like they're getting value for their money because... Well, game developers have to eat, too...
But this? No... Fuck this...
Thank God for the Jimquisitor.
PS: What was the first game shown? It looked a little like Hard Truck Apocalypse, a mediocre but buy to play game from a few years ago.
But this? No... Fuck this...
Thank God for the Jimquisitor.
PS: What was the first game shown? It looked a little like Hard Truck Apocalypse, a mediocre but buy to play game from a few years ago.
How to reduce backlash....
Wow, they need a panel for that?
Just don't cause it in the first place!
Wow, they need a panel for that?
Just don't cause it in the first place!
Jim, I agree with you that this GDC seems to be populated by shitty panels and panelists that spew crap with the conviction they were saying a gospel. But, if your answer on how to reduce backlash on the Internet is "don't do it", you are missing the point: Everything is going to create fan backlash.
Many of the decisions designers make are "damn if you do, damn if you don't", because no matter how you promise the game with give them free ice creams, cynics on Internet will turn it around that: "which flavor? because if it isn't banana split with dark chocolate, I am not interested" or "they give me ice cream? possibly is to pass on the shitty flavor in my mouth the shitty game is going to left"... In other words, if you are going to make anything so that it won't piss off anyone at all, or cause any possible backlash, you might as well give up and go home.
Many of the decisions designers make are "damn if you do, damn if you don't", because no matter how you promise the game with give them free ice creams, cynics on Internet will turn it around that: "which flavor? because if it isn't banana split with dark chocolate, I am not interested" or "they give me ice cream? possibly is to pass on the shitty flavor in my mouth the shitty game is going to left"... In other words, if you are going to make anything so that it won't piss off anyone at all, or cause any possible backlash, you might as well give up and go home.