Funding and Pricing Challenges for Indie Games Developers

The next speakers at AoIR 2015 are Chris Paul and Mia Consalvo, who shift our interest towards games. What is a game, in the first place? Game styles now vary wildly, and address many different communities of gamers; this is a matter of constitutive rhetoric as the language being used brings distinctions into existence through repetition.

One element that defines games is their payment structure: in mobile gaming, are they free to play or do we pay to win, for instance? Which companies create fair and good or exploitative and greedy games?

There are many genres now emerging, such as the Marvel Universe games which require substantial subsequent in-game payments to advance game characters; Puzzle Quest requires a $15,000 investment to fully max out the character, for example. Collectable card games operate in a similar way: paying more for cards means that the player gains more power in the game.

And then there are the sports games, which enable users to collect cards and players – this is prominent in the Electronic Arts games, for instance. Brands and licenced titles change the terms of what's real; some models port with different content; and this is seen as an issue in some genres more than in others.

In indie gaming, there are a number of other concerns: indie studios must be successful but a cannot be too successful unless they want to be accused of selling out, for example. Pricing is an issue here: there is no standard price for an indie game, and game developers themselves are confused and uncertain about this. Pricing can range from free to play with in-game ads to a focus on charging 'whale' players to pricing models from $1 to $60.

The order of steps is also confusing – is the game made first and then sold, or do fans invest in the game before the coding has even started? The rise of Kickstarter is especially relevant here – and many recent indie games have used this model. But the timing of the Kickstarter is critical as well – at the very start, after the first demo, or towards the end of the development process (to raise more attention).

Also, what should the video promo look like; should there be lots of information on the game promo site; should there be additional rewards and gimmicks for Kickstarter backers? What amount of money should be requested, and how often should backers receive updates? What is the social media campaign associated with the Kickstarter?

This can be understood as a kind of value crafting: a way to create and sell that maximises success. This is also shared amongst designers – there is a great deal of metrification of Kickstarter campaigns in order to improve the success of such campaigns.