I haven't had an iPod Touch for very long, before that gaming mostly on PC or Wii. On other platforms I would think nothing of sepnding £25 to £30 a game. Then I got stuck into the App Store, where I have gotten some absolutel killer games for as little as 59p. The most I have paid is £5.99. The fact that the App Store games provide such great value for money has really made me think twice about buying games for other platforms. Indeed on the forums here, people will think twice about buying games at £1.79, stating that this is 'expensive' when in actual fact it's still a pittance compared to gaming on other platforms. The traditional idea would seem to have been that iTouch/iPhone games were just 'pick up and play' and not as in depth as games on other platforms, although they now seem to be delivering much more depth and are becoming more and more like 'proper' games. Do you still buy games for upwards of £30 on other platforms or has the App Store completely shifted your starting point on games pricing?
Just bought Punch-Out Wii (and it rocks!) On iphone I just buy much more games (and still spend less), but this hasn't affected me too much. It's just a different market with its own rules.
Sometimes pick up and play games don't cut it, I enjoy a game with a long drawn out plot. With twists in the story, and all sorts of gameplay elements. While the iPhone is getting there, gaming consoles hold a very special place in my heart.
It all depends on what platform you're talking about. I just bought Red Faction: Guerilla and Battlestations: Pacific at one shot for $141 SGD (singapore dollars), while I have put most App Store purchases on hold. Even games such as Real Racing, Knights Onrush and Assassin's Creed, for the iPod Touch, are on my waiting list, while I anticipate the purchase of yet another Xbox 360 game tomorrow. (Prototype) The reason I bought my iPod Touch was because of the myriad forms of entertainment available to the platform. Thus, I did not expect iPod games to simply be a 'pick up and play' affair. However, in terms of quality and pricing, they still take second place as compared to console gaming. However, I find that they are far more accessible because of the portability of the platform. So, in terms of pricing, I think that pricing models for both the App Store and other consoles are appropriate. App Store games are simpler and lower-spec, and therefore warrant a lower price than full-scale games for dedicated, high spec gaming platforms. Development also plays an important factor. It is obvious that games such as Real Racing required a considerably large effort to develop, as opposed to 99c apps. Similarly, $9.99 games require relatively less effort to develop than full-scale games like Red Faction Guerilla, Assassin's Creed, etc. In conclusion, I believe that the price of a game is, and should be, proportionate to the amount of effort required to develop it. Whether it turns out to be a success or failure simply depends on the quality, and it is up to the user's discretion and research as to whether to buy it or not. So, the App Store hasn't really changed my expectations of game pricing, as App Store games and console games are of entirely different leagues altogether. At least for now.
Speaking from a customer's point-of-view, I would love for that to be the case, but sadly, it's just not true. Speaking from a seller's point-of-view, the price of ANY product is determined to be the highest price that the largest number of people are willing to pay for it, to yield as high an amount of profit as you can. The price of anything is based on it's worth, and the "worth" of anything, be it games or shoes or potato-chips, is determined by how much people are willing to pay for it. "Worthiness" is a subjective term, one that differs for everyone. What IS worth something of a certain value for one person might NOT be worth that same value for another person. People might like to claim that the worth of something is determined by how much time, effort and money went INTO making something, but frankly, that's not true. If that were the case, then once a game had reached a certain point where input-expenses and a certain profit were met, then the game would be made available for free. And guess what... that never happens. What does happen is the game continues to sell for as long as people are willing to buy it. If the willingness-to-buy persists, then the game keeps on selling. On and on and on... If the willingness-to-buy drops, then so does the selling-price, to try and increase that willingness again. Sellers try to get as much money as they can out of ANY product they sell, not merely what it is worth. The other thing is, even if a game takes 12 months to develop, if at the end of that time when the game is released, the public pans the game and calls it a load of crud, then, as far as the public is concerned, is it "worth" all the time, effort and thousands of Dollars that was poured into it? Simply, no, it isn't. Time does NOT equal money when it comes to sales: a game that took 12 hours to develop can outsell a game that took 12 months to develop. Allow me to sidetrack for a moment, but still stay on topic... Take diamonds, for example. They are merely "rocks" found in the ground. Sure, they're a bit shinier than the average rock that you'll dig up in your back garden, but they're still rocks nonetheless. They don't "do" anything special, and to the average Joe in the street, they look no different to glass costume-jewellery. But some people are willing to pay a premium price for them. The reason? I'm not entirely sure myself. But the point is, they have such a high value because that is what people are willing to pay for them. They don't cost that certain amount to mine and polish up. They're that "valuable" merely because they're rare, right? But hey, if there was another mineral that was even more rare, but looked and smelled like dog-turds, then would they be even more valuable? No. Why? Because people wouldn't want them, that's why. My point in all this? I'll simply say it again: The "worth" of anything is determined by how much people are willing to pay for it. So to get back to the actual specific topic in question, iPhone games... Is a PSP game worth £30? If people are willing to pay that much for it, then yes. Is the exact same game on an iPhone worth the same £30? If people are not willing to pay that much for it, then no. Worth for the seller is a pretty simple affair: If the profits are higher than the input costs, then it's worth it. Worth for is a much more complicated issue, and sellers can never accurately predict the worth of something in the buyer's eyes...
Nope. Console games come first because, quite frankly, they're a lot better. Hell I don't even consider most games on iPhone/iPod games. More like "small bursts of slight entertainment". Games like Zenonia that actually have a story, have a fun factor, and decent amount of gameplay are what I consider games and sadly, the app store seems to be lacking.
Exactly. Other than a few games on my iPod, I get bored really quick, even for games like CJS, Zen Bound, and hell, I'm gonna get bored of Zenonia as well. I've probably have $200 worth of apps (well no all were bought), and I'm actually not that satisfied with them in the end, except for a special few. 360 games on the other hand, last me so much longer than their price (months at least, and some even years), are higher quality, and I feel their value is a lot more justified. Even when you compare arcade games one the 360 my $5 on Geometry Wars was better than any $5 spent on iTunes. In terms of handheld gaming though the App Store has definitely changed my pricing views, when games like Assassins Creed are 2, 3 times cheaper than on the PSP or DS.
I think the games are cheap for a reason, most of them truly lack replayability. Not only that, but some of them are just simple flash games that should be free (you can play them on the internet). Firemint for example, I love Flight Control and play it daily, sometimes for hours at night on the weekends. Its a truly fun, but cheap, game. Real Racing is only $10. Now Im not sure how long it will last, but $10 is nothing... Xbox 360 on the other hand has soooo much replayability for all the games I buy. I've been playing Sacred 2 and Im like 20% done with it, my playing time is around 16 hours. Skate 2 I've been playing a lot to and Im still in love with the game. I currently have 4 games on my 360, and thats all I really need. I'd glady pay the $60 for 360 games, but I always hesitate with iPhone games just because I know the iPhone isn't a true gaming device and most games are short (*cough* Gameloft *uncough*)
You've just contradicted yourself with your own examples there... You just said you get so many hours of gameplay out of Flight Control, but claim that iPhone games lack replayability. And I get truly unlimited "replayability" with a simple Solitaire card game on my iPhone, because every shuffle deals me a different layout — so by your logic then, should I be expected to pay $60 for this iPhone game? Or for Flight Control? I certainly would not, and as such, I'm not sure I agree with your overall point at all...
I said "most" of them, as in the page full of games on my Touch that i dont play anymore. There is still a few that I play, such as Flight Control. The thing with the iPhone is this: most of the better games are simple 2D animation with good drawings. The 360 has revolutionary 3D graphics that get better and better (sure the iPhone games will get better, but its not made just for games, there is a limit). The 3D games aren't bad on the iPhone, but a lot of them focused more on the graphics than the gameplay. Would I rather pay $1 for a simple game such as Flight Control, or $10 for a game such as Terminator? I'd buy Flight Control, even if Terminator had "amazing revolutionary graphics," it still only has like a 2 hour story length. Thats not worth the $10.
I think that's a good comparison actually as DS games particularly are more on par with what we can expect from an iPhone/Touch. I certainly wouldn't be as happy paying £30 for a DS game when many App Store games give just as much gaming time for a fraction of the cost.
For me it depends on what level of game/ quality/ The only reason there is so many low price game son the App Store is cause there are lots of indie/small devs. But if you look at DS games,PSP,etc...You notice how many big name publisher are there for the DS etc...But if the App Store was all big name devs, the prices would be more than normal. But even indie devs make pretty dang nice quality games for a reasonable price....
I still buy console games, the app store games don't really compare to them. You get what you pay for, I think. I don't mind pay 60,50,40,30 bucks on a game whether it be console or handheld that has way more depth and production value than any app in the app store has currently.
Analogously - The iPhone app store is more of an 80's arcade theme park, whereas home console systems allow for more in depth gameplay. That being said - I love my fallout 3, but I never play it. Why? I feel there's a huge commitment booting it up, and while I enjoy it, I don't have the several hours I have to sit down to do so.
I got the new Punch-out too. Love it. Anway I like your statement the best about iPhone gaming. Just a different market mostly made up of extremely casual gamers. Whereas most TA people have been gaming for a long time, many other iPhone users could care less about being deep into video games and are unwilling to spend a lot on them for themselves. You also gotta watch out for some of these "gamers" that are supporting higher prices. Many of them get games or final builds of games for free and then tell everyone else to go spend their money to support the devs for "hooking them up"
I would gladly pay $30 for a game with more depth than what's out there. I am so sick of waiting for highly anticipated games and finishing them in a couple hours.
Well, I haven't bought a single game on my iPhone that has more hours per £ than my 360 games like mass effect, fallout, fable 2, halo 3, oblivion, guitar hero, assassins creed, skate 2 etc. offer a much more entertaining experience and with much more depth and length. Arcade games like N+ and Lode Runner offer more levels than games on iDevices and more features, like level editors and multiplayer etc. for not much more money DS offers games with much more playtime (pokemon, zelda) better controls and gameplay (same 2) more content and depth (same 2) and more innovation (drawn to life, scribblenauts) So, basically, for someone that considers themselves a gamer, the iDevice offers a fun distraction on the bus/tube/lessons but never will replace what my consoles because of the low price point, the price means I buy more games, which I would never buy before but it still hasn't made be wait until games are £10 to buy them
The price paid for an iPhone game is usually directly related to its content. A game like SkyBurger or FlightControl should not cost more than $2.99. A game like Real Racing or NFS or Zenonia offer a lot more content and polish and are therefore price appropriately. When they start developing games with the same content as a game on the PSP/DS/PS2 you will probably start to see higher prices. Meanwhile, indie dev's will continue to create simple and creative $.99 games to capture that market. Games are cheap in the app store, but none of them really offer more then $10 worth of content. Real racing for example. $10 - 12 Courses - 3 different types of cars. If the game had 24 races and 9 different types of cars with online racing and a more complete career mode, it could easily be priced at $20. There is a fundamental problem with the current design of the app store. If a dev creates a program that is more expensive and appeals to a smaller market they will take themselves out of the top 100 games and that will limit their marketing. The app store right now favors inexpensive games that market themselves through the top100 lists. Once apple realeses their premium application department in the store you will see more games created with more depth and replay value with a higher price tag.
I use to buy console games, for the nintento (original -haha), and the PS2, feeling okay to spend 60 bucks on a game, but then the wii came out, bought it, and buying games @ 60 bucks seemed crazy cause half of the games were just utter crap...so that shook my confidence in the gaming market.. then the introduction of the app store...initially i was buying like crazy, with 50% of the apps being utter crap cause the developers lied and made promises to upgrade a non complete game...which they never did....anyone say Urban tycoon? now...I am happy again, I can pick up 10 amazing games, for 10 bucks, 99 centers..like I dig it, the creeps, just so many of them...that i have stopped buying console games...I was looking online at wii games to buy the other day, and spending anything above 20 bucks seems crazy...
