Casual game business

Posted By: Leonardo

Casual game business - 01/16/08 19:37

Well, some time in the next months I'm planning on launching my website and offering my casual games for the public. Up until now, I have 3. One is a "Match-5" game (check out StarMatch at Showcase I), the other is a simple magnetic air-hockey game, and the third one and the best, I might add, is a board game that has an oriental style and is a mix of strategy and board games. I'm also planning to add 2 or 3 more games to the list.
I'm about to offer the first two games for free, surviving just from advertising, but the Oriental game will cost $5-$15, haven't done the math yet.

And one of the games I will make in the next months will also be for sale, but the other games will be free.
Now, I want your opinion - would a website like this be profitable, and if yes, how profitable? Where could I find statistics about such sites, what kind of traffic can I achieve, how to maximize that traffic, should I offer more games, how much profit can be achieved by advertising? I also need some tips on what could scare a potential casual gamer, what I should NOT do!

I know this is a lot, but please be general in your answers. And if you think this will not be profitable, offer some advice - what should I do, how to reach advertisers and where can I advertise my own website.
And to not sound like a total beginner, I must say I have experience in business, but I made this post to be totally sure of myself, because I have lots of things depending on the outcome of it!

Thank you,
Leonardo

Posted By: Joozey

Re: Casual game business - 01/16/08 22:10

About your website design (you might know already):
Make sure you show the user that he can buy games on your website, show this on the homepage, with obvious links to the shop, demo versions and gallery/screenshots. Very important to have a screenshots section.

Make your homepage interesting to see and read, and don't exaggerate

. People judge your site on it's homepage in less than 5 seconds. If they like it, they'll read on, if they don't, they're gone again. I'd make a colourful yet serious looking site. Post one or few small pictures on the homepage next to your game advertisement that shows a good impression of the game. Give a nice describtion and you should do quite well already I think

.

I hope you'll get some replies about the business part, I'm curious too about it

.
Good luck!

Posted By: Leonardo

Re: Casual game business - 01/17/08 00:28

True words! I can't say how many times I have browsed a web-page that threw me off in a matter of seconds. It doesn't matter if what they offer is any good, if the website has at least one grammar mistake, lacks style or is simply "noobish", I walk away!

Well, I have thought about this, and I have decided that in the beginning, I should need a constant flow of users, even if the profits should tumble a bit. So I guess, I'm going to focus on it and offer all the games for free, and add a deluxe version of the oriental board game for a fee.
Since this is a first in Latvia, I should get a decent flow of players in the local market, especially if the games are free! ^^ But I'm concerned about international players. So, a question arises - where can I advertise a webpage like this? Preferably for free, or a very low cost!

Thank you,
Leonardo

Posted By: Nems

Re: Casual game business - 01/17/08 01:33

Advertising the site is the biggest and most important I think and I reckon this could happen if you approached Game review sites, national news agencies and perhaps even download sites like CNet etc who used to be favorable to business sites related to their industries.

National TV is another option, especially if nothing exists in Latvia at the moment as well as Radio stations.

A trick here in NZ is to use 'taggers' to tag pavements and walls with addresses of the site in areas of the cities that wouldnt be too concerned about pavement tagging, especially if it looked nice

and underground magazine publications in conjunction with suburban news media.

Profitability is relient on user hits so get the traffic and youve got the profits

, i.e Adds (yeuuuk!)

But maybe look at publicity stunts as a first drive, stunts which are controversial but in theme to what you want to be noticed like creating huge drop banners out of old sheets and painting the address and a message (eco concerns, blatent begging (click me to make Latvia known to the world?) or setting a attempting a world records related to any one of your publications and so on.

Posted By: ulf

Re: Casual game business - 01/17/08 08:04

Quote:

A trick here in NZ is to use 'taggers' to tag pavements and walls with addresses of the site in areas of the cities that wouldnt be too concerned about pavement tagging, especially if it looked nice and underground magazine publications in conjunction with suburban news media.

i would not want to recommend this to you. a) you might get into trouble b) seriously the target audience for casual games is not into streetart!

what you shoud do is get a perfect website up(look how others do it), then SEO optimize it, use google adwords to promote it until you get enough traffic from search engines wich can take up to 1 year after optimization.

be shure to polish your games enough.

Posted By: Leonardo

Re: Casual game business - 01/17/08 08:16

Well, those are some interesting ideas, I must say that. Can't say though that "tagging" or world record breaking is the path I could walk. But advertising on GameReview sites would be my choice, because it is cheap, effective (in case of a good review ^^) and it attracts exactly the target audience I need. TV, for instance, is a lot more expensive, and the commercials are wasted on people that do not care about gaming at all.

Now, I got to find out, what kind of sites do secretaries visit! I know they all love to play casual games in the office!

Posted By: Nems

Re: Casual game business - 01/17/08 09:16

What I ment about Tv is NEWS, an article or 2 where you claiim to be the first in your country offerring casual games, same goes for Radio and print media, get it in the news and youve got word of mouth advertising for free

...then again, why not a Bungie jump as well

Posted By: Leonardo

Re: Casual game business - 01/17/08 09:39

Oh, NEWS...

Than that is a very good idea. Even 3D modeling is a new thing in Latvia, so there recently was an article about two kids making models for a Latvian war movie.

It just seems we have been left back while the whole world progressed.

So, getting in the news wouldn't be so hard, and it definitely would increase the popularity of the web-site.

Especially if I did the interview while bungie-jumping! ^^

Posted By: fastlane69

Re: Casual game business - 01/23/08 22:13

I would hit all the local and internet news and magazines and work the "first studio/website/game in Latvia" angle... that usually plays well.

HOWEVER, to find hard data on traffic and your profitability will take time and money. AFAIK, it is VERY hard to find those stats on the web and even then, they are irrelevent unless they are exactly like what you are doing. Hence I would either pay for the market research and find the numbers or simply do your best and keep track of your OWN numbers and base your decisions on that.

I think it is great that you can count on a whole country to come to your site for your site is teh first of it's kind in Latvia. But this could also not be true. After all, while this is the first game site from latvia on the net, it is not the first game site and thus your latvian customers may be comparing you to these more advanced methods. I think the biggest hook you have right now is being a latvian first: this will play well in the news, both local and global, but may not turn to profits for on the net, there is no Latvia or US or Germany... merely good sites and bad sites.

Posted By: Leonardo

Re: Casual game business - 01/23/08 22:22

I agree, that Latvian customers will not make my profit grow considerably by increasing game sales ^^ But this is why, I'll be offering most of the games for free and putting up ads on the site and in the games. I believe that is a nice way to increase popularity amongst the users who don't have enough money or simply don't want to pay, but on the same time, capitalize on the fact.

And, of course, as mentioned, the website needs a constant flow of viewers and gamers, so free games always hit the spot.
And, seeing as I'm the only one making the games, and I'm doing quite well for now, I don't have to split the profits!

Well, all I can say is - I'll do my best and hope for the best!

Posted By: JamesA

Re: Casual game business - 02/09/08 23:36

I am also reasearching casual games at the moment. Ive found a lot of articles about it from a year or so ago.

Is the market still quite 'hot'or cooling rapidly? I like the idea of the fact that casual games take a lot less time to make than big 3d games but still have good potential for earning while allowing for good ideas and creativity.

What is happening with Actionscript 3 and papervision 3d/sandy is really promising I feel for this market.....

Posted By: ulf

Re: Casual game business - 02/10/08 08:49

its still the "hottest" market out there at the moment - so you can make good profit if you do it right. the only problem will be, that the big studios (ea...) and casual game portals already have their own experienced teams working on lots of games -> so the market is already starting to saturate pretty quick.
also a lot of middle sized teams working on aaa games in the past start to refocus on casual games. you almost cant reach their quality and efficiency as lone gunmen ehrm developer.

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Casual game business - 02/10/08 09:31

If you focus on good (maybe even new or mutated) game ideas, a handy gameplay and overall nice graphics you can make money even as a "one-man-show".
The sellingrates of casual games are growing (in nearly the same way the total playing time of these games lessen

) - good signes for the casual games market.

Your work (and more important your services) must be professional.
You have to be enterprising and have to follow the changerequest of the publisher/s.
Best way (for me) is to send early but good looking prototypes to publishers and work together on the product.

Multiplatfform and online availabillity is important for the current and more and more for the futur market.

AC3/papervision/java has a fast growing community papervision is under heavey construction and getting more and more interesting for the online 3d gamedesing.

Posted By: JamesA

Re: Casual game business - 02/10/08 12:50

Hi thats interesting, I thought the market would be quickly saturating and the big cos would be coming in.
I agree though a simple well thought out game could do well or what about a point and click idea such as that Mystery Huntsville one?

Mercury you say-
'Best way (for me) is to send early but good looking prototypes to publishers and work together on the product.'

How do you make sure they wont just steal elements your idea? I know film and book companies do not like receiving unsolicited ideas and synopsis as they could get sued by the creators if the publisher comes up with a similar idea.

Posted By: zazang

Re: Casual game business - 02/10/08 12:51

We pitched our great looking casual game title recently to a big portal and the feedback was that the title that we made is a popular genre(match 3) but it
has extremely tough competition..and it got rejected

so be sure to have a REALLY solid game with the
coolest eyecandy,music if you want it on the portal...another thing is to add
some kind of a game progress map showing which level u r on...and lastly give the player tonnes of rewards within short time frames of playing

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Casual game business - 02/10/08 14:19

Working for/with publishers is a long-time and confidential process.
The best way is to support the publisher with a quality he can sell.
Then he don't try to assume/adapt you "genius" ideas.

Try to contact new publishers with eyecandies and advertise your game.
Don't tell him too much or too less - wait for his replay (and hope you can send him a demo/storyboard/synopsis).

We are part of the casual games market with many many many many many game designers (and even more ideas).
(In the most cases I think my ideas are that unique and ingenious, but after a small reasearch they're not )

Posted By: Pappenheimer

Re: Casual game business - 02/10/08 21:52

Probably, it is good to look at certain examples:

http://www.casualgamesassociation.org/for_professionals_recognition.php

These are the winners of a casual game competition of the established casual publishers (and producers? I don't know.)

My guess from what I saw on some of the casual game portals like BigFishGames, your game has to be extremely polished, zazang mentioned some points, another is, the game play and help system must be extremely intuitive.

I am very cusious for instance how this one will make its way on the portals:

it one the fourth price for being the "most innovative" entry of the contest: "Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!" and its made by Mousechief Co. USA.

Posted By: JamesA

Re: Casual game business - 02/10/08 23:15

Well I had the idea if I could earn enough from commercial work to take some time to make a point and click adventure/puzzle game.

Has anyone heard of the puzzles Samorost and also the similar one Haluz?
I love the style and weirdness of these games, does anyone know if these earned the creators anything?

Posted By: Nems

Re: Casual game business - 02/11/08 05:40

Great Link pappenheimer, thanks a ton man

Never explored casual games in full before so this would be a good start.
Great that they have down loadable magazines.

Posted By: Pappenheimer

Re: Casual game business - 02/11/08 09:13

Quote:

Has anyone heard of the puzzles Samorost and also the similar one Haluz?

Just played them because mentioned these games. Wonderful! (At least, with a walkthrough, to get through the things where I stuck.)

Posted By: JamesA

Re: Casual game business - 02/11/08 17:35

Yes they are nice games.
Strange how simple point and click games are still fun.

I like them as to me as they are a bit like an interactive graphic novel.
I think that is where the appeal perhaps lies,

-simple concept, nice look interesting puzzles.

One could even make a graphic novel as well as a casual game like this and sell the graphic novel as well!

Posted By: mpdeveloper_B

Re: Casual game business - 02/14/08 00:17

leonardo, i'd also recommend you finding good review sites and magazines (pc gamer, ign, gamespot) but only if you think that your game is worth a good rating, if it is then you will have tons of readers of pc gaming magazines and websites looking at your game, which can really alter your numbers, and even if they don't think your game is perfect, there are the ones that will check it out just because the game is there, and seems interesting

make and sell soundtracks, if your game has a decent soundtrack then most will buy it and it's a great way to get money aside from the games