Why do you play games?

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AuthorTopic: Why do you play games?
Agent
Member # 3349
Profile Homepage #0
There sure are a lot of them out nowadays, huh? Well, why do you play them? (straining for new ideas for boards)

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And everybody say....Yatta!
Posts: 1287 | Registered: Thursday, August 14 2003 07:00
Master
Member # 4614
Profile Homepage #1
Because they're fun and addictive.

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-ben4808
Posts: 3360 | Registered: Friday, June 25 2004 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 5991
Profile Homepage #2
something to do to keep you
from getting bored and or crazy

[ Saturday, December 10, 2005 10:15: Message edited by: The Forgotten ]

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I'm not as think you stoned I am
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Posts: 462 | Registered: Tuesday, June 21 2005 07:00
Shaper
Member # 3442
Profile Homepage #3
To delay the other, more important stuff. Plus, on a more intellectual note, escapism - games can be a new world to explore like a good book or a film. And you can literally explore them. In a book you are bound to the author's journey. In a game, you are more free to do your own thing.

As well as this, I have no real social life - I was told pretending to have one doesn't count.

EDIT: Missed quite important words. Well, one.

[ Saturday, December 10, 2005 10:35: Message edited by: SupaNik ]

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And when you want to Live
How do you start?
Where do you go?
Who do you need to know?

Posts: 2864 | Registered: Monday, September 8 2003 07:00
Agent
Member # 3349
Profile Homepage #4
Very true SupaNik. "Return of the King" for Gamecube made me feel very powerful sending Merry to the Southern Gate and Paths of the Dead.

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And everybody say....Yatta!
Posts: 1287 | Registered: Thursday, August 14 2003 07:00
? Man, ? Amazing
Member # 5755
Profile #5
Only for brief minutes as a break from work. Not willing to invest the time into something I'm going to get bored with eventually. In fact I still have, new in the wrapper, Throne of Baal for BG 2. It would probably be something I enjoyed, but since I'm currently enjoying other things, there is no hurry. Can't spread myself so thin that I wouldn't have time to post here, right?

*this message was discovered still covered in shrinkwrap*

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quote:
Originally written by Kelandon:

Well, I'm at least pretty sure that Salmon is losing.


Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00
...b10010b...
Member # 869
Profile Homepage #6
To win.

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Warrior
Member # 6401
Profile #7
Out of interest, does anyone know how many of each game Spiderweb has sold? Or the number downloaded compared to the number registered?

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I think this is really wonderful.
Posts: 147 | Registered: Tuesday, October 18 2005 07:00
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
Profile Homepage #8
Download:register ratio tends to be around 100:3, or so I've heard.

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Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

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The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Mongolian Barbeque
Member # 1528
Profile #9
100:3! Good grief, that's terrible. I would've expected maybe 100:25 at least. Then again, I'm hardly unbiased about Spiderweb games.

Is 100:3 pretty standard for the shareware industry?

[ Sunday, December 11, 2005 11:23: Message edited by: IRA Witch Herd ]
Posts: 907 | Registered: Monday, July 15 2002 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 4637
Profile Homepage #10
quote:
Originally written by IRA Witch Herd:

100:3! Good grief, that's terrible. I would've expected maybe 100:25 at least. Then again, I'm hardly unbiased about Spiderweb games.

Is 100:3 pretty standard for the shareware industry?

Probably it is a good mark. At least Spidweb survived/outlived many other shareware companies.

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Visit the Blades of Avernum Center
and the Beta Testing Center

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"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." Colossians 2:6-9
Posts: 483 | Registered: Tuesday, June 29 2004 07:00
Law Bringer
Member # 6489
Profile Homepage #11
It really is sad, but the truth is that shareware is almost never registered. It's great stuff, snd everyone uses shareware, but no one registers.

EDIT: Spelling Errors

[ Sunday, December 11, 2005 12:24: Message edited by: Tyranicus ]

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Posts: 1556 | Registered: Sunday, November 20 2005 08:00
Lifecrafter
Member # 3171
Profile Homepage #12
I'd don't like the fact, but the truth is it's probably around 100:25 when you include the ones that register via "other" means.
Posts: 776 | Registered: Friday, July 4 2003 07:00
Law Bringer
Member # 335
Profile Homepage #13
There was an article online somewhere (I can't remember the URL, but it's probably still out there) that discusses how shareware can in fact be more lucrative than the major games from the big players in the computer game world. It was more about solitaire and other rather simple games than niche RPGs, but I think the idea holds. The art and sound expenses are minimal, and the only employees who need to be paid are Jeff, Linda, and Mariann. Besides paying for space on the web, there's no other overhead. That means that while shareware may sell fewer copies, each one means more money that isn't lost to "Spiderweb Software" and not the people who need to eat.

That said, 100:3 sounds about right to me. It really depends on how many people download Avernum expecting something more graphically impressive. But really it doesn't matter how many people download and promptly delete Spiderweb games. As long as X people register, they could be X out of 100,000, X out of 1,000,000, or X out of 6,500,000,000.

—Alorael, who doubts that 25% of people who download Spiderweb games end up with full versions one way or another. Most people probably aren't very interested, and those who are are most likely to be the people who pay. Jeff certainly doesn't seem to consider the pirates a threat to his income from what he's written, and it's fairly apparent that income is something very important to him, reasonably enough.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00