From universedave at gmail.com Sun Apr 12 19:04:40 2009 From: universedave at gmail.com (Dave Rohrl) Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:04:40 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] What should the SIG be doing for you? Message-ID: <91a814620904121604w6763c43bqf5210ad1d95bb1a@mail.gmail.com> Hi all, The IGDA Casual SIG has been going for quite a while. When the SIG started up back in 2003, the most pressing need of the casual game community was clear - to let the rest of the game industry (and the investment community) know that casual games not only existed but also represented an important business and creative opportunity. As a result, a lot of the SIG's work was about information - doing white papers, a quarterly newsletter, and other publications to help share the news and validate the space. In 2009, the picture is quite different. Casual games are a multi-billion dollar business. The rest of the industry sees us as a key growth driver. There are three annual standalone conferences and a two-day GDC symposium focused exclusively on casual games. Tons of casual content shows up at general industry conferences. There is a strong professional industry association focused on casual games with a great lineup of publications. So, the Steering Committee of the SIG would like to ask you, the membership, this key question: now that everyone knows that casual games are here to stay, what would you like us to be doing for *you* - the independent casual game developer? How can we help you to build better games, create a better business, or just understand the ecosystem better? We've been brainstorming ideas on the Steering Committee, and here were some of the ideas we had: - Monthly live chats (voice or text) on hot industry topics - Webinars - online presentations by industry experts using web meeting technology - Developer/Publisher "speed-dating" events for quick pitches - Position papers on key issues for developers Is this what you would like to see us working on? Do you have other ideas? Should we keep focusing on the white paper and quarterly, or should we start phasing those out so we can focus on other initiatives that matter more? Your feedback is important. As a Steering Committee, we can only manage a limited number of initiatives. We want to make sure that we put our energy into work that will benefit and organize the casual game development community. Please reply on the mailing list and let us know what you would like to see us doing in 2009-2010. Thanks, Dave Rohrl Chair, IGDA Casual Game SIG, 2008-2009 Editor, 2008-2009 IGDA Casual Game White Paper -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From aaron at tandemgames.com Mon Apr 13 12:12:58 2009 From: aaron at tandemgames.com (Aaron Murray) Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:12:58 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] What should the SIG be doing for you? In-Reply-To: <91a814620904121604w6763c43bqf5210ad1d95bb1a@mail.gmail.com> References: <91a814620904121604w6763c43bqf5210ad1d95bb1a@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <3129a3da0904130912x27b2ff44p94c7559224fa52e3@mail.gmail.com> Hi Dave, First let me say thanks for preparing new activities/information for the SIG. As far as things that would be interesting to me (in no order): - Postmortems for games released on the major portals - Sales figures of some sort. We can get sales figs to some extent for almost any platform, at least for top selling games, but getting sales figs for top performing casual games is difficult. - General discussion amongst our fellow dev companies on here about tips/tricks/stories/etc. When BumbleTales launches next month I'll be happy to share as much info as possible. Surely some of the portals will have some info on NDA lockdown, but we're not going through a pub and I'm not afraid to share biz details so I'll be putting my money where my mouth is soon enough. Thanks again, I enjoy the SIG when it's active...there always seems to be quality discussion happening. I'd also like to say how much I love/respect casualcharts.com - what a great bit of info that has been around for years. -Aaron On Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 6:04 PM, Dave Rohrl wrote: > Hi all, > > The IGDA Casual SIG has been going for quite a while. When the SIG started > up back in 2003, the most pressing need of the casual game community was > clear - to let the rest of the game industry (and the investment community) > know that casual games not only existed but also represented an important > business and creative opportunity. As a result, a lot of the SIG's work was > about information - doing white papers, a quarterly newsletter, and other > publications to help share the news and validate the space. > > In 2009, the picture is quite different. Casual games are a multi-billion > dollar business. The rest of the industry sees us as a key growth driver. > There are three annual standalone conferences and a two-day GDC symposium > focused exclusively on casual games. Tons of casual content shows up at > general industry conferences. There is a strong professional industry > association focused on casual games with a great lineup of publications. > > So, the Steering Committee of the SIG would like to ask you, the > membership, this key question: now that everyone knows that casual games are > here to stay, what would you like us to be doing for *you* - the independent > casual game developer? How can we help you to build better games, create a > better business, or just understand the ecosystem better? > > We've been brainstorming ideas on the Steering Committee, and here were > some of the ideas we had: > > - Monthly live chats (voice or text) on hot industry topics > - Webinars - online presentations by industry experts using web meeting > technology > - Developer/Publisher "speed-dating" events for quick pitches > - Position papers on key issues for developers > > Is this what you would like to see us working on? Do you have other > ideas? Should we keep focusing on the white paper and quarterly, or should > we start phasing those out so we can focus on other initiatives that matter > more? > > Your feedback is important. As a Steering Committee, we can only manage a > limited number of initiatives. We want to make sure that we put our energy > into work that will benefit and organize the casual game development > community. Please reply on the mailing list and let us know what you would > like to see us doing in 2009-2010. > > Thanks, > Dave Rohrl > Chair, IGDA Casual Game SIG, 2008-2009 > Editor, 2008-2009 IGDA Casual Game White Paper > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > > -- Aaron Murray Technical Director, Founder Tandem Games www.TandemGames.com www.DomainOfHeroes.com "Fun for All. All for Fun." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From aaron at tandemgames.com Mon Apr 13 12:13:04 2009 From: aaron at tandemgames.com (Aaron Murray) Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:13:04 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] What should the SIG be doing for you? In-Reply-To: <91a814620904121604w6763c43bqf5210ad1d95bb1a@mail.gmail.com> References: <91a814620904121604w6763c43bqf5210ad1d95bb1a@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <3129a3da0904130913l50a2b513k40d2cb2b253013ad@mail.gmail.com> Hi Dave, First let me say thanks for preparing new activities/information for the SIG. As far as things that would be interesting to me (in no order): - Postmortems for games released on the major portals - Sales figures of some sort. We can get sales figs to some extent for almost any platform, at least for top selling games, but getting sales figs for top performing casual games is difficult. - General discussion amongst our fellow dev companies on here about tips/tricks/stories/etc. When BumbleTales launches next month I'll be happy to share as much info as possible. Surely some of the portals will have some info on NDA lockdown, but we're not going through a pub and I'm not afraid to share biz details so I'll be putting my money where my mouth is soon enough. Thanks again, I enjoy the SIG when it's active...there always seems to be quality discussion happening. I'd also like to say how much I love/respect casualcharts.com - what a great bit of info that has been around for years. -Aaron On Sun, Apr 12, 2009 at 6:04 PM, Dave Rohrl wrote: > Hi all, > > The IGDA Casual SIG has been going for quite a while. When the SIG started > up back in 2003, the most pressing need of the casual game community was > clear - to let the rest of the game industry (and the investment community) > know that casual games not only existed but also represented an important > business and creative opportunity. As a result, a lot of the SIG's work was > about information - doing white papers, a quarterly newsletter, and other > publications to help share the news and validate the space. > > In 2009, the picture is quite different. Casual games are a multi-billion > dollar business. The rest of the industry sees us as a key growth driver. > There are three annual standalone conferences and a two-day GDC symposium > focused exclusively on casual games. Tons of casual content shows up at > general industry conferences. There is a strong professional industry > association focused on casual games with a great lineup of publications. > > So, the Steering Committee of the SIG would like to ask you, the > membership, this key question: now that everyone knows that casual games are > here to stay, what would you like us to be doing for *you* - the independent > casual game developer? How can we help you to build better games, create a > better business, or just understand the ecosystem better? > > We've been brainstorming ideas on the Steering Committee, and here were > some of the ideas we had: > > - Monthly live chats (voice or text) on hot industry topics > - Webinars - online presentations by industry experts using web meeting > technology > - Developer/Publisher "speed-dating" events for quick pitches > - Position papers on key issues for developers > > Is this what you would like to see us working on? Do you have other > ideas? Should we keep focusing on the white paper and quarterly, or should > we start phasing those out so we can focus on other initiatives that matter > more? > > Your feedback is important. As a Steering Committee, we can only manage a > limited number of initiatives. We want to make sure that we put our energy > into work that will benefit and organize the casual game development > community. Please reply on the mailing list and let us know what you would > like to see us doing in 2009-2010. > > Thanks, > Dave Rohrl > Chair, IGDA Casual Game SIG, 2008-2009 > Editor, 2008-2009 IGDA Casual Game White Paper > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: > http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: > http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > > -- Aaron Murray Technical Director, Founder Tandem Games www.TandemGames.com www.DomainOfHeroes.com "Fun for All. All for Fun." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From harry at hotcherry.co.uk Mon Apr 13 12:13:47 2009 From: harry at hotcherry.co.uk (harry at hotcherry.co.uk) Date: 13 Apr 2009 17:13:47 +0100 Subject: [casual_games] =?utf-8?q?Casual=5FGames_Digest=2C_Vol_49=2C_Issue?= =?utf-8?q?_1?= Message-ID: <20090413161347.23621.qmail@yellowsubmarine.1stdomains.co.uk> Hi there, Thanks for your email. I?m not in the office from 4-14th April. For any enquiries, please contact Michelle Arnusch at michelle at hotcherry.co.uk or 07901 768 911. Many thanks, H Harry Cymbler Director From tom at beachware.com Mon Apr 13 14:45:11 2009 From: tom at beachware.com (Tom Gilleland) Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:45:11 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Casual_Games Digest, Vol 49, Issue 1 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Paul, You should use the collection I created "Zillion Sounds". (http:// sounds.beachware.com/) Free for non-commercial use, $20 to download the whole collection for commercial use. Tom BeachWare On Apr 13, 2009, at 9:13 AM, casual_games-request at igda.org wrote: > Can anyone suggest any good sites for purchasing sound effects and > audio > loops for online games? > > I currently use soundrangers however often I cannot find everything > I need > on this site so some alternative sites would be good to have on hand. > > Btw for this particular game, I need some nice short animal sounds > [horse, > budgie, hamster, fish, dog, cat, rabbit, snake) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dbahlman at xblitz.com Tue Apr 14 00:46:02 2009 From: dbahlman at xblitz.com (Donald) Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:46:02 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] What should the SIG be doing for you? In-Reply-To: <91a814620904121604w6763c43bqf5210ad1d95bb1a@mail.gmail.com> References: <91a814620904121604w6763c43bqf5210ad1d95bb1a@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <3982DB1873244DDCB8D706E50C24CD80@xBlitzGames> Thanks Dave, Its action like this that makes this such a great SIG. I would suggest more virtual networking. - Seems I'm always in need to some "good", "affordable" and "trustworthy" programmers to farm out stuff. Maybe we could put together a kind of SIG Yellow pages for small indies like us. - It would also be nice to have a way to connect good companies with good projects to qualified investment funding. This might be nice even on a project by project basis (~ $200,000). In this economy, that might be pretty attractive. That's my two cents. Thanks! Don xBlitz Entertainment ----- Original Message ----- From: Dave Rohrl To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2009 6:04 PM Subject: [casual_games] What should the SIG be doing for you? Hi all, The IGDA Casual SIG has been going for quite a while. When the SIG started up back in 2003, the most pressing need of the casual game community was clear - to let the rest of the game industry (and the investment community) know that casual games not only existed but also represented an important business and creative opportunity. As a result, a lot of the SIG's work was about information - doing white papers, a quarterly newsletter, and other publications to help share the news and validate the space. In 2009, the picture is quite different. Casual games are a multi-billion dollar business. The rest of the industry sees us as a key growth driver. There are three annual standalone conferences and a two-day GDC symposium focused exclusively on casual games. Tons of casual content shows up at general industry conferences. There is a strong professional industry association focused on casual games with a great lineup of publications. So, the Steering Committee of the SIG would like to ask you, the membership, this key question: now that everyone knows that casual games are here to stay, what would you like us to be doing for *you* - the independent casual game developer? How can we help you to build better games, create a better business, or just understand the ecosystem better? We've been brainstorming ideas on the Steering Committee, and here were some of the ideas we had: a.. Monthly live chats (voice or text) on hot industry topics b.. Webinars - online presentations by industry experts using web meeting technology c.. Developer/Publisher "speed-dating" events for quick pitches d.. Position papers on key issues for developers Is this what you would like to see us working on? Do you have other ideas? Should we keep focusing on the white paper and quarterly, or should we start phasing those out so we can focus on other initiatives that matter more? Your feedback is important. As a Steering Committee, we can only manage a limited number of initiatives. We want to make sure that we put our energy into work that will benefit and organize the casual game development community. Please reply on the mailing list and let us know what you would like to see us doing in 2009-2010. Thanks, Dave Rohrl Chair, IGDA Casual Game SIG, 2008-2009 Editor, 2008-2009 IGDA Casual Game White Paper ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.287 / Virus Database: 270.11.54/2055 - Release Date: 04/12/09 13:14:00 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From paul_steven at btinternet.com Wed Apr 22 08:26:47 2009 From: paul_steven at btinternet.com (Paul Steven) Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:26:47 +0100 Subject: [casual_games] Seeking examples of formal QA questionnaires/reports for games In-Reply-To: References: <223926C52C8EBF4DB30570260B67827303D22ACD@ex-be-006-sfo.shared.themessagecenter.com> Message-ID: <00da01c9c345$9b3a78b0$d1af6a10$@com> Hi there One of my clients has requested details of my QA process for testing the Flash games I develop. I have nothing formal in place and rely on rigorous testing once the game is considered complete. I would be interested in developing something more formal in my approach to this aspect of game development and would appreciate any guidance or examples of questionnaires/reports that other game development companies use. Many thanks Paul -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From matthew at fordfam.com Wed Apr 22 19:46:03 2009 From: matthew at fordfam.com (Matthew Ford) Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:46:03 +1000 Subject: [casual_games] Advice to a developer about distribution Message-ID: <011801c9c3a4$82a0a9f0$87e1fdd0$@com> Hello all, My game Taboo Snaps (www.taboosnaps.com) is nearly done so I am looking ahead to distribution options. At Game Connection at GDC I made contact with a few would-be distributors who kindly expressed interest. I am completely green in this area-though I worked for game companies as a producer/designer for more than 15 years, I never forged this kind of deal. So I would really, really appreciate your advice. To give you an idea of the scale of my game, Taboo Snaps is a game with a casual entry-Flash-based and you can learn how to play it in a minute-but has a considerable amount of gameplay under the hood and a continually updated content stream, so a player who likes it might play for a solid hour per session, and come back week after week to get new content. At GC I met a few would-be distributors: a person who would get exclusive rights to: 1) Work with portals to get the best possible deal for my game. 2) Find properties, such as a men's magazine, which would want to buy a skinned version of my game, rebranded to fit their site and show their content. I don't need any funding. I just am deciding whether to have a middleman do the work of cutting deals and working his/her connections, or to do it all myself. On one hand, I want to maximize revenue. On the other hand, I really want to focus my time and effort on development. So I have a few really basic questions: 1) What should I consider as I decide whether to work with such a distributor, or just be my own agent in working with portals and properties such as magazines? 2) What is a fair percentage for the distributor to get from the game's revenues? 3) Is it reasonable for the deal to be such that I get the revenue checks, from which I give a cut to the distributor, or must I expect it to be vice-versa? 4) What are reasonable limits to expect the deal to have? Time of exclusivity, exceptions if I dig up a portal or property that the distributor did not, and such? I know that my first time selling my own game will be a learning experience, but I'd greatly appreciate it if you all can help me avoid at least a few of the pitfalls I know I have ahead of me. J I don't mind if replies go to the list, but if you wish to send me a private reply, that's fine! Many thanks, Matthew Ford * * * Matthew Ford - matthew at fordfam dot com - http://www.fordfam.com/matthew -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sheri at designdirectdeliver.com Wed Apr 22 19:57:14 2009 From: sheri at designdirectdeliver.com (Sheri Rubin) Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:57:14 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Seeking examples of formal QA questionnaires/reports for games In-Reply-To: <00da01c9c345$9b3a78b0$d1af6a10$@com> References: <223926C52C8EBF4DB30570260B67827303D22ACD@ex-be-006-sfo.shared.themessagecenter.com> <00da01c9c345$9b3a78b0$d1af6a10$@com> Message-ID: <49EFAEDA.9050500@designdirectdeliver.com> Hi Paul, all, We don't necessarily have exactly what you're looking for but there are some test plan templates up on the Quality Assurance SIGs website at www.igda.org/qa/docs.php. As a side note, my company does consulting work to help companies put QA processes in place so depending on if you're looking for more than just a test template I may be able to provide you with more assistance off list. Hope that's what you're looking for, Sheri Quality Assurance SIG Chair Paul Steven wrote: > > Hi there > > > > One of my clients has requested details of my QA process for testing > the Flash games I develop. I have nothing formal in place and rely on > rigorous testing once the game is considered complete. > > > > I would be interested in developing something more formal in my > approach to this aspect of game development and would appreciate any > guidance or examples of questionnaires/reports that other game > development companies use. > > > > Many thanks > > > > Paul > -- *Sheri Rubin* CEO/President *Design, Direct, Deliver* Website: www.designdirectdeliver.com Email: sheri at designdirectdeliver.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Lennard at RustyAxe.com Wed Apr 22 20:48:35 2009 From: Lennard at RustyAxe.com (Lennard Feddersen) Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:48:35 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Advice to a developer about distribution In-Reply-To: <011801c9c3a4$82a0a9f0$87e1fdd0$@com> References: <011801c9c3a4$82a0a9f0$87e1fdd0$@com> Message-ID: <49EFBAE3.2020802@RustyAxe.com> I have personally turned down deals where a middleman represents you to all of the portals. They take a huge chunk of the pie for doing some emailing and leveraging a rolodex and the portals are already going to give you a pretty small % - if those guys are interested it's probably because you have made something worth their time, might as well take the time to send the portals your emails directly. My take is that, long term, it's important to be building your own website traffic with your content. Do deals directly with portals if it makes sense for you - they are pretty approachable in my experience and they do get a lot of traffic. Ultimately you are going to be asked to nudge the game this way or that - you might as well be working directly with the portals because that is going to take more energy than the initial contact did anyhow and then you don't have a middleman in the way. BTW, would be happy if you sent me a link when the game is actually up on your website. Good luck! Lennard Feddersen CEO, Rusty Axe Games, Inc. www.RustyAxe.com Lennard at RustyAxe.com P. 250-635-7623 F. 1-309-422-2466 P. July & August 518-863-2317 5014 Walsh, Terrace, BC, Canada, V8G-4H2 Matthew Ford wrote: > > Hello all, > > My game Taboo Snaps (www.taboosnaps.com ) > is nearly done so I am looking ahead to distribution options. At Game > Connection at GDC I made contact with a few would-be distributors who > kindly expressed interest. I am completely green in this area?though I > worked for game companies as a producer/designer for more than 15 > years, I never forged this kind of deal. So I would really, really > appreciate your advice. > > To give you an idea of the scale of my game, Taboo Snaps is a game > with a casual entry?Flash-based and you can learn how to play it in a > minute?but has a considerable amount of gameplay under the hood and a > continually updated content stream, so a player who likes it might > play for a solid hour per session, and come back week after week to > get new content. > > At GC I met a few would-be distributors: a person who would get > exclusive rights to: > > 1) Work with portals to get the best possible deal for my game. > > 2) Find properties, such as a men?s magazine, which would want to buy > a skinned version of my game, rebranded to fit their site and show > their content. > > I don?t need any funding. I just am deciding whether to have a > middleman do the work of cutting deals and working his/her > connections, or to do it all myself. On one hand, I want to maximize > revenue. On the other hand, I really want to focus my time and effort > on development. > > So I have a few really basic questions: > > 1) What should I consider as I decide whether to work with such a > distributor, or just be my own agent in working with portals and > properties such as magazines? > > 2) What is a fair percentage for the distributor to get from the > game?s revenues? > > 3) Is it reasonable for the deal to be such that I get the revenue > checks, from which I give a cut to the distributor, or must I expect > it to be vice-versa? > > 4) What are reasonable limits to expect the deal to have? Time of > exclusivity, exceptions if I dig up a portal or property that the > distributor did not, and such? > > I know that my first time selling my own game will be a learning > experience, but I?d greatly appreciate it if you all can help me avoid > at least a few of the pitfalls I know I have ahead of me. J > > I don?t mind if replies go to the list, but if you wish to send me a > private reply, that?s fine! > > Many thanks, > > Matthew Ford > > * * * > > Matthew Ford - matthew at fordfam dot com - > http://www.fordfam.com/matthew > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > From matthew at fordfam.com Wed Apr 22 20:59:06 2009 From: matthew at fordfam.com (Matthew Ford) Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:59:06 +1000 Subject: [casual_games] Advice to a developer about distribution In-Reply-To: <49EFBAE3.2020802@RustyAxe.com> References: <011801c9c3a4$82a0a9f0$87e1fdd0$@com> <49EFBAE3.2020802@RustyAxe.com> Message-ID: <013201c9c3ae$b6c1f4a0$2445dde0$@com> Great to get your advice, Lennard, much appreciated. Anyone else to pile on one side or the other? Might it make sense to use a middleman for connections I would find it hard to make-- such as a connection to a men's magazine that the middleman already has contacts with? If I rock up and email them out of the blue, I might not be able to get to the right person. On one hand, maybe I should again heed the advice to build up my own contacts. On the other hand, these are particular contacts I am not likely to use again. * * * Matthew Ford - matthew at fordfam dot com - http://www.fordfam.com/matthew -----Original Message----- From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Lennard Feddersen Sent: Thursday, 23 April 2009 10:49 AM To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Subject: Re: [casual_games] Advice to a developer about distribution I have personally turned down deals where a middleman represents you to all of the portals. They take a huge chunk of the pie for doing some emailing and leveraging a rolodex and the portals are already going to give you a pretty small % - if those guys are interested it's probably because you have made something worth their time, might as well take the time to send the portals your emails directly. My take is that, long term, it's important to be building your own website traffic with your content. Do deals directly with portals if it makes sense for you - they are pretty approachable in my experience and they do get a lot of traffic. Ultimately you are going to be asked to nudge the game this way or that - you might as well be working directly with the portals because that is going to take more energy than the initial contact did anyhow and then you don't have a middleman in the way. BTW, would be happy if you sent me a link when the game is actually up on your website. Good luck! Lennard Feddersen CEO, Rusty Axe Games, Inc. www.RustyAxe.com Lennard at RustyAxe.com P. 250-635-7623 F. 1-309-422-2466 P. July & August 518-863-2317 5014 Walsh, Terrace, BC, Canada, V8G-4H2 Matthew Ford wrote: > > Hello all, > > My game Taboo Snaps (www.taboosnaps.com ) > is nearly done so I am looking ahead to distribution options. At Game > Connection at GDC I made contact with a few would-be distributors who > kindly expressed interest. I am completely green in this area-though I > worked for game companies as a producer/designer for more than 15 > years, I never forged this kind of deal. So I would really, really > appreciate your advice. > > To give you an idea of the scale of my game, Taboo Snaps is a game > with a casual entry-Flash-based and you can learn how to play it in a > minute-but has a considerable amount of gameplay under the hood and a > continually updated content stream, so a player who likes it might > play for a solid hour per session, and come back week after week to > get new content. > > At GC I met a few would-be distributors: a person who would get > exclusive rights to: > > 1) Work with portals to get the best possible deal for my game. > > 2) Find properties, such as a men's magazine, which would want to buy > a skinned version of my game, rebranded to fit their site and show > their content. > > I don't need any funding. I just am deciding whether to have a > middleman do the work of cutting deals and working his/her > connections, or to do it all myself. On one hand, I want to maximize > revenue. On the other hand, I really want to focus my time and effort > on development. > > So I have a few really basic questions: > > 1) What should I consider as I decide whether to work with such a > distributor, or just be my own agent in working with portals and > properties such as magazines? > > 2) What is a fair percentage for the distributor to get from the > game's revenues? > > 3) Is it reasonable for the deal to be such that I get the revenue > checks, from which I give a cut to the distributor, or must I expect > it to be vice-versa? > > 4) What are reasonable limits to expect the deal to have? Time of > exclusivity, exceptions if I dig up a portal or property that the > distributor did not, and such? > > I know that my first time selling my own game will be a learning > experience, but I'd greatly appreciate it if you all can help me avoid > at least a few of the pitfalls I know I have ahead of me. J > > I don't mind if replies go to the list, but if you wish to send me a > private reply, that's fine! > > Many thanks, > > Matthew Ford > > * * * > > Matthew Ford - matthew at fordfam dot com - > http://www.fordfam.com/matthew > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ > _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.12.0/2065 - Release Date: 04/22/09 17:25:00 From kevin at chewysoft.com Thu Apr 23 11:06:39 2009 From: kevin at chewysoft.com (Kevin Larson) Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:06:39 -0500 Subject: [casual_games] Advice to a developer about distribution In-Reply-To: <013201c9c3ae$b6c1f4a0$2445dde0$@com> References: <011801c9c3a4$82a0a9f0$87e1fdd0$@com><49EFBAE3.2020802@RustyAxe.com> <013201c9c3ae$b6c1f4a0$2445dde0$@com> Message-ID: <83353AB752A4CE478DFCA5B65BC5776F548E43@Server.ChewySoft.local> I'm in agreement with Lennard. I think the most successful independent developers are the ones that have a keen eye for business AND development. The portals/publishers are eager and open to meeting new developers and seeing new games, so gaining entry is not difficult. As you establish these relationships, you'll learn valuable information from them and in turn, make games better suited to their audiences. Each portal serves a slightly different demographic, and over time, you might find one that's the best fit for your games, allowing you to establish an exclusive relationship. You mention that you don't need the funding, so now would be a good time to try this out. Regarding reskinning the game, it depends on the game, how effectively it can be adapted, your plans for the IP and your long term business plans. If the game is a hit, these opportunities will come to you. I'd first establish relationships with the portals, where most of your revenue will come from, then start looking for other opportunities. I'd be happy to give you a few names to get started. Just let me know. Kevin Larson | Chewy Software | Casual Game Development -----Original Message----- From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Matthew Ford Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 7:59 PM To: 'IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List' Subject: Re: [casual_games] Advice to a developer about distribution Great to get your advice, Lennard, much appreciated. Anyone else to pile on one side or the other? Might it make sense to use a middleman for connections I would find it hard to make-- such as a connection to a men's magazine that the middleman already has contacts with? If I rock up and email them out of the blue, I might not be able to get to the right person. On one hand, maybe I should again heed the advice to build up my own contacts. On the other hand, these are particular contacts I am not likely to use again. * * * Matthew Ford - matthew at fordfam dot com - http://www.fordfam.com/matthew -----Original Message----- From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Lennard Feddersen Sent: Thursday, 23 April 2009 10:49 AM To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Subject: Re: [casual_games] Advice to a developer about distribution I have personally turned down deals where a middleman represents you to all of the portals. They take a huge chunk of the pie for doing some emailing and leveraging a rolodex and the portals are already going to give you a pretty small % - if those guys are interested it's probably because you have made something worth their time, might as well take the time to send the portals your emails directly. My take is that, long term, it's important to be building your own website traffic with your content. Do deals directly with portals if it makes sense for you - they are pretty approachable in my experience and they do get a lot of traffic. Ultimately you are going to be asked to nudge the game this way or that - you might as well be working directly with the portals because that is going to take more energy than the initial contact did anyhow and then you don't have a middleman in the way. BTW, would be happy if you sent me a link when the game is actually up on your website. Good luck! Lennard Feddersen CEO, Rusty Axe Games, Inc. www.RustyAxe.com Lennard at RustyAxe.com P. 250-635-7623 F. 1-309-422-2466 P. July & August 518-863-2317 5014 Walsh, Terrace, BC, Canada, V8G-4H2 Matthew Ford wrote: > > Hello all, > > My game Taboo Snaps (www.taboosnaps.com ) > is nearly done so I am looking ahead to distribution options. At Game > Connection at GDC I made contact with a few would-be distributors who > kindly expressed interest. I am completely green in this area-though I > worked for game companies as a producer/designer for more than 15 > years, I never forged this kind of deal. So I would really, really > appreciate your advice. > > To give you an idea of the scale of my game, Taboo Snaps is a game > with a casual entry-Flash-based and you can learn how to play it in a > minute-but has a considerable amount of gameplay under the hood and a > continually updated content stream, so a player who likes it might > play for a solid hour per session, and come back week after week to > get new content. > > At GC I met a few would-be distributors: a person who would get > exclusive rights to: > > 1) Work with portals to get the best possible deal for my game. > > 2) Find properties, such as a men's magazine, which would want to buy > a skinned version of my game, rebranded to fit their site and show > their content. > > I don't need any funding. I just am deciding whether to have a > middleman do the work of cutting deals and working his/her > connections, or to do it all myself. On one hand, I want to maximize > revenue. On the other hand, I really want to focus my time and effort > on development. > > So I have a few really basic questions: > > 1) What should I consider as I decide whether to work with such a > distributor, or just be my own agent in working with portals and > properties such as magazines? > > 2) What is a fair percentage for the distributor to get from the > game's revenues? > > 3) Is it reasonable for the deal to be such that I get the revenue > checks, from which I give a cut to the distributor, or must I expect > it to be vice-versa? > > 4) What are reasonable limits to expect the deal to have? Time of > exclusivity, exceptions if I dig up a portal or property that the > distributor did not, and such? > > I know that my first time selling my own game will be a learning > experience, but I'd greatly appreciate it if you all can help me avoid > at least a few of the pitfalls I know I have ahead of me. J > > I don't mind if replies go to the list, but if you wish to send me a > private reply, that's fine! > > Many thanks, > > Matthew Ford > > * * * > > Matthew Ford - matthew at fordfam dot com - > http://www.fordfam.com/matthew > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > -- > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FA Q > _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FA Q No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.12.0/2065 - Release Date: 04/22/09 17:25:00 _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FA Q From andrea.fryer at gmail.com Thu Apr 23 19:12:04 2009 From: andrea.fryer at gmail.com (Andrea Fryer) Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 02:12:04 +0300 Subject: [casual_games] New here *waves* Message-ID: <47e063740904231612q2cc420b4w9fd4e08134d241f2@mail.gmail.com> Greetings folks, About time I join this mailing list, seeing as I make casual games for a living. :-) Been on the Women in game development, Sex in Games, Online games and ARG lists for several years, but ironically the very list which concerned my work the most (this one!), has gone unnoticed up till now. Don't know how I missed it before! I work as a senior game artist at the Helsinki studio of Digital Chocolate and am currently working as lead artist in our first game for the Xbox platform. The company has been famous for it's casual mobile games for years and good things seem to be happening now that we've entered the iPhone arena as well. I have yet to make a iPhone game but looking forward to it after this XBLA game is done. Creating casual games is definately it's own genre and the challenging psychology behind the usability and visual design should not be underestimated. Just because casual games appear simple, does not mean they were simple to make! As game developers and as human beings, we tend to have ambitions to create things which are new, innovative, exciting, cool and mind blowing, but tend to forget that many of these attributes can actually eat away from the casual aspect and create an overhwhelming, even stressful experience for the player. I find that we need to be constantly wary of nurturing a "no brainer" type of usability, keeping shapes, forms and colors gentle and "good-feel" and lastly, keeping things simple. It's so easy to get completely carried away when everyone wants to create something never before seen and mind blasting! :-) Words such as "rounded, gentle, slow, simple, chunky and readable" tend to be part of my weekly, if not daily vocabulary. Anyhow, looking forward to reading and taking part in the discussions. Nice to meet you all! - Andrea -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From matthew at fordfam.com Sun Apr 26 23:37:01 2009 From: matthew at fordfam.com (Matthew Ford) Date: Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:37:01 +1000 Subject: [casual_games] Advice to a developer about distribution In-Reply-To: <83353AB752A4CE478DFCA5B65BC5776F548E43@Server.ChewySoft.local> References: <011801c9c3a4$82a0a9f0$87e1fdd0$@com><49EFBAE3.2020802@RustyAxe.com> <013201c9c3ae$b6c1f4a0$2445dde0$@com> <83353AB752A4CE478DFCA5B65BC5776F548E43@Server.ChewySoft.local> Message-ID: <003c01c9c6e9$6e6210d0$4b263270$@com> Thanks Kevin and thanks again to all who replied on and offlist. You have been very helpful! I have decided to peddle the game myself, though it's still possible I will use agents to get entry to certain properties who want a skinned version. Even then I am inclined to try to break in myself. Cheers to this list! --Matt * * * Matthew Ford - matthew at fordfam dot com - http://www.fordfam.com/matthew -----Original Message----- From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Kevin Larson Sent: Friday, 24 April 2009 1:07 AM To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Subject: Re: [casual_games] Advice to a developer about distribution I'm in agreement with Lennard. I think the most successful independent developers are the ones that have a keen eye for business AND development. The portals/publishers are eager and open to meeting new developers and seeing new games, so gaining entry is not difficult. As you establish these relationships, you'll learn valuable information from them and in turn, make games better suited to their audiences. Each portal serves a slightly different demographic, and over time, you might find one that's the best fit for your games, allowing you to establish an exclusive relationship. You mention that you don't need the funding, so now would be a good time to try this out. Regarding reskinning the game, it depends on the game, how effectively it can be adapted, your plans for the IP and your long term business plans. If the game is a hit, these opportunities will come to you. I'd first establish relationships with the portals, where most of your revenue will come from, then start looking for other opportunities. I'd be happy to give you a few names to get started. Just let me know. Kevin Larson | Chewy Software | Casual Game Development -----Original Message----- From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Matthew Ford Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 7:59 PM To: 'IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List' Subject: Re: [casual_games] Advice to a developer about distribution Great to get your advice, Lennard, much appreciated. Anyone else to pile on one side or the other? Might it make sense to use a middleman for connections I would find it hard to make-- such as a connection to a men's magazine that the middleman already has contacts with? If I rock up and email them out of the blue, I might not be able to get to the right person. On one hand, maybe I should again heed the advice to build up my own contacts. On the other hand, these are particular contacts I am not likely to use again. * * * Matthew Ford - matthew at fordfam dot com - http://www.fordfam.com/matthew -----Original Message----- From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Lennard Feddersen Sent: Thursday, 23 April 2009 10:49 AM To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List Subject: Re: [casual_games] Advice to a developer about distribution I have personally turned down deals where a middleman represents you to all of the portals. They take a huge chunk of the pie for doing some emailing and leveraging a rolodex and the portals are already going to give you a pretty small % - if those guys are interested it's probably because you have made something worth their time, might as well take the time to send the portals your emails directly. My take is that, long term, it's important to be building your own website traffic with your content. Do deals directly with portals if it makes sense for you - they are pretty approachable in my experience and they do get a lot of traffic. Ultimately you are going to be asked to nudge the game this way or that - you might as well be working directly with the portals because that is going to take more energy than the initial contact did anyhow and then you don't have a middleman in the way. BTW, would be happy if you sent me a link when the game is actually up on your website. Good luck! Lennard Feddersen CEO, Rusty Axe Games, Inc. www.RustyAxe.com Lennard at RustyAxe.com P. 250-635-7623 F. 1-309-422-2466 P. July & August 518-863-2317 5014 Walsh, Terrace, BC, Canada, V8G-4H2 Matthew Ford wrote: > > Hello all, > > My game Taboo Snaps (www.taboosnaps.com ) > is nearly done so I am looking ahead to distribution options. At Game > Connection at GDC I made contact with a few would-be distributors who > kindly expressed interest. I am completely green in this area-though I > worked for game companies as a producer/designer for more than 15 > years, I never forged this kind of deal. So I would really, really > appreciate your advice. > > To give you an idea of the scale of my game, Taboo Snaps is a game > with a casual entry-Flash-based and you can learn how to play it in a > minute-but has a considerable amount of gameplay under the hood and a > continually updated content stream, so a player who likes it might > play for a solid hour per session, and come back week after week to > get new content. > > At GC I met a few would-be distributors: a person who would get > exclusive rights to: > > 1) Work with portals to get the best possible deal for my game. > > 2) Find properties, such as a men's magazine, which would want to buy > a skinned version of my game, rebranded to fit their site and show > their content. > > I don't need any funding. I just am deciding whether to have a > middleman do the work of cutting deals and working his/her > connections, or to do it all myself. On one hand, I want to maximize > revenue. On the other hand, I really want to focus my time and effort > on development. > > So I have a few really basic questions: > > 1) What should I consider as I decide whether to work with such a > distributor, or just be my own agent in working with portals and > properties such as magazines? > > 2) What is a fair percentage for the distributor to get from the > game's revenues? > > 3) Is it reasonable for the deal to be such that I get the revenue > checks, from which I give a cut to the distributor, or must I expect > it to be vice-versa? > > 4) What are reasonable limits to expect the deal to have? Time of > exclusivity, exceptions if I dig up a portal or property that the > distributor did not, and such? > > I know that my first time selling my own game will be a learning > experience, but I'd greatly appreciate it if you all can help me avoid > at least a few of the pitfalls I know I have ahead of me. J > > I don't mind if replies go to the list, but if you wish to send me a > private reply, that's fine! > > Many thanks, > > Matthew Ford > > * * * > > Matthew Ford - matthew at fordfam dot com - > http://www.fordfam.com/matthew > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > -- > > _______________________________________________ > Casual_Games mailing list > Casual_Games at igda.org > http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe > Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 > List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FA Q > _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FA Q No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.12.0/2065 - Release Date: 04/22/09 17:25:00 _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FA Q _______________________________________________ Casual_Games mailing list Casual_Games at igda.org http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe Archive Search: http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 List FAQ: http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.0.238 / Virus Database: 270.12.0/2065 - Release Date: 04/23/09 06:30:00 From jose_marin2 at yahoo.com.br Tue Apr 28 08:26:01 2009 From: jose_marin2 at yahoo.com.br (Jose Marin) Date: Tue, 28 Apr 2009 05:26:01 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [casual_games] Casual games on Steam Message-ID: <7827.32896.qm@web36705.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Hi. I thik this was asked before, but since many thinkgs have changed, including Valve's DRM libraries. Is someone from this list selling his/her game via Valve's Steam? I would like to know if it's a good way of independente game developers sell their games. Thanks. Jose Veja quais s?o os assuntos do momento no Yahoo! +Buscados http://br.maisbuscados.yahoo.com From thb at gameattorney.com Tue Apr 28 11:30:18 2009 From: thb at gameattorney.com (Thomas H. Buscaglia) Date: Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:30:18 -0700 Subject: [casual_games] Casual games on Steam In-Reply-To: <7827.32896.qm@web36705.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <7827.32896.qm@web36705.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <200904281530.n3SFUHc18570@dev-biz.com> I have several clients selling on Steam...Valve is great to work with, in my experience. Keep in mind, you game should probably comport with their core audience (core casual rather than soccer moms) but aside from that, they have been great. 70% to developer, you retain price control, they pay monthly on a 30 day cycle and in many cases (I am not sure if they do this with everyone) provide real time access to sales info. Their distribution agreement is in plain English and very even handed, rather than exploitive like most of the stuff I look over for clients. I'd give them an A for performance. The only problem I have heard of is their response time to enquiries. They are overloaded and sometimes you need to send several emails to get a response...at least that's what I have heard several time recently..they respond to me quickly, but I think that's due to my existing relationship with them. Tom B .At 05:26 AM 4/28/2009, you wrote: >Hi. > >I thik this was asked before, but since many >thinkgs have changed, including Valve's DRM libraries. > >Is someone from this list selling his/her game via Valve's Steam? > >I would like to know if it's a good way of >independente game developers sell their games. > > >Thanks. > >Jose > > > Veja quais s?o os assuntos do momento no Yahoo! +Buscados >http://br.maisbuscados.yahoo.com >_______________________________________________ >Casual_Games mailing list >Casual_Games at igda.org >http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe >Archive: http://www.igda.org/casual-subscribe >Archive Search: >http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=010373383720242846960%3Az3tdwggxil8 >List FAQ: >http://www.igda.org/wiki/index.php/Casual_Games_SIG/Casual_Games_List_FAQ ???`???,??,???`??????`???,??,???`??? Thomas H. Buscaglia, Esquire The Game Attorney 23133 Vashon Highway SW Vashon WA 98070 Tel (206) 463-9200 Fax (206) 463-9290 http://www.gameattorney.com TOLL FREE 888-848-GLAW ???`???,??,???`??????`???,??,???`??? ?There?s been this tradition in the [video-game] industry that everybody gets screwed on their first deal, I'm doing my best to make sure that that becomes a historical anecdote instead of the way we do business.? Tom Buscaglia, The Game Attorney - Lawyers Weekly, December 3, 2007. Confidential: This email, including any attachments, contains communications protected by the attorney-client privilege and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 USC ?? 2510, et seq. If you do not expect such a communication from Thomas H. Buscaglia, please delete this message without reading it or any attachment, and then notify Mr. Buscaglia at thb at gameattorney.com of this inadvertent misdelivery. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: