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Gamehackery: What Does the Subscription Boom Mean to Gamers?
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<blockquote data-quote="Radiating Gnome" data-source="post: 7650756" data-attributes="member: 150"><p>I'm not sure I agree that there's a "market standard" like this. Certainly there are free character generators for D&D 3.5/Pathfinder. I'm especially fond of PCGen because I'm a huge fan of open source projects. But is the same true for every game system? </p><p></p><p>And even if there are -- why is it "not cool" to charge for something you've created? </p><p></p><p>If you've created something -- whether it's a character builder, an adventure, or a new game -- don't you have every right to charge for it? If the utility and quality are good enough, shouldn't a provider have the right to try to charge for it? </p><p></p><p>DDI provides a character builder and the compendium for 4e; but it's still entirely possible to buy the books and not subscribe. Plenty of people are subscribing, though -- why is that not cool? </p><p></p><p>It's one thing to say "I wouldn't buy that." It's quite another to say "That shouldn't be a paid product." It's the equivalent of saying "I don't like fish, so fish shouldn't be sold." </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Is there someone who does require that you subscribe to play their game at this point? It's still entirely possible to buy the D&D books, download a character sheet and make your characters by hand. Lone Wolf Studios produces the Hero Builder which has a 4e data set -- for a one time fee you could make 4e characters without a subscription in a nice, digital way. I'm not sure that there is an example at this point of a game that requires a subscription to play. </p><p></p><p>In the future? That might be the case. Certainly the companies like the idea. I'd bet that they try to edge us closer. Bottom line, though, in the gaming industry like any other, your dollars are your votes. If you don't want to spend money, you opinion doesn't make much impact on the companies producing products. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I'm one of those who has had a group together for regular gaming for many years. Believe it or not, I manage to do that without shirking my other obligations. Am I the minority? </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I would absolutely have no trouble with anything you're saying here if you were only talking for yourself -- or maybe the subset of gamers that you belong to. If you'd said "Once I have a working ruleset" that's awesome, I get it. </p><p></p><p>I, personally, enjoy the evolution of the game system, and I'm often mixing in new elements and features, even when the game isn't changing. My players enjoy experimenting with new classes and options. This isn't saying that your position is wrong -- just that it's not the only point of view. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I wish I had access to better data -- to be able to either agree or disagree with you with some sense of certainty. I think it's a tricky, complex business, with a shrinking customer base. But there's still plenty of opportunity for small companies to live and thrive in the long tail. </p><p></p><p>My suspicion is that Hasbro's need for a revenue stream of a certain size -- and therefore a fan base of a certain size -- creates a need for a level of success that is difficult to achieve given the current models. Paizo seems to have done quite well for themselves, being able to carve out a customer base for themselves based on fan loyalty -- but they are a much smaller company and need a lot less to be successful than Hasbro/Wizards needs. </p><p></p><p>Other, much smaller companies -- maybe Pelgrane, Pinnacle, etc -- they can succeed with even smaller customer bases. </p><p></p><p>So, when you say "no one has cracked it" -- I think success looks different from a lot of different points of view. But I think that their idea of success (making a comfortable living for the right number of employees) and yours (creating a game that I enjoy that doesn't cost me too much) are so different that it's going to be hard to find a balance point. </p><p></p><p>-rg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Radiating Gnome, post: 7650756, member: 150"] I'm not sure I agree that there's a "market standard" like this. Certainly there are free character generators for D&D 3.5/Pathfinder. I'm especially fond of PCGen because I'm a huge fan of open source projects. But is the same true for every game system? And even if there are -- why is it "not cool" to charge for something you've created? If you've created something -- whether it's a character builder, an adventure, or a new game -- don't you have every right to charge for it? If the utility and quality are good enough, shouldn't a provider have the right to try to charge for it? DDI provides a character builder and the compendium for 4e; but it's still entirely possible to buy the books and not subscribe. Plenty of people are subscribing, though -- why is that not cool? It's one thing to say "I wouldn't buy that." It's quite another to say "That shouldn't be a paid product." It's the equivalent of saying "I don't like fish, so fish shouldn't be sold." Is there someone who does require that you subscribe to play their game at this point? It's still entirely possible to buy the D&D books, download a character sheet and make your characters by hand. Lone Wolf Studios produces the Hero Builder which has a 4e data set -- for a one time fee you could make 4e characters without a subscription in a nice, digital way. I'm not sure that there is an example at this point of a game that requires a subscription to play. In the future? That might be the case. Certainly the companies like the idea. I'd bet that they try to edge us closer. Bottom line, though, in the gaming industry like any other, your dollars are your votes. If you don't want to spend money, you opinion doesn't make much impact on the companies producing products. I'm one of those who has had a group together for regular gaming for many years. Believe it or not, I manage to do that without shirking my other obligations. Am I the minority? I would absolutely have no trouble with anything you're saying here if you were only talking for yourself -- or maybe the subset of gamers that you belong to. If you'd said "Once I have a working ruleset" that's awesome, I get it. I, personally, enjoy the evolution of the game system, and I'm often mixing in new elements and features, even when the game isn't changing. My players enjoy experimenting with new classes and options. This isn't saying that your position is wrong -- just that it's not the only point of view. I wish I had access to better data -- to be able to either agree or disagree with you with some sense of certainty. I think it's a tricky, complex business, with a shrinking customer base. But there's still plenty of opportunity for small companies to live and thrive in the long tail. My suspicion is that Hasbro's need for a revenue stream of a certain size -- and therefore a fan base of a certain size -- creates a need for a level of success that is difficult to achieve given the current models. Paizo seems to have done quite well for themselves, being able to carve out a customer base for themselves based on fan loyalty -- but they are a much smaller company and need a lot less to be successful than Hasbro/Wizards needs. Other, much smaller companies -- maybe Pelgrane, Pinnacle, etc -- they can succeed with even smaller customer bases. So, when you say "no one has cracked it" -- I think success looks different from a lot of different points of view. But I think that their idea of success (making a comfortable living for the right number of employees) and yours (creating a game that I enjoy that doesn't cost me too much) are so different that it's going to be hard to find a balance point. -rg [/QUOTE]
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