
How Game of War makes more than $1M a day - hodgesmr
http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-game-of-war/
======
aesthetics1
I found this to be ingenious:

 __To allow for the building of alliances within the game, the app needed a
sophisticated chat feature. In the middle of development, Leydon decided it
made sense for all players, no matter what their native tongue, to speak the
same language. So he built a messaging platform that included a translation
engine based not only on Google Translate but also on crowdsourcing. Within
Game of War, text messages, comments, and push notifications are translated
with about 70 percent accuracy. Log in to the game in Polish, and everything
you read from other players is in Polish, too. The game’s players correct any
errors they notice in exchange for virtual rewards within the game. From the
start, the average player corrected 10 misspellings and slang expressions per
day. __

~~~
vxNsr
After reading this I didn't understand why they hadn't been bought by Google
or Microsoft just for that feature, access to a near real-time translator that
not only gets the usual words and uses but lots of slang and edge cases that
nerds like us love to use.

I mean google built/bought gVoice and GOOG-411 for the voicemails and
transcriptions, they have that weird empire land based game for maps, and
here's a chance to greatly improve gTranslate and possibly even gNow...

As a windows phone user, I, of course, want microsoft to snap them up (for
cortana), but they don't have the foresight to make these types of buys
(yet?).

------
simonsarris
In a funny way it's players teaching game developers bad lessons.

Consumers don't wanna pay 60 bucks for a phone game. Or even 6 bucks. They
_do_ want to make in-app purchases.

The saying may go _don 't hate the player, hate the game_, but its a funny
turnabout one level up, where players influence developers.

 _Don 't hate the nature of the game, hate the nature of the player._

Tant pis.

~~~
leppr
I think it's just a case of novelty. The average mobile gamer hasn't been
playing video-games for a very long time, so contrary to veterans gamers who
will from the very start model the game as a system in their head, they just
interact with it in a more primitive fashion. Therefore they won't feel that
the game is unfair or dumb because they don't see the ropes long-time players
do see and criticize.

And just like mobile UI designers are starting to reintroduce more complexity
as the average user becomes more familiar with touch interfaces, I'm sure
we'll see a decline in "pay to win" games as the average mobile gamer becomes
more experienced and long for more interesting games.

~~~
drawkbox
True there are hills and valleys but certain addiction game designs will
always draw a crowd.

You can look at any top list in grossing, free or paid and still see casino
games of all types because the new mobile games like Game of War or Clash of
Clans still tap into that PvP or beat the system type competitive behavior.

I prefer games with gameplay but others play games just to compete and it
fuels PvP type games and pay to win.

People get hooked on them that are competitive, it is why Clash of Clans had
to be banned on the MLB Kansas City Royals ([http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-
on-baseball/24762153/royals...](http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-
baseball/24762153/royals-world-series-journey-almost-derailed-by-clash-of-
clans)) because the low impact, frequent replay, low action game fit perfectly
into their day and fulfilled their competitive spirit, once they got invested
they were also paying to win which is an element of competing in the real
world and works.

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tempestn
We were bound to get to this point, but I'm still a bit disappointed. I have
very little desire to play a game which intentionally skews the playing field
based on in-app purchases. Personally I would far rather pay $60 or whatever
for the game and then compete based on skill and luck, rather than on who
wants to waste the most money.

~~~
whysonot
Agreed. I think these games teach its players harmful life lessons too.
They're rewarded for spending the most money (like GoW) or for showing up
(like an MMO). That's not how you get good at things in real life.

I've been a (relatively serious) gamer since I was a kid. My parents always
thought it was a waste of time. But I think I learned more about dedication
and growth playing WC3 than I did playing sports. I definitely would not feel
that way had I played GoW instead.

~~~
FanaHOVA
"They're rewarded... for showing up (like an MMO). That's not how you get good
at things in real life."

It really is though. If you show up every day and put in the work, you WILL
get better at whatever you're doing. That's also something your colleagues and
the people who surround you appreciate, see Cal Ripken, Jr. for example. He
wasn't an outstanding player, but he didn't miss a single game for 16 years,
he showed up every day, no matter what.

Not sure what sports you played and at what level, I played basketball growing
up at national level but also competed at LANs across the country on COD4 and
learned lots of lessons from both.

~~~
emsy
In competitive games (UT, Quake, CS etc.) you get better by playing and
critical analysis of your and your enemie's playing. In WoW, you get better
through, more or less, mindless grinding. At least so mindless that you can
pay peons to do the work for you, so you can enjoy your level 100 character.

~~~
Fomite
Having once been a fairly serious raider in WoW, there's a ceiling in WoW
wherein you no longer get better through mindless grinding. A level 100
character is nice and all, but serious end-game raiding or PvP requires more
than just "Push button, collect loot."

------
parasubvert
Does no one here play arcade games?

Okay granted In-App purchases are generally more than 25-50 cents or the 1-2$
it costs these days at your local AMC, but I don't think it's disappointing in
the slightest (and pretty predictable if you look at gaming history) that many
people prefer to throw a few bucks a week at a casual game vs. spending $60 on
something that might sit on the shelf.

Though, I'm more a Clash of Clans guy...

~~~
kristianp
As a sample, how much do you spend on Clans? It seems hard to find people who
will admit they make in-app purchases.

I play simcity buildit and I'm not tempted to buy things, I find it a
challenge to get by without purchases. I can imagine as time goes by that
games will get less playable without the purchases.

~~~
christoph
I have spent a total of £15 on it, in around 18 months.

I bought 2 builders near the very start. Then I got frustrated with slow
progress about 12 months ago and hit buy on some gems to speed things up.

The first purchase I never regretted.

The second I regretted almost straight away and promised myself never to
buy/spend anymore. I got a brief glimmer of a future filled with regret
looking at how much I would pouring into the game regularly and decided to not
walk that path.

I still play occasionally play (been on TH9 for a long long time), but it's
pretty much open it in the morning, collect elixir/gold, refill traps & xbows,
donate troops to clan members, spend anything I've accumulated (probably once
a fortnight now). It's more of a habit than anything and frankly one I'm glad
I don't spend any money or serious time on.

~~~
saipenguin
I am definitely more inclined to consider a purchase when t's a permanent
effect. In a couple games you could buy a permanent double your coins effect.
That felt like me actually purchasing the game, considering everything before
it a hobbled demo.

Things where could straight purchase in game currency or timer refreshes feel
more like extortion.

But I suppose I'm not the demographic.

------
okasaki
What happened to that page? Did Bloomberg hire Maddox to design it?

~~~
leppr
It's obviously to fit with the game's art style:
[http://www.androidrundown.com/wp-
content/uploads/2014/06/Scr...](http://www.androidrundown.com/wp-
content/uploads/2014/06/Screenshot_2014-06-08-01-12-37.png)

The darker background is nicer on the eyes than the usual pure white honestly.

------
moron4hire
It's really disappointing to see this trend, both as a consumer and as a
developer.

On the consumer side, freemium games are designed to be inferior to their pre-
paid cousins, or else there wouldn't be an incentive to spend on in-app
purchases. And the lucrativeness of the market has turned the heads of most of
the game development companies in the world, so it's getting harder and harder
to find games that don't use this model.

And as a developer, I want to make things that people enjoy. I want to
recreate the same feelings I had as a kid, the delight of mastering a game. Or
the bliss of a program that enhances the user's capabilities, without adding
new impediments of any kind. But _consumers_ have so gone towards this
freemium model that they just don't seem to pay attention to pre-paid
programs. How do you compete against a company that can take a game that is as
big of a piece of crap as Game of War and turn it into a printing press for
money--can afford to spend $40 million to have Kate freaking Upton show up?

I'm sure it's stupid of me, from a business sense, to declare I'll never make
a freemium game. But dammit, I went independent specifically _because_ the
general lack of ethics I had encountered in industry bothered me so much. If I
can't make it on my own terms, I guess that's the fate I'm going to have to
take.

------
cheriot
At least South Park has taken criticism of their model into the mainstream.

[http://southpark.cc.com/full-episodes/s18e06-freemium-
isnt-f...](http://southpark.cc.com/full-episodes/s18e06-freemium-isnt-free)

------
ChrisArchitect
Read this article hoping for more about the Upton / marketing angle. One thing
I took note of with this game - has anyone noticed on networks like instagram,
all these pretty amateur model girls taking selfies with Game of War playing
on a tablet in the picture, talking about the game etc? I have never seen that
sort of promotion and I keep wondering if it's natural (maybe followers of the
"Upton" aspirations) or if GoW marketing reached out somehow..... never seen
that sort of mainstream viral promotion

------
guard-of-terra
Is it good? Article is silent on that. Not one screenshot.

~~~
ChrisClark
You can play it, but to compete well you need to spend money. Pay to win, like
any other game. So no, it's not good. It's based on wallet size, not skill.

~~~
Rmilb
Is there any competitive simulation game for mobile that is not pay to win?
I'm looking for something along the lines of League of Legends business model.

~~~
jgh
Vainglory

Hearthstone is also a good one if you're more into CCGs. Prime World Defenders
has gotten me lately too, though that's just a single-player game.

------
atriix
That is one ugly site

------
gdilla
only 3% of users buy something? Wow. if that's true, trying to hack conversion
rates would rain money on them like no other.

~~~
fnayr
That's the general rate across all freemium games (1-5%).

------
BillyParadise
On behalf of the Minister of Mobile Gaming, Canada thanks all your freemium
gamers.

Now we can have our new hospital.

------
catshirt
"in-app purchases"

no surprise here

~~~
tomjen3
I have some experience with game development and that is essentially the only
way you can make money on the app store these days. If you charge more than
the minimum (which may currently be zero) you will have no chance of getting
into the top 10, so no way to make your money back. With in app purchases you
can also make a lot more money from your whales, rather than charging
everybody 10 usd - it doesn't quite solve the consumer surplus demand curve
issue, but it does help.

And the gaming industry is such a bad bet financially (I am pretty sure the
industry overall loses money) that you have to make as much as you can.

------
perdunov
I guess I will never make something popular because I am apparently on the
different side than all those people who are happy eating shit (playing games
that try to rip them off).

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aros
Yawn. Just another "free"-to-play app masquerading as a game in order to take
as much money as possible from gullible people.

------
curiously
it confuses me as to why some people are more susceptible to paying for in
game items where those are not.

as soon as I see in game purchases, it's immediately uninstalled.

I want to pay for a game and compete based on some dexterity or skill gained
over time not on the wallet.

~~~
mrjatx
Some people have more money than time or interest in spending that time
grinding games. I've been level 12 in Battlefield 4 for years. I don't get to
play it more than a few times a month. I'd love to pay $20 to have all of the
unlocks so that I can actually use the weapons that everyone else has.

Because to me, that $20 is worth FAR less than the 100 or so hours I had to
waste getting those weapons.

~~~
curiously
I don't see it as a grind because part of what makes leveling up fun is
gaining more skills, the unlocks are a nice add on and certainly make an
incentive.

