

Candy Crush Saga is earning $200m+ a year - jmacd
http://www.download-free-games.com/infographics/how-is-candy-crush-raking-in-the-millions

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ghshephard
This is perhaps the most depressing article I've seen posted on HN in a few
months. I have to believe that the vast majority of that $200mm is a function
of coercive revenue strategy as illuminated so well here:
[http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RaminShokrizade/20130626/1949...](http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RaminShokrizade/20130626/194933/)

These games prey on those least equipped to understand how their fears/desires
are being exploited, and it's a shame to see they are being rewarded so well
in doing so.

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samolang
Have you actually played Candy Crush? It's a well designed game that is a lot
of fun to play. At no time do you actually have to pay for anything. People
voluntarily pay because they want to keep playing at that moment or because
they want to get more levels. Even then it's far cheaper than going to an
arcade.

~~~
jacques_chester
In the exact article linked it is explained that _Candy Crush_ starts as a
skill game and then makes a subtle shift to being a money game.

If a casino was changing a game from skill to luck in the middle of play they
would be shut down.

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rdouble
Criticisms of these games always include references to casino games, but
aren't they more just like arcade games? Most arcade games you have to keep
paying to stay alive, also.

As a side note, I'm not sure how seriously one should take an article that is
a giant jpeg hosted on download-free-games.com.

~~~
jacques_chester
Arcade machines never took credit cards. If they had, our parallels would be
drawn differently.

~~~
rdouble
Casino games don't take credit cards, either.

~~~
jacques_chester
Because they're banned from doing so.

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masukomi
so tired of "Infographics" that are just text articles with an excessive
number of pictures inserted. Makes for a worse article and never actually uses
graphics to represent information.

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bsaul
Now let's have 10 seconds of silence for all the newly computer science
graduates that, after reading that article, will try to launch their own games
on app stores in the hope of replicating that business model. Only to realize
after a while that they're statistically about as likely to succeed as winning
at the lottery.

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daspion
However, like most app games that potential revenue isn't sustainable. Users
stop downloading, stop playing, stop paying. Some new app game comes along and
users move on.

~~~
coldtea
That's a nice problem to have.

After my company gets our "$200m+ a year", I would think of something else to
sell. Or not.

~~~
pdog
Two other options are selling the company or an IPO.

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beaker52
Consider pornography: \+ Huge industry \+ An illusionary experience which
brings joy \+ Prays on man's desires and drives and the inclination of man to
give in to them

~~~
makomk
Pornography's not (in general) dishonest or manipulative in the same way that
games like Candy Crush Saga are; customers know what they're paying for up-
front and get it.

