How do you personally advertise/promote games?

[Riachu]

SaviorX said:

twesterm said:

SaviorX said:

twesterm said:

SaviorX said:

I see your point, but I do not agree with it.  Somehow if you delve deeper into this, we could get a wealth of different things to argue about, so I'll leave it alone......unless your down for that 

meh, I'm on vacation this week so I got nothing going on and don't mind derailing threads. 

 

 So I'm guessing if you don't mind the parents buying these games for their kids, you encourage the purchase of shovelware right? 

Yes, as I said, shovelware has its place.

I absolutely agree that these games are *terrible* but they were never made to be games of the year or even decent games.  They are games made with minimal talent, minimal team size, and minimal budget.  The publisher says make a game on the cheap kids will eat up, see you in 6 months and then leaves.

The developers aren't worried about making a fun game, they're just making something that more or less works and that kids will eat up.  Since the game has a minimal budget, it can sell for a minimal amount and make money. 

They know exactly what they are making, there are no aspirations for a good game with your general shovelware game.  This isn't Too Human or Haze, this is a bunch of entry level people getting their foot in the door until they can get a job at a real studio.

So, with all that, what does shovelware get you?

1. A generally terrible game that the best you can say is it more or less works
2. A game any gamer or anyone over the age of 10 should avoid like the plague
3. A game made on zero budget that will make money
4. A game that helps developers get their foot in the door (for good or bad) by allowing them to put a shipped game on their resume
5. A game that is made for kids that they will eat up.
6. A game that is CHEAP for parents that can't budget a $50 game.

So yes, gamers should avoid these games.  They are terrible and a complete waste of time.  But kids, like six year olds?  Shovelware games are perfect for them.  They're cheap so the parents don't have to bend over backwards to pay for them and the kids will like the game just as much as something like Super Mario Galaxy.

So as a gamer, I don't buy shovelware and would never tell another gamer to buy a shovelware game (unless it somehow happens to be good).

If I was a parent of three young kids like my sister, I would absolutely support shovelware.  It keeps the kids entertained just as much as the AAA games and it's 1/5 the price.

It's fun to go on and on about shovelware and how it's ruining the industry and it's so terrible, but as much as you hate it, it does have its place.  The simplest way to show your hate for shovelware is to just not buy it and leave it alone. 

It being there does absolutely nothing to you because the teams making those shovelware games are never going to be the teams making Brawl, Devil May Cry, Gears of War, or any of the other big games.  You are missing out on nothing and nothing is being destroyed because of shovelware.

What if the companies already established (let's say Capcom or Konami) resort to making these games, even though they have developed and experienced teams, capable of better work but choose not to.

 

2nd question: Wouldn't you rather people spend more money on games? It only helps the industry right? Plus, it isn't your money to spend.

Kenji Inafune, Hideo Kojima and other experienced designers are not the type of people that would develop shovelware.  A lot of Konami's reputation is thanks purely to Kojima.