"Unfortunately, since they are files that must be downloaded and not browser playable like Flash games, they may not be as marketable."
There are games that people get off the internet and download all the time. They are browser playable with Java or Vitalize!. People sell click games all the time, including Faerie Solitaire, The Spirit Engine 2, Noitu Love 2, Frog Bound, and Cy-Clone. These things happen all the time although it can be difficult to make a game people will actually pay for. They should theoretically be just as marketable as any other PC game.
Again, people download games from the internet for purchase all the time, like with the Direct2Drive system.
WTF. Yes you can sell Click games, people have done for a while, but only if the game is really worth selling (no bugs, nice graphics etc etc)
If you're using MMF2 standard you can sell your game, but you must include the MMF2 logo somewhere in the game. If you have MMF2 Developer you can make and sell games without giving any credit to Clickteam.
Originally Posted by Devernath not browser playable like Flash games
Soon, old bean. Soon.
Your game might be interesting, captivating, unique, and solid, and that's all well and good. You also have to have good marketing. It has nothing to do with things made with Clickteam's products in general, just getting word out. I myself prefer downloadable games to online games because that almost always means a more solid, immersive experience that requires you have enough space to store theoretically awesome assets.
The addition of the flash runtime will really open up klik to more markets as a developing tool, and in turn to more people who are interested in selling games. Also remember there are some flash games which are free to play as online games and also available to subscribe to for more options and access to more elements of a game. Even games where online interactions are not part of the game, perhaps it's a puzzle game which is really fun but only limited to say 20 levels if you are playing for free, but access to 200 levels in the paid version, new game modes and exciting development of the game as you progress further in. All things to consider.
One of my college tutors coursemates built a full blown RTS game in Flash. On every level it was on par with commercial RTS games (and it was too big to host at the time) so he sold it on CD. Made a fair bit too. But yea you can pretty sell anything you want. I've played some very good little indie games that cost as much as a few quid. It's just you don't see many here (even the good games) becuase I don't know.
so, how would you market your games best? start a site that has tons of click games (that has a strict system for getting in the directories) that has an individual donate button for each game?
i think giving games for free and just showing a donate button may attract more likeable consumers...
I think the best marketing tool is demoes. If you have a really huge and great game with a fantastic begining, a demo can make people really long to buy your game.
Use everything if you really want to get it out there. Post on facebook, start a site and put it in your sigs, show friends, get beta testers and tell them to spread the word, make youtube videos, submit to shareware sites and blogs, or even if it's good enough, submit it to big publishers like BigFishGames or Playrix!
OMC is right, it's really about exposure. And you have to put in the hard work to get your game known, or recruit some people to help you do so.
And when you say making "good money" from selling games that are volunteer donations to download, that's not going to be very good money. If people could choose between getting something for free or paying something for it, the choice for many is going to be getting the game for free. Of course there are exclusions to this, but majority of people are obviously going to make the cheaper choice. Making it at least a requirement to make some donation of however much the person thinks is fair to pay for the game would be making something, but to make really good money you will need to set a decent price and sell a fair amount of copies.
Which again will come back to exposure and marketing
Well, I'm going to try to put some demos here on TDC, and when I do, I'll ask the community if I still need more experience or if I'm ready to go out on the big world...
What kind of college class could help me with this, too?
I find that any college class helps in this. Most cost-effective would be game design. Most art courses help a lot too, especially if you're making your own. Computer science teaches you a lot of nice tricks that apply to MMF2 and a lot of useful network stuff. Even lets you make your own extensions. And heck... management, business, or commerce would really help you make money from it. Internet businesses need something.. different. Conventional business models don't take into mind the possibility of 80% of customers stealing the product
My favorite business model is still the donation type. Some people are willing to pay a lot more in donations (you can get donations of $50 or even a computer if you're lucky).. some people aren't going to pay at all. But often, the people who don't pay are the ones who would pirate it.
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
Business studies will help you with the basic marketing knowledge, as well as graphic design. I have studied both when I was going through high school and college and you will learn fundamentals of advertising and marketing which will apply to selling products.
Also, graphic design and art should assist you with the visual side of your games, making sure your work is unified and visually appealing. And as Muz mentioned, science, math and physics will teach you things that can be applied into making game engines or gameplay designs.
I also think the donation idea is good, but as Devernath originally asked about, it's not going to make really high profit unless you reach a large audience. Really, if anyone donated between $0.01 and $20 and you are lucky enough to sell 100 copies, you are hypothetically looking at making between $1 and $2,000. Which is a huge range to consider and it's just chance on how people are feeling about giving generously when they donate. (And you probably won't hit that $2,000) If you were selling like 10 copies a week at random donation prices, over time it's nice extra money but yeah it's really about reaching that audience and getting the exposure and continued sales which will determine whether you are going to stop working and live on your profits, or have some extra bucks in your pocket. And even just getting that extra money would be nice anyway That's why getting on the back of a company like Big Fish Games is a great way to start because they already have that massive audience, you just need to pull the consumers in to get interested in your game, not try to pull together the buyers from nowhere if you sold, distributed and marketed your game individually.
The only reason I thought the donations would be a good idea is because I think it would attract consumers to like you more.
To only give a demo version for a game with let's be honest, not so hot graphics, is kind of a douchebag move. But a donate button could be more like generosity.
I don't expect to be making tons of money soon, but it is something with which you CAN build upon. So, I want to attract a good audience before reaping a huge profit, since I'm still in college and I'm in no rush financially.
But if I were to sell it, what should I charge? 2 dollars for a full version? At least for now.
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That's why getting on the back of a company like Big Fish Games is a great way to start because they already have that massive audience, you just need to pull the consumers in to get interested in your game, not try to pull together the buyers from nowhere if you sold, distributed and marketed your game individually.
