Archive for the ‘Microtransactions’ tag

Microtransactions, a triangle of trust

So all the hype is now in the flash microtransaction deals. It looks like it is the next big thing. Everyone wants to get in. Well, what will happen is one of two things: everyone will get in and it won’t work or some will get in and it will work.

I used the expression “triangle of trust” a couple of days ago while discussing microtransactions has a new possible model opposed to the current sponsorship model. That triangle is made of player, portal and developer.

The player

The player must trust the portal because to the player’s eyes, the one selling something is the portal, not the developer. A player that trusts the portal and enjoys the game will be the target of the deal.

The portal

The portal must trust the developer and the content the developer creates to allow their game to go into their service, thus generating revenue.

The developer

The developer must trust the player is loyal enough to the portal and willing enough to put money in his game.

If the trust crosses the triangle, microtransactions as a model are very doable if the provider has very strict quality control standards. Content must be of excellence, implementation of the system must be obvious, clear and trustworthy for the player. This means a lot of hard-work from everyone involved.

So we need to come forward and close this triangle of trust between the portals that work with us and the players that play games in these portals. An extra mile is needed by the developer to have something that is worth playing and worth spending money on.

I don’t believe that this is the next big thing. I do believe it’s a fantastic value added to our poll of monetization resources, one that is struggling for fresh air.

Vlad out!

The Perfect Deal

Is there an ideal flash game sponsorship? According to our friend blog Freelance Flash Games, yes there is.

A good and honest debate started sometime ago on a comment in FFG’s blog, moved later on to a FGL chat, then to a post here and the circle closed with The Ideal Flash Game Sponsorship.

I hope it does not end here, honestly. I’m a strong believer that developers, portals and services should be closer and agree that we must at least have a wider discussion about our industry.