If you could buy a completed game in a store, would you?

[215303j]

Imagine you are in an adult store. You see a DVD with a completed Daz3d / Ren'py game. The screenshots as well as the description of the story, gameplay and included fetishes seem to be exactly what you like in games. The game seems to be fairly new and you don't remember seeing it here.

Would you buy it? How much would you pay for it?

 

[Retro]

Do you have to buy the Collector's Edition to get the compressed version?

 

[Oiz]

No, I'd never go buy porn in a store.
I'd never buy a porn game on steam, where it will be in my library for eternity and where it'll show on the "recently played" either.

Do you have to buy the Collector's Edition to get the compressed version?

Nah, just Totino's Pizza Rolls

 

[おい！]

I have bought many porn games over the years, never from shops, because I do not live anywhere that sells porn games off the shelf. Mine have either been directly from the company or through 3rd parties on Ebay for example, as for price it all depended on the going rate at the time. I do not remember buying anything Daz3d/Ren'py related.

 

[Deleted member 819466]

I mean the odds of me being in a store rather than shopping online, especially for this content, are what is very low here. But I’m def not opposed to paying for this content, when it’s worth it.

 

[DarthSeduction]

If one made it to store shelves, yes. That means it was at least good enough that a publisher decided to try and market it.

If we were talking about games I've played though and what ones I'd consider worth buying in that way, Acting Lessons, Depraved Awakening, Coceter Chronicles, Babysitter, Parental Love, and I Love Daddy could each get 15 dollars out of me on store shelves.

I think it's important to look at the economics of this though. Currently the paying audience of games is only a couple thousand. If a developer or team of developers wants to support themselves on this as a career, they need to charge those 1000 or so people at least 30 dollars each to make a modest living. However if the paying audience is 100,000, now you can sell it at 10 dollars and make a million off it.

Steam opening up sales actually makes this a possible reality. However, unless we have a game, we still need startup capital. Which means crowd-funding will still be a thing.

 

[Deleted member 819466]

If one made it to store shelves, yes. That means it was at least good enough that a publisher decided to try and market it.

If we were talking about games I've played though and what ones I'd consider worth buying in that way, Acting Lessons, Depraved Awakening, Coceter Chronicles, Babysitter, Parental Love, and I Love Daddy could each get 15 dollars out of me on store shelves.

I noticed we share an equal enthusiasm for Coceter Chronicles. Let us hope the dev comes back around. I'm even still on their patreon as I don't want to give up just yet.

 

[ilyo]

I have no problem buying things I like in store and could buy it if it look like my best vn ever, from 20 to 40E maybe.
But my best vn ever will probably never exist.

 

[anne O'nymous]

Would you buy it?

I purchased some adult games back in the 90s, but I'm not really sure that I'll do it again nowadays. At this time, it was games made by professional studios, not indie games, and it make a real difference.
I got your "seem to be exactly what you like in games", but there's many games around there that correspond to this description and are so badly wrote or coded, that they just don't worth to be bought. Of course, there's exceptions, but you need to play them to know that they are an exception. And even games made by more professional studios are now more deceiving than anything else.
So, giving few bucks, eventually in the end more than a game price, every month to help/pay the author(s), why not, but buying the game, no. And if someone wonder, no it's not the same thing. When you help an author on Patreon, you already know exactly what you pay for, which isn't the case if you can't play, long enough, the game before buying it.
I insist on the "long enough", because here again it make a difference. Take a game like Dreams Of Desires by example. The game isn't bad, the story is good and addicting. But the two/three firsts release promised a game mechanism that never came. If it was a game sold as finished product, with a free preview corresponding to the two firsts release, I would have felt tricked.

 

[Agent HK47]

Hmm, if I theoretically walked into a store and a saw a shelf with finished games like Acting Lessons, Mifly City, Dreaming of Dana ect., then I would probably pay somewhere between $5-20 for it, depending on the game's look, fetishes and amount of content.

For me, they are kinda in the same realms as books/movies, so their prices should be around a similar pricepoint. Ye, I know that many movies/books costs more than $20 at release, but I usually wait for a couple months to buy them, so they have dropped considerably in price.

 

[robbinrobbie]

For me, a brick and mortar store is a stretch and so is having a game in my steam library. BUT on a site like GOG, Id pay somewhere between $10-20 for a completed game.
As it is right now, with the monthly update approach, I see the games almost like graphic novels and frankly, I dont mind that approach either.

 

[Deleted member 819466]

IMO under $20 is an insult (so we pirate instead, I get the irony). Good, well-made games have always cost more than that. And with crowdfunding as the standard, we end up paying much more.

I chose my answer based on a one-time cost which even for a copy of an unfinished DMD (or from what I hear, Milfy City) would be a steal.

I believe in creatives getting paid for their work. I also want shit for free. So who knows.

 

[Felicityskye]

No, I'd never go buy porn in a store.
I'd never buy a porn game on steam, where it will be in my library for eternity and where it'll show on the "recently played" either.

That's what alt accounts are for. I admit I have a secret alt steam account for suggestive steam games that I don't want people knowing I play. Similar concept as using an alt throwaway email instead of your main email to register at sites like Nutaku to play their porn browser games. lol.

 

[DarthSeduction]

IMO under $20 is an insult (so we pirate instead, I get the irony). Good, well-made games have always cost more than that. And with crowdfunding as the standard, we end up paying much more.

Might be that I'm not normal, but unless there's no audience for my game, I can't imagine charging more than 15 for Seraphim were we selling a completed game. Don't get me wrong, these games are a lot of work, but I don't need massive amounts of money. Sure, right now we've got a funding method that easily charges $120 dollars on average per patron (over the course of the development) but, the average game doesn't get more than a couple hundred patrons. So they really aren't making much regardless of that. When you have 100,000 paying customers, 10-15 dollars is a lot of fucking money.

 

[Deleted member 819466]

Might be that I'm not normal, but unless there's no audience for my game, I can't imagine charging more than 15 for Seraphim were we selling a completed game. Don't get me wrong, these games are a lot of work, but I don't need massive amounts of money. Sure, right now we've got a funding method that easily charges $120 dollars on average per patron (over the course of the development) but, the average game doesn't get more than a couple hundred patrons. So they really aren't making much regardless of that. When you have 100,000 paying customers, 10-15 dollars is a lot of fucking money.

1. I’m playing your game now, enjoying it so far! Will say more in your thread.

2. I don’t think these games would reach that 100k customers mark, but I could def be wrong there.

3. It’s all about perspective, I’m coming from a childhood where we routinely paid over $20 for PC games in the early 90s. Granted those were bigger names (Lucasarts) as opposed to if we’re considering these indie level games. Plus, I wasn’t suggesting exponentially more but to me $35-$40 is fair.

 

[215303j]

So to sum up, there are the following problems:
1) People don't go / don't like to go to a brick and mortar store. That's ok and I guess also depending on where you live. My reason for this scenario was that this is the only place which guarantees anonymity, which is non-existant for every online transaction involving either your credit card or bank account. Which is my main reason not to use Patreon.

2) The economical issue that @DarthSeduction mentions is a very good point and probably even worse because the dev probably gets only 25% or less of the store price, the rest going to the store, distributor, producer etc. So probably it's not that viable of a business model either.

3) @anne O'nymous mentions the lack of a demo, which is valid. Also here on the site there are several games with great visuals but unappealing gameplay. And the other way around. This is outsite my initial scenario, but a demo of the game in question could exist somewhere.

4) Several people mention the price, that more than $20 is too expensive. This I find interesting, because if you support a dev on Patreon for the entire development time, you probabably end up with $120 or so. And there is no guarantee of the game ever being completed.

Also the poll indicates that most people are willing / interested to buy such a game, in a store, but for a relatively small amount of money.

 

[gunderson]

What? Uh, sure. Obviously I'm not going to a brick-and-mortar store to buy porn because it's not 1995, but online retail? Absolutely I'd consider it. The main issue for me is that it has to actually include my favorite fetish: explicit heterosexual blood-related incest, and it can't be from Japan. Because, as you said, it's got to have the fetishes I want.

Otherwise, sounds fine to me to just pay up front for a finished game. Can't say I've been all that impressed by what monthly updates have produced anyway.

How much I'm willing to pay depends on the scope of the game though. For something like Summertime Saga, $40-$60. For something like Lust and Power, around $20-$30. For your standard visual novel with hardly any meaningful gameplay beyond making minor choices, more like $5-$10. It's also going to depend on art. While a few people can do pretty impressive things with Daz3d and poser, most don't and aren't worth paying attention to. Optimally I'd want real porn actresses having real Goddamned sex with creampies and everything, but still images are cool and I can handle cartoons depending on quality.

So, yeah. Let me know when you've got a porn game service that lets me buy explicit heteroseuxal incest porn games, and isn't that generic hentai bullshit, and I'm fully onboard.

 

[doomulol]

if one of my trusted friends approved it, why not . click add to cart, buy ....:FeelsGoodMan:

 

[215303j]

explicit heterosexual blood-related incest, and it can't be from Japan. Because, as you said, it's got to have the fetishes I want.

Optimally I'd want real porn actresses having real Goddamned sex with creampies and everything, but still images are cool and I can handle cartoons depending on quality.

I think these two statements are contradicting each other (unfortunately?), but thanks for your comprehensive reply!

I do think it makes sense to pay more for games with gameplay that is actually interesting, but unfortunately those games are very few indeed. Personally, unless the gameplay is REALLY good, I'd pay exactly the same for a pure VN or for something that has some gameplay. Also my question was about "your" "perfect" game. Obviously you may pick up something that's obviously not perfect for less money.

Personally, I voted $20 - $40, but I guess that if I did come across *the* *perfect* game, I would pay more, up to $80 or whatever. Unfortunately it's unlikely that such a perfect game will ever exist, simply because "my" perfect game will probably not be "your" perfect game...

So, yeah. Let me know when you've got a porn game service that lets me buy explicit heteroseuxal incest porn games, and isn't that generic hentai bullshit, and I'm fully onboard.

To be honest, I didn't think about this, but that might actually be good idea! Not that I'll open such a webstore, but the reality is that the Patreon business model that's prevalent doesn't really support completed games. Basically if a game is completed, the dev stops making money of that game, whereas it is usually the other way around, i.e. a dev starts making money after finishing something...

 

[brynhildr]

Well.. depends on the game, this is of course an obvious reason after all. And personally speaking, the possible range of games that I might buy is really, really restricted to just a couple of them (watching the titles here of course) - mostly because of my fetishes and what I like the most. Since I enjoy some good pregnancy and/or futanari stuff, the latter I believe that will not happen. Not now or never since there's no single game that manages to reach the "completed" finish line and plus, I really doubt that a futanari game can be easily released to the public. I mean, people are perverted sure but not enough for this.
For the other, honesly speaking? I would gladly spend something like 20€ or more for, example, Roundscape Adorevia if this ever gets released physically. Why not, even a collector's edition if anything since after all, the game is very well made and is greatly entertaining. And I would do the same even for a possible.. say, Strive For Power or similar.

I know that the main topic was mainly for daz3d/ren'py stuff kind of games, but personally speaking I didn't see any single one that was interesting in here. Not one. Maybe just Fate Of Irnia if anything, but other than that? Too many games with the same concept, same models, same situations and so on. So far I didn't see any originality at all.