5 ms·

Yes, I second that... I'll pay for a good math game for my kid—I don't let him play ad-based games though.

by karmajunkie 10y ago

Sanctor 10y ago
It is decided then. I'll release an Education version without the ads.
- Humdeee 10y ago
  I've learned this the hard way with interstitial and banner ads throughout releasing a dozen or so apps. You really need a rather large user base to make them even a bit worthwhile to a developer. Scratching out pennies will have a huge downside if it lowers the experience of the app to your whole userbase. It's an art form not to make the user feel like a product. Everyone thinks they know how but really so, so few do, myself included. I've also put down many apps because of ads. It's stopped one of apps from moving as quickly as it should. I've since moved away entirely and incorporated IAP that unlocks slightly more features or a straight up price tag from the get-go. Anecdotal, but I believe this led to much less moaning and groaning from users, higher ratings, and a better overall experience (and yes, better returns)!
  - Sanctor 10y ago
    Thanks for sharing your experience. It's very valuable to me. I'm very much a stranger to this world, and I don't have anyone to ask for advice. I don't like putting ads in the game. If nothing, it breaks the retro atmosphere I'm going for. But I also have the dream of doing game development for a living and have to make money somehow. I'll try the paid method. I guess I couldn't imagine people willing to pay for something I do as a hobby for now.
    - soneca 10y ago
      "If nothing, it breaks the retro atmosphere I'm going for" I commented before about finding the ads annoying. But really, this is the crux of it. It completely breaks the experience, as I am playing a pixelized retro game and a modern looking clean ad appears on the screen. Tangentially, why don't you consider also publishing the same game, but with a different art style. An art style that might be more relatable for kids these days (no idea which, just suggesting you research that).
      - Sanctor 10y ago
        It wouldn't be too much work to re-skin the game. I can maybe put a selection in the settings page that could switch between retro and modern. This is the first time I've heard this suggestion. I will definitely consider this. Thank you!
        dualogy 10y ago
        > can maybe put a selection in the settings page that could switch between retro and modern Oooh once you go that route, you can make skins "unlockable" from gamer progress! That's always fun (if the rest is, too)
    - the_watcher 10y ago
      > I guess I couldn't imagine people willing to pay for something I do as a hobby for now. I've struggled with this myself. While there might be some who aren't willing to pay, many people are willing to pay for something they get value out of. That said, the sheer number of terrible apps I've downloaded stops me from paying up front for an app from an unknown developer, but as I mentioned before, my bar is very, very low for the amount of use I need before I'm willing to pay $1 to remove ads or unlock the rest of an app.
matthuggins 10y ago
Yep, I can second this. I can put up with ads myself, but I don't want my 5 year old to play a game with ads since they no longer know what they're doing once an ad pops up.
randlet 10y ago
Thirded. This game is a little advanced for my 4 y.o. but I would MUCH rather pay a couple dollars to have ad free games. Most of the free educational kids games are crappy to use for a 4 y.o. because they pop up ads over the game. Inevitably she clicks on them by accident and then ends up in the Play store and confused about what happened or how to get back to her game.
- Sanctor 10y ago
  I understand. Most developers don't care once they've got their ad impression. Although I don't assume people would outright buy the game without trying first. Especially from a first time developer. So the free version is a necessity for me.
- clbrook 10y ago
  I made a math game that was ad-free. It started out with a $1 purchase price at first launch, but I decided to make it free since it was not being downloaded. I'm curious if you have any advice on how to market to your audience of "parents that will pay for ad-free kids' games".
  - the_watcher 10y ago
    Free to download, then $1 to remove ads or unlock the full game. I get the frustration, but I'm someone who pretty much never pays up front for an app, but the bar for getting me to pay $1 to remove ads or unlock features is extraordinarily low. I basically need about an hour or so of use before I'm willing to invest (which is unfortunately necessary thanks to the hundreds of essentially useless apps I've downloaded in the past).
  - randlet 10y ago
    Honestly I'm not sure. My process for buying a game would generally be: Open Play store, search for e.g. "toddler math", filter for "Paid" and then look for something with good reviews. Even with that criteria you are likely competing with 100's of other apps.

Yes, I second that... I'll pay for a good math game for my kid—I don't let him play ad-based games though.

Sanctor 10y ago

It is decided then. I'll release an Education version without the ads.

Humdeee 10y ago
I've learned this the hard way with interstitial and banner ads throughout releasing a dozen or so apps. You really need a rather large user base to make them even a bit worthwhile to a developer. Scratching out pennies will have a huge downside if it lowers the experience of the app to your whole userbase. It's an art form not to make the user feel like a product. Everyone thinks they know how but really so, so few do, myself included. I've also put down many apps because of ads. It's stopped one of apps from moving as quickly as it should. I've since moved away entirely and incorporated IAP that unlocks slightly more features or a straight up price tag from the get-go. Anecdotal, but I believe this led to much less moaning and groaning from users, higher ratings, and a better overall experience (and yes, better returns)!
- Sanctor 10y ago
  Thanks for sharing your experience. It's very valuable to me. I'm very much a stranger to this world, and I don't have anyone to ask for advice. I don't like putting ads in the game. If nothing, it breaks the retro atmosphere I'm going for. But I also have the dream of doing game development for a living and have to make money somehow. I'll try the paid method. I guess I couldn't imagine people willing to pay for something I do as a hobby for now.
  - soneca 10y ago
    "If nothing, it breaks the retro atmosphere I'm going for" I commented before about finding the ads annoying. But really, this is the crux of it. It completely breaks the experience, as I am playing a pixelized retro game and a modern looking clean ad appears on the screen. Tangentially, why don't you consider also publishing the same game, but with a different art style. An art style that might be more relatable for kids these days (no idea which, just suggesting you research that).
    - Sanctor 10y ago
      It wouldn't be too much work to re-skin the game. I can maybe put a selection in the settings page that could switch between retro and modern. This is the first time I've heard this suggestion. I will definitely consider this. Thank you!
      - dualogy 10y ago
        > can maybe put a selection in the settings page that could switch between retro and modern Oooh once you go that route, you can make skins "unlockable" from gamer progress! That's always fun (if the rest is, too)
  - the_watcher 10y ago
    > I guess I couldn't imagine people willing to pay for something I do as a hobby for now. I've struggled with this myself. While there might be some who aren't willing to pay, many people are willing to pay for something they get value out of. That said, the sheer number of terrible apps I've downloaded stops me from paying up front for an app from an unknown developer, but as I mentioned before, my bar is very, very low for the amount of use I need before I'm willing to pay $1 to remove ads or unlock the rest of an app.

matthuggins 10y ago

Yep, I can second this. I can put up with ads myself, but I don't want my 5 year old to play a game with ads since they no longer know what they're doing once an ad pops up.

randlet 10y ago

Thirded. This game is a little advanced for my 4 y.o. but I would MUCH rather pay a couple dollars to have ad free games. Most of the free educational kids games are crappy to use for a 4 y.o. because they pop up ads over the game. Inevitably she clicks on them by accident and then ends up in the Play store and confused about what happened or how to get back to her game.

Sanctor 10y ago
I understand. Most developers don't care once they've got their ad impression. Although I don't assume people would outright buy the game without trying first. Especially from a first time developer. So the free version is a necessity for me.
clbrook 10y ago
I made a math game that was ad-free. It started out with a $1 purchase price at first launch, but I decided to make it free since it was not being downloaded. I'm curious if you have any advice on how to market to your audience of "parents that will pay for ad-free kids' games".
- the_watcher 10y ago
  Free to download, then $1 to remove ads or unlock the full game. I get the frustration, but I'm someone who pretty much never pays up front for an app, but the bar for getting me to pay $1 to remove ads or unlock features is extraordinarily low. I basically need about an hour or so of use before I'm willing to invest (which is unfortunately necessary thanks to the hundreds of essentially useless apps I've downloaded in the past).
- randlet 10y ago
  Honestly I'm not sure. My process for buying a game would generally be: Open Play store, search for e.g. "toddler math", filter for "Paid" and then look for something with good reviews. Even with that criteria you are likely competing with 100's of other apps.