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Sure, there is a place for in-app purchases. But there has to be some moral code involved. I think that in general, paying for consumables is bad, but paying fo

Sure, there is a place for in-app purchases. But there has to be some moral code involved. I think that in general, paying for consumables is bad, but paying for extra (permanent) features is fine. There may be exceptions to this. There's this website, http://honestandroidgames.com/ http://honestandroidgames.com/, that has its own moral code but it is quite restrictive (must have no ads, must be either free, paid or free with a single IAP that unlocks the full game.) I wonder if it is possible to come up with a more flexible moral code for game monetization.

rhizome 13y ago
But there has to be some moral code involved. No, there absolutely does not. The only way to filter your game usage through a moral filter is to subscribe only to things like honestandroidgames.com, which is akin to programming out all non-Christian TV channels in every TV in your house.
- bentcorner 13y ago
  There already is a moral code for app content required for store submission. https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/188189?hl=en https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ... Whether or not these guidelines should extend to IAP implementation is up for debate, I'm of the opinion that consumable IAP should be a blocker.
  - rhizome 13y ago
    Those aren't a moral code, they're editorial policies. Even if they were moralistic, the only thing that is summarily prohibited is "Bum Fights Video Library" type apps, which is a nearly-nonexistent bar.
dragonwriter 13y ago
> I wonder if it is possible to come up with a more flexible moral code for game monetization. Sure: come up with your own moral preferences and (1) as a producer, don't make games that violate them, and (2) as a consumer, don't pay for games (or IAPs within games) that violate them.
DerpDerpDerp 13y ago
This is a complete hypothetical, but how do you feel about consumable hats? I'm thinking something like you spend real dollars on a hat (or other item) that does nothing but change cosmetics, but disappears after a week/month/quarter/year.
- aaronetz 13y ago
  That doesn't sound too bad... It's definitely not the same as using psychological tricks to coax people to pay. As long as the game is not designed around getting your money, it should be okay, I think.
Smegger 13y ago
I like the Team Fortress 2 model. You can buying things that have little to no effect to game play like hats or different looking/sounding weapons and many can be obtained by playing it or other steam games for free. It is equatable to the players and massively profitable for Valve. The Games remain a game of skill and not solely a money extracting machine.

rhizome 13y ago

But there has to be some moral code involved. No, there absolutely does not. The only way to filter your game usage through a moral filter is to subscribe only to things like honestandroidgames.com, which is akin to programming out all non-Christian TV channels in every TV in your house.

bentcorner 13y ago
There already is a moral code for app content required for store submission. https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/188189?hl=en https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ... Whether or not these guidelines should extend to IAP implementation is up for debate, I'm of the opinion that consumable IAP should be a blocker.
- rhizome 13y ago
  Those aren't a moral code, they're editorial policies. Even if they were moralistic, the only thing that is summarily prohibited is "Bum Fights Video Library" type apps, which is a nearly-nonexistent bar.

dragonwriter 13y ago

> I wonder if it is possible to come up with a more flexible moral code for game monetization. Sure: come up with your own moral preferences and (1) as a producer, don't make games that violate them, and (2) as a consumer, don't pay for games (or IAPs within games) that violate them.

DerpDerpDerp 13y ago

This is a complete hypothetical, but how do you feel about consumable hats? I'm thinking something like you spend real dollars on a hat (or other item) that does nothing but change cosmetics, but disappears after a week/month/quarter/year.

aaronetz 13y ago
That doesn't sound too bad... It's definitely not the same as using psychological tricks to coax people to pay. As long as the game is not designed around getting your money, it should be okay, I think.

Smegger 13y ago

I like the Team Fortress 2 model. You can buying things that have little to no effect to game play like hats or different looking/sounding weapons and many can be obtained by playing it or other steam games for free. It is equatable to the players and massively profitable for Valve. The Games remain a game of skill and not solely a money extracting machine.