4 ms·

It's funny--they profile Ramp Champ and Skee Ball. Apparently these are two games modeling the same real-world game, and Ramp Champ doesn't use the Skee-Ball n

by Poiesis 17y ago

It's funny--they profile Ramp Champ and Skee Ball. Apparently these are two games modeling the same real-world game, and Ramp Champ doesn't use the Skee-Ball name or iconic game representation anywhere so it doesn't do as well. At least for me, they're entirely correct. I must have seen that game in some list or another (new releases, etc.) at least 20 times, and I until now assumed it was a skateboarding game. Really hammers home how important the icon and name are.

pospischil 17y ago
I can't seem to find the article "Losing iReligion" on the Iconfactory blog -- but if the implication is true -- that Iconfactory is claiming their lack of success is a fault of the appstore -- thats a pretty ridiculous implication...for exactly the reason you point out here (and is the focus of the article). What we think is good marketing (what the iconfactory has done), isn't just good per-se. What makes it good is its effectiveness...and by that metric. Ineffective marketing <> a bad AppStore.
- stepherm 17y ago
  I don't believe its on the Iconfactory blog, just the blog of one of their developers. Here's a link: http://gedblog.com/2009/09/28/losing-ireligion/ http://gedblog.com/2009/09/28/losing-ireligion/
adamhowell 17y ago
You're right about the name, Poiesis. I finally got around to buying Ramp Champ the other day after seeing the 2-dozenth person on Twitter compliment its design and from knowing of IconFactory from their icon and other app work. Only after I started playing it was I like, "Ohhhh, Ramp Champ, I get it. And, hey, the icon actually makes sense now..." I thought it was different carnival games, not just different skeeball environments. The game is beautiful and challenging (though my fingers get oily and make accuracy annoyingly hard) -- but the name, icon and website (they only have one screenshot of the actual gaming environment buried in a slideshow on the Media page) don't do enough to explain it IMHO.
dirtyaura 17y ago
According to a couple of experienced mobile Java game developers that learned their tricks pre-iPhone, a name and a icon of a game make or break sales. Names for mobile games had to be short and very descriptive , even if boring ("NY Shooter" instead of Max Payne or Halo), because there was no PR channels. It was all about teens looking for games on distribution channels. Of course this has changed somewhat nowadays, there is much sites covering mobile games/apps. But I think those tricks are still valid, as for mainstream iPhone users browsing App Store is the dominant way to learn about apps.

by Poiesis 17y ago

pospischil 17y ago

I can't seem to find the article "Losing iReligion" on the Iconfactory blog -- but if the implication is true -- that Iconfactory is claiming their lack of success is a fault of the appstore -- thats a pretty ridiculous implication...for exactly the reason you point out here (and is the focus of the article). What we think is good marketing (what the iconfactory has done), isn't just good per-se. What makes it good is its effectiveness...and by that metric. Ineffective marketing <> a bad AppStore.

stepherm 17y ago
I don't believe its on the Iconfactory blog, just the blog of one of their developers. Here's a link: http://gedblog.com/2009/09/28/losing-ireligion/ http://gedblog.com/2009/09/28/losing-ireligion/

adamhowell 17y ago

You're right about the name, Poiesis. I finally got around to buying Ramp Champ the other day after seeing the 2-dozenth person on Twitter compliment its design and from knowing of IconFactory from their icon and other app work. Only after I started playing it was I like, "Ohhhh, Ramp Champ, I get it. And, hey, the icon actually makes sense now..." I thought it was different carnival games, not just different skeeball environments. The game is beautiful and challenging (though my fingers get oily and make accuracy annoyingly hard) -- but the name, icon and website (they only have one screenshot of the actual gaming environment buried in a slideshow on the Media page) don't do enough to explain it IMHO.

dirtyaura 17y ago

According to a couple of experienced mobile Java game developers that learned their tricks pre-iPhone, a name and a icon of a game make or break sales. Names for mobile games had to be short and very descriptive , even if boring ("NY Shooter" instead of Max Payne or Halo), because there was no PR channels. It was all about teens looking for games on distribution channels. Of course this has changed somewhat nowadays, there is much sites covering mobile games/apps. But I think those tricks are still valid, as for mainstream iPhone users browsing App Store is the dominant way to learn about apps.