Do you ever pay for games?

[Laura Knotek]

I know I mentioned that I don't buy games. However, I don't use free games either. I tried Wordament when it was new, but I haven't touched it in over a year. I installed a bunch of Xbox games when they were free, but I never played them a single time, and they got deleted too. Mobile gaming just isn't for me.

On the other hand, I've purchased a lot of apps that aren't games. If an app has a paid version that removes ads or if it's an app I really like even if trial does not have ads, I'll buy the app. For instance, I've purchased Nextgen Reader for Windows Phone and Windows 8, and I use both versions on a daily basis.

 

[Gaurav Paul]

I pay for mobile games/app as long as they are:
1) Fun/useful.
2) Provide some value.

I usually purchase games when they go on sale. Although I feel a pinch at times. For ex sometime back in Oct I think I purchased both the cut the rope games available @ $0.99. Which is dead cheap. Two days later both the games were free for a limited time. Purchased Asphalt 8 in Dec, now its free

Although one positive was that I purchased Asphalt 7 almost half a year back when it was available @ $0.99. Now its $3.99 or so.

So far I've purchased only two apps, The WPCentral app and the Moliplayer pro app.

But I don't think I'll ever buy from in-app purchases. Most packages are ridiculously expensive.
Bottomline: App purchases: Yes.
In-app purchases: No.

 

[Obayeed Hassan]

I paid for two games

Asphalt 8
Angry Birds stars wars II

 

[Nangiu Vlad]

I wouldn't really pay for an app just because I don't have "trust" in Windows Phone 8 yet...I mean yeah...I've been using it for a few months but I don't know if I'm gonna stick with it in the future or switch to Android.

 

[anon(8151408)]

I very rarely buy any apps. If apps are paid, I tend to use the trial until I am satisfied that:

1. I like the app (!)
2. The paid version is better than the trial
3. The dev is committed
4. The app actually will be used.

Sometimes I prefer ads to paid, but ONLY IF they are unobtrusive. One game I tested had ads on the game controls so the game didn't work at all.

 

[Shad0x64]

I only play Xbox live games on my Windows Phone and yes I gladly pay for them.

 

[Fahad Aziz Khan]

I have Paid for all the echo systems:

Android: Approx 15$
iOS: Approx 10$
WP: 10$ (Touserheart, Asphalt 8, Chimpact, 3 others )

I will be happy to pay for a game Upfront ( i hate in-App purchase)
I Suggest that minimum price should be .50$ for all the games. At least every one can pay 0.50$ for some app/game if he can afford a Handset which cost in Multi Hundred Dollor.

 

[XSportSeeker]

Yes, I pay for games.

Wish I had a way of seeing all of my purchases in one list... if anyone knows of a way to do it, let me hear it, thanks!
I don't like the "free 2 play"... or as Satoru Iwata said "free 2 start" model, because it's far too easy (purposely) to loose sight of how much you spend on a given game. So I simply don't pay for anything in-game.

I very rarely pay for stuff that's completely clear and one time only, like "removing ads".

So if it's a game that requires you to pay to continue playing or something like that (games that cripples the gameplay unless you pay), I simply don't play and drop the app. There's plenty more out there to replace them, and they are mostly past time.

Now, honestly, I download lots of game to test them. And I don't play that much with my WP phone, first because I hate touchscreen controls, second because I only play games on it when there's no other choice, which doesn't happen a lot for me.

But for the past end year holidays (when I travel and get away from my gaming devices) I remember paying at least for two games which I played to the end, and must account for the longest times I've spend gaming with my Lumia 1020: Puzzle Quest 2 and Nightmares from the Deep, from Artifex Mundi (thanks WPCentral for recommending those!).

Oh, I just searched my mail and found all bills. I also bought: Temple Run OZ, Heroes of Kalevala, Let's Golf 2 and tons of non gaming apps.

So I must've paid for about 10 apps and games over the course of 2 to 3 months... also worth noting that I had a problem with the store early on right after I got my phone because some brazilian banks wouldn't accept credit card purchases in it, something related to exchange rates or something.

Also: I have an iPad 2 and have always used the same system for game purchases: no in-game spending unless it's for one time only and very clear purpose. I always like to quote a game as the ideal model for free 2 play games: Beastie Bay from japanese developer Kairosoft.

It's an incredibly complex and complete game in which you can pay 2 remove ads (that are not even intrusive in the first place... it's banners that lays outside the game screen), and than way later on in the game you can pay to create some pets or monsters, but it's in no way necessary... you probably got them anyways by playing the game regularly. I paid for the ad removal because I liked the game very much and wanted to support the devs.



Anyways, that's my take on it.

 

[daredevildan]

I don't mind paying a couple of bucks for a game. I also don't mind ads because I think people need to be compensated for their time. I always wondered what the developers prefer because if you're making more money from the ad system then here and there is no problem to deal with and it makes it worth your time to make apps. For me, free and in-game purchases or ads are the preference.

 

[smurfercom]

If it's Gameloft I'll never pay for their beta warez worst games ever! Even the free ones aren't worth my time they always crash...

 

[Jcmg62]

I pay for games and other apps virtually all of the time, and here's why....when it comes to getting what you pay for I live by the following statement: "if you think its expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur!!" If a developer has created a good app or game that really adds value to the end user mobile experience, he should rightly expect to charge for it. On the other hand, if it turns out to be a buggy, poorly supported pile of garbage, the developer should be prepared to offer a full refund. Seems like the fair thing to do. And hey, I've just spent ?4.99 on a game......case in point

 

[twentythreee]

If you charge money for a game, you should definitely include a trial, otherwise it's unlikely people will buy it imho. I wouldn't do without trying it before.
I personally bought about 50-100 games on Windows Phone and I'm happy if I can support the developers with a few buckets, which is most times less than a beer at the bar ...

It's really really sad that most people aren't willing to pay 0.99/1.99/2.99 for a game which was developed for months ...

 

[FinancialP]

I purchase everything. Especially great apps. Apps like WPC are worth it.

I hate freemium games, but I completely understand it. Super Cell is bringing in over 1.2 million a day off of Clash of Clans alone. So I understand it, I just don't agree with it.

 

[andrew-in-woking]

No - never paid for a game. My preference is ad funded free games.

 

[Jas00555]

I prefer free games with the paid option to remove ads. Removing ads is mainly the only IAP that I'll tolerate, anything else and I won't download an app at all.

 

[Quinn FitzGerald]

[EDIT]TL;DR: If it is a "Freemium" game, make it fair with an option that unlocks everything forever at a reasonable price. If it is a free thing you did because you wanted to, please let people "donate" via in-app purchases. DO NOT HAVE IN APP PURCHASES IN A PAID APPLICATION[/EDIT]

Personally, as someone who has spent at least $50 on games on WP8 (probably about $100 the same on iOS) that I would rather pay upfront for a game if I can. __I would rather pay upfront for a game even if it is more money than I would spend if it was a "freemium" game__

I also would prefer to buy a game __UNLESS__ there is some "meaningless" in-app "purchase" to support the developer. Even if the developer wants the application to be free, well, personally I think they should let people give them money if people want to.

However, I also am someone who cannot stand the idea of paying over one or two dollars for a game if it has in-app purchases (unless it is an expansion, if it is a whole expansion that you purchase in app, that I am fine with). As such, despite buying Halo Spartan Assault (I assumed every piece of content would be open if I beat the game...) I played it for a total of 30 minutes before tossing it away in disgust.

I would say free or costing money upfront doesn't matter in the long term, just don't be like EA (and other publishers also) and have things like "BEST VALUE -- USD99.99 for 14,000 gems" like the newest game that make me cringe just from looking at it did.

Be fair in your pricing, perhaps include an option that is fairly priced for "fully unlocked" that lets you do all the stuff people pay for in applications. Developers really should start building trust with consumers.

EDIT: The games I bought include: Final Fantasy 1/3 (1 for iOS, 1 and 3 for WP8). Chaos Rings 1/2/Omega (1 for WP8, 1/2/Omega for iOS), Halo Spartan Assault (waste of money for WP8 stupid in-app purchases) and some other misc applications.

 

[Jessica Lares]

Free games bore me. They're always the same repetitive block destroyers, brain teasers, city lots, and remakes of everything else. Plus, they're ad heavy and in your face. Games like Sims FreePlay don't even let you enjoy the game on your own and tell you to do this and that. SimCity back in the day was nothing like that.

And the only reason people are raving about Flappy Bird is because they're so cheap, they have to pretend like it's the best thing ever. It's not. The gameplay is just a small part of what has been used in platformers for decades now. It even looks like something from 20 years ago. If it was $0.99, people wouldn't even bother.

I buy pretty much every Humble Bundle, I maintain a small wish list of games that I WANT to buy, and I try and buy a few of them every month. If you do your research right, you won't find yourself wasting money.

People can buy Otterboxes, LifeProof, and high-end smartphones, but they won't spent $4.99 on a game... I don't get it.

 

[mnya]

It usually depends on the game genre, but generally, yes. If the game's good and right up my alley, I don't even think about it, I just purchase it.

 

[Dave Blake]

I buy lots of games I just don't play them much. I usually pick just one and play it through. I have GTA now so its going to be a while before I need another game.

 

[Dragenox]

If the game is totally worth it an I play it often I will pay and remove the annoying ads.