"View to play" better than pay to play?

SnowcaTT

Link:http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2015-05-22-former-rovio-head-of-games-founds-futureplay-games

We believe in view-to-play gaming for a simple reason - it's faster, cheaper and more fun to watch an ad than pay for an in-app purchase...the future looks even brighter with aggressive growth from mobile video ads.

(emphasis added)

Just curious if folks would enjoy ad based revenue sources in this game, or keep steady on like they are - either paying for those resources or making due with what they are given.

PVP can be a very time sensitive monster, and "view-to-play" ads might not work there. But in PVE? I'd be "watching" 30 second ads over and over if they each gave me a health pack or three when they were done. Which means one of the developers free-to-play players would suddenly be converted into a type of daily payment base. Curious if others would be converts as well - add your thoughts!

DFiPL

Depends on how intrusive the ads are. If it's something like 'here's a part of the game where I can go every few hours to watch a video in exchange for whatever,' sure. It's out of the way, it doesn't interfere with gameplay, and there's a mutual backscratch going on. I'm getting a token or a health pack or some hero points or whatever it is in exchange for watching a video or two, and then back to the game. It isn't popping up on me at the start or end of a match or otherwise potentially interfering with the game as I'm playing. It's walled off in a place where, if I want what they're offering, I go offer my eyeballs for a brief period in exchange. If I don't want it, I never see it.

Something like that? Sure.

Anything that messes with immersion or gameplay? Get that **** outta here.

Unknown

The problem with 'I'll take ads if they're not intrusive' is that you won't find too many people paying big bucks to have ads that aren't intrusive.

Unknown

Phantron wrote:

The problem with 'I'll take ads if they're not intrusive' is that you won't find too many people paying big bucks to have ads that aren't intrusive.

Actually, there are several successful games that use "on the side" advertising. Different ads pay different amounts based on the amount the advertiser is paying the game. It works quite well when implemented correctly.

It's all about directing traffic to websites. It can be done tastefully.

Unknown

Ads for a decent amount of Hero Points? Put 'em in tomorrow.

Ads for a decent reduction in roster slot costs? Put 'em in tomorrow.

Ads for instant healing after a fight? Put 'em in tomorrow.

Ads for increasing the odds on a Token? Doubt that would be feasible, but... Put 'em in tomorrow.

Ads for ISO? Meh. It would have to be a decent amount (read: NOT 20. ).

Ads for Health Packs? I'd still prefer they go into a separate pool, but either way, I'd still be leaning toward putting 'em in tomorrow.

As long as they're not pop-ups and can be viewed optionally? Like an ever-present button on the screen or some such mechanism? "Watch a 30-second ad and instantly heal OBW?" Heck yeah.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not the world's biggest fan of ads in games, but MPQ is a (an? a? an?) FTP title, and if using ads could serve to mitigate some of the, uhm, stuff listed above? Yes sir, sir. I would like some ads sir.

DBC

Unknown

johnaaron33 wrote:

Phantron wrote:

The problem with 'I'll take ads if they're not intrusive' is that you won't find too many people paying big bucks to have ads that aren't intrusive.

Actually, there are several successful games that use "on the side" advertising. Different ads pay different amounts based on the amount the advertiser is paying the game. It works quite well when implemented correctly.

It's all about directing traffic to websites. It can be done tastefully.

Sure if you're big enough something like "This week's Deadpool Daily has been brought to you by Coca Cola" that works, but I doubt MPQ is that big and people would want more intrusive stuff to justify their money because they won't be sure that the less intrusive method is enough.

El Satanno

Drummerboycroy wrote:

Ads for a decent amount of Hero Points? Put 'em in tomorrow.

Ads for a decent reduction in roster slot costs? Put 'em in tomorrow.

Ads for instant healing after a fight? Put 'em in tomorrow.

Ads for increasing the odds on a Token? Doubt that would be feasible, but... Put 'em in tomorrow.

Ads for ISO? Meh. It would have to be a decent amount (read: NOT 20. ).

Ads for Health Packs? I'd still prefer they go into a separate pool, but either way, I'd still be leaning toward putting 'em in tomorrow.

As long as they're not pop-ups and can be viewed optionally? Like an ever-present button on the screen or some such mechanism? "Watch a 30-second ad and instantly heal OBW?" Heck yeah.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not the world's biggest fan of ads in games, but MPQ is a (an? a? an?) FTP title, and if using ads could serve to mitigate some of the, uhm, stuff listed above? Yes sir, sir. I would like some ads sir.

DBC

You are beating that drum to my rhythm, sir.

As with advertising of any sort, it is 100% about what we get for it and how it is delivered. I would gladly have a banner on top or bottom of the game. Banners don't bother me in the slightest as long as they aren't blinking or moving. If there are optional view-ads for bonuses in-game then sign me the hell up. I will watch them all frickin' day.

But is it some overlay that I have to dismiss? Is it something I have to have on-screen for X seconds before I can get it away from me? Is it going to interrupt me during a shield hop? If the answer to any of those is "yes" then you can be certain I will be uninstalling the monstrosity without reservation.

DFiPL

Phantron wrote:

The problem with 'I'll take ads if they're not intrusive' is that you won't find too many people paying big bucks to have ads that aren't intrusive.

And the way you handle that is with ads that people *want* to go see. If you wall it off somewhere but "hey, psst, kid, if you come watch an ad I'll refresh your health packs, or give you a token, or what-have-you" people will seek them out. You don't need to beat the user over the head with the ads to get eyeballs in a game like this.

What you want is to have your ad be something that makes the user feel good because it contributes to his or her gameplay experience in a positive way. Coca-Cola just refreshed my health packs for watching their ad and now I can play some more? Thanks, Coke!

Coke just gave me epilepsy with an ad that popped up over the start of my fight and held me hostage while I was in the final push before a PVE sub or a PVP shard closed? Go **** yourself, Coke.

It's not hard.

Unknown

I would rather see a ad-supported free version and a paid premium version without ads. Of course, this all assumes they adjusted their in-game mechanics etc.. to get rid of the artificial scarcity etc.. rather than just tacking it on as another way to monetize people.

Linkster79

Personally I would much rather see a separate offline version available for say £1.99-£4.99 that encompasses all the different story chapters we have seen so far. Have 4 difficulty levels to encompass all the node rewards and build up characters using iso as xp. This could be run along side the current Marvel Puzzle Quest and help subsidise there current f2p game. Of course it would involve mechanics that has been done in other puzzle quest games like instant healing after battle.

_RiO_

The only condition on which I will ever accept unchecked third-party advertisement content in any application that runs outside of a battle-tested browser-sandbox is when the application's creator accepts sole responsibility for malware infection and any and all damages it may produce for a lifetime duration.

If not; then no **** ads.

fmftint

johnaaron33 wrote:

It works quite well when implemented correctly.

Yeah but we're talking about MPQ...

SnowcaTT

theHappyDance wrote:

I would rather see a ad-supported free version and a paid premium version without ads. Of course, this all assumes they adjusted their in-game mechanics etc.. to get rid of the artificial scarcity etc.. rather than just tacking it on as another way to monetize people.

I see a couple mention this, I'd like this as well. I'd probably run the ad-supported version (give me my free roster slots already!), but others who don't like it could pay a nominal fee to get rid of them on a monthly basis.

Which would be yet another source of revenue.

Dragon_Nexus

It's interesting to me that some companies see view-to-play as an alternative when i know full well most will see it as an addition.

Personally, I'd rather pay money when I need to. I hate adverts. And for something like MPQ that's centered around time schedules, having your play time come to a screeching halt to watch a 30 second advert about a car you've no intention of buying for the 17th time that day when you're trying to grind out the last few points in a sub event before it closes sounds like a great way to wreck the game.

DFiPL

Dragon_Nexus wrote:

It's interesting to me that some companies see view-to-play as an alternative when i know full well most will see it as an addition.

Personally, I'd rather pay money when I need to. I hate adverts. And for something like MPQ that's centered around time schedules, having your play time come to a screeching halt to watch a 30 second advert about a car you've no intention of buying for the 17th time that day when you're trying to grind out the last few points in a sub event before it closes sounds like a great way to wreck the game.

As well as counter-productive. I'd make a note of which companies' ads detracted from my gameplay experience and then go out of my way to avoid their products where possible.

Unknown

BTW, seeing some of the responses in this thread...

If I had the option of paying 10+ bucks or whatever to have a game without all the FTP "teeny kitty" in it? Uhm, yeah, that's a big YES.

Barring that, if D3 wants a product wherein players are "encouraged" to continuously/repeatedly pay throughout the duration of the relationship, yeah, I'd take some ads. It's not like ads are going to markedly ruin the game the way it stands.

As for immersion, as long as ads aren't popping up during things that are time-sensitive (like say after PvE, PvP matches), there really isn't much immersion to disturb. So again, barring that specific usage, why not.

Frankly? Based on the particular monetization style of this game and others like it, I'm a bit confounded that it doesn't already have ads. Usually when specific "necessary" parts of a game like this are monetized in this way (slots, HPs) the ads are there from day 1...

DBC

Dragon_Nexus

Drummerboycroy wrote:

As for immersion, as long as ads aren't popping up during things that are time-sensitive (like say after PvE, PvP matches), there really isn't much immersion to disturb. So again, barring that specific usage, why not.

But the whole game is time sensitive.
I know I'd be frustrated when I could have ecked out an extra 500 points in PvP in the last 2 monutes, but missed my chance because I was stuck wathing a 30 second ad before being able to do anything.

If D3 went to pure ad sponsorship, you'd need to ditch the HP system completely. That would be having your cake and eating it. If they wanted to go full-on V2P, there would be no HP system. Like, watch an ad get a health pack. Watch an ad, get an ad token. Watch 10 ads in a day, get a special 5x ad token with increased odds of a 3*. Stuff like that.

Asking people to watchs ads to keep a flow of cash going to D3 *and* ask them to pay for HP and such would be a bit cheeky. Disrupting the game for no noticable benefit to the player.

SnowcaTT

Drummerboycroy wrote:

BTW, seeing some of the responses in this thread...

If I had the option of paying 10+ bucks or whatever to have a game without all the FTP "teeny kitty" in it? Uhm, yeah, that's a big YES.

Barring that, if D3 wants a product wherein players are "encouraged" to continuously/repeatedly pay throughout the duration of the relationship, yeah, I'd take some ads. It's not like ads are going to markedly ruin the game the way it stands.

As for immersion, as long as ads aren't popping up during things that are time-sensitive (like say after PvE, PvP matches), there really isn't much immersion to disturb. So again, barring that specific usage, why not.

Frankly? Based on the particular monetization style of this game and others like it, I'm a bit confounded that it doesn't already have ads. Usually when specific "necessary" parts of a game like this are monetized in this way (slots, HPs) the ads are there from day 1...

DBC

I'm also surprised we don't have non-flashing banner ads on the sides or top or bottom of the battle screens.

I haven't played that many FTP: is it common elsewhere? I would think the $money/month to get rid of ads would be an easy, consistent source of revenue. Possibly simply added on revenue (not giving anything in return), rather than a different source of revenue.

It lets you know what the whales are paying I guess. If you think one tenth of your players would pay the monthly fee, the one hundredth that are paying regularly now must be each paying ten times the amount the anti-ad payers would.

wymtime

I think for ads he way to go would be right before a match and right after a match. It could say watch this add to receive X. Before he match I would say ISO or 25 HP and for after a match watch the add for a health pack. If the game were to put adds in the game it has to avoid he pop up ads based on the way the game is played. If a pop up occurred when I was shield hopping and I could not play or shield becuase I had to watch 10 seconds of a ad I, and I would imagine others, would flip their tinykitty.

Right now the purchase of HP is the revenue for this game. He right type of ad could lower the cost for players as well as add an external revenue stream for MPQ. It is a tricky slope, but if done right would help the player base and the company.

_RiO_

SnowcaTT wrote:

I would think the $money/month to get rid of ads would be an easy, consistent source of revenue.

Also; a consistent source of annoyance to the point that people will simply stop playing and others will find ways around it without paying the company that's screwing them.

Paying to get rid of something is negative reinforcement and that never works well in the long term. Case in point; just about every PC game that has tried to push ingame ads has been met with resistance and with people eventually just 'sticking it to the man' by blocking the ad-server IP addresses via a change to the hosts file, via firewall rules, etc.

Unknown

I would not care about ads being added to PVE if it meant less $ out of my pocket for health packs, etc. I may actually play PVE a bit more if that were the way it worked.

But I have ZERO faith that ads would stop with / stay only in PVE.

Eventually they'd be included in PvP, which would ruin the game. Does anyone want to complete a fight in PvP and gain 40 points, then get a pop-up with the trash cover you win, then get a "rate this game" pop-up, then get an in game announcement pop-up, then watch a 30 second ad, then realize you didn't get your 40 points and have actually lost 100 from hits??

I voted no to ads.