Indie developers argue their way into selling a game

by John Bardinelli on May 5th 2007 8:59PM

Game Producer's recent Convince Me To Buy Your Video Game competition tossed the ball in the indie developers' court and made them argue their way into selling a copy of their game. Wild promises were made, editors had their posteriors smooched, and a few devs went so far as to brag about the game's actual features! With the post-contest fog starting to clear, three arguments emerged as the most convincing sales pitches:

The Witch's Yarn by MouseChief made a sale by boasting quality illustrations, a real-instrument soundtrack, and interactive sitcom gameplay.
The Code Zone convinced Game Producer to pick up Duck Tiles by offering several discounts along with ... a pony.
Kudos to Cliff Harris for selling a copy of his game, Kudos, by boldly asking "Can I enter twice?"

A contest like this isn't the best way to uncover hidden gems of the indie world, as offering ponies says very little about the quality of a game. On the other hand, it is a good way for indie developers to stretch their PR muscles.

Source

Tags: competition, contest, independent, indie, PC

Reader Comments (3)

i felt bad and was laughing at the same time for that guy from looseleafgames...
No-one has ever bought my game. You can be the first!

I can tell you, negotiations for the actual sale of 'The Witch's Yarn' have just begun. So far, the party of the first part declined purchase due to a lack of paypal in the in-game purchase system. The party of the second part has offered to send an unlocked copy of the game for the promise of a check in the mail. Updates forthcoming...