So, there's an issue I'm vaguely aware of... Luckily I don't see it too much first hand (just some peeks here and there), but I hear a lot about it and I see a lot of it second hand. It seems like a lot of the American audience for RPG Maker has... well... entitlement issues. A lot of complaints about price and even complaints that it should be free. Just to be clear. This is not an attack. This is not meant to be aggressive. But I also don't want to play it soft. And a lot of this comes from the long time committed fans, without whom I probably wouldn't be able to buy this product. I want to honor them and their dedication, but some need to understand why this product has a cost attached. So let's |
address exactly what's going on.
If you're an OG fan of RPG Maker who doesn't have an issue with today's price beyond, "I can't afford that"... go you. Keep being you. This isn't addressed at you. This is addressed at two specific complaints that seem to be repeated ad nausea in the community and why they're misguided. (And that doesn't mean you RPG Maker noobs are off the hook. I know some of you make these complaints too.)
If you're an OG fan of RPG Maker who doesn't have an issue with today's price beyond, "I can't afford that"... go you. Keep being you. This isn't addressed at you. This is addressed at two specific complaints that seem to be repeated ad nausea in the community and why they're misguided. (And that doesn't mean you RPG Maker noobs are off the hook. I know some of you make these complaints too.)
Let's get the easy one of of the way... "RPG Maker should be free!"
No. No it shouldn't. You're wrong. Period. I shouldn't even need to explain this. It cost money to make. They need to be paid for their work. Everyone deserves to be paid for their work. If you like their product, you need to pay for it. That's it.
No. No it shouldn't. You're wrong. Period. I shouldn't even need to explain this. It cost money to make. They need to be paid for their work. Everyone deserves to be paid for their work. If you like their product, you need to pay for it. That's it.
of the software saw unauthorized fan translations which were often labeled as freeware. But they weren't.
You basically downloaded the YouTube fan sub of an anime, and are now complaining that you can't get the officially released DVD for free.
You basically downloaded the YouTube fan sub of an anime, and are now complaining that you can't get the officially released DVD for free.
So, the second complaint: "The price is outrageous!"
This one I kinda get. RPG Maker MV costs $71.99 with 10% off... that's a lot of money.
I've already said this on my Twitter page, but I'll reiterate. If you're using RPG Maker as a toy, the price is way too high. But RPG Maker isn't a toy. It's a powerful game engine packaged with very consumer friendly rights and a powerful end user license. If you actually use RPG Maker as a design tool you get more than your money worth out of it.
Think of it this way. You make a fun RPG that mostly sticks to the nostalgic formulas people enjoy, but you do just enough different to make it appealing. RPG Maker MV allows you to publish the game for android. You release a free demo, and a full version for $1.99.
This one I kinda get. RPG Maker MV costs $71.99 with 10% off... that's a lot of money.
I've already said this on my Twitter page, but I'll reiterate. If you're using RPG Maker as a toy, the price is way too high. But RPG Maker isn't a toy. It's a powerful game engine packaged with very consumer friendly rights and a powerful end user license. If you actually use RPG Maker as a design tool you get more than your money worth out of it.
Think of it this way. You make a fun RPG that mostly sticks to the nostalgic formulas people enjoy, but you do just enough different to make it appealing. RPG Maker MV allows you to publish the game for android. You release a free demo, and a full version for $1.99.
Yeah, $1.99. It's your first commercial release, you're still learning, you're not Picaso yet. You tell everyone about your game. Between friends and family, 10 people buy it. The Google Play store highlights new releases, so people browsing see your game. It's not buried immediately in mountains of mediocre dribble that look the same. You play it smart, knowing this isn't enough. |
You take to social media about the game and raise some interest on Twitter.
Between people who hear about your game online and random people who just saw it in the app store and decided to bet on it ($2? Why not?), you get 15 sales in the first month.
After that it recedes to Google Play's backlog and the internet gets bored. You only see 6 more purchases within the year and no more after that. But that's enough. Your game just paid for the engine you used to make it.
And now you can make an even better game, and everything from this point forward is PURE PROFIT!
Now... believe me... I understand using RPG Maker as a toy. That's basically how I use it. I play with RPG Maker to keep my brain active when I take a break from making my "real" game. But that doesn't mean it's worth any less than what they're asking just cause I'm not using it to its full potential. Asking them to lower the price cause you don't use it that way is like asking a car dealership to sell you a car just so you can harvest its tires.
Which brings me to the final point here... Those of you who are arguing for lower prices... maybe you should be asking for a license free version... a version which won't allow you to release commercial games. I'm sure they'll say no! But at least it'll be a reasonable request.
If anything, we should be complaining about Mario Maker's price!
Between people who hear about your game online and random people who just saw it in the app store and decided to bet on it ($2? Why not?), you get 15 sales in the first month.
After that it recedes to Google Play's backlog and the internet gets bored. You only see 6 more purchases within the year and no more after that. But that's enough. Your game just paid for the engine you used to make it.
And now you can make an even better game, and everything from this point forward is PURE PROFIT!
Now... believe me... I understand using RPG Maker as a toy. That's basically how I use it. I play with RPG Maker to keep my brain active when I take a break from making my "real" game. But that doesn't mean it's worth any less than what they're asking just cause I'm not using it to its full potential. Asking them to lower the price cause you don't use it that way is like asking a car dealership to sell you a car just so you can harvest its tires.
Which brings me to the final point here... Those of you who are arguing for lower prices... maybe you should be asking for a license free version... a version which won't allow you to release commercial games. I'm sure they'll say no! But at least it'll be a reasonable request.
If anything, we should be complaining about Mario Maker's price!
I feel like I gotta wrap this up somehow. Preferably in a positive way. So I'm gonna tell a little story.
Recently, I bought a turn based RPG from the Nintendo E-Shop for $9.99. It's been rated 6 times, so they've sold at least 7 copies. I'm not sure how much of that income Nintendo takes, but lets pretend the designer got half. They have already made at least $40 and the game just released Friday.
That game was made using RPG Maker.
Recently, I bought a turn based RPG from the Nintendo E-Shop for $9.99. It's been rated 6 times, so they've sold at least 7 copies. I'm not sure how much of that income Nintendo takes, but lets pretend the designer got half. They have already made at least $40 and the game just released Friday.
That game was made using RPG Maker.