For school

[EzEfoSurE]

[COLOR=Cyan][FONT=Palatino Linotype]I am enrolled in an entrepenuership program for youth in New York City, and part of my market research includes a small survey. Since the survey is mostly geared towards all types of people, and not people who regularly work with indepedent video games, the survey is even smaller :D. Please answer any questions you feel inclined to, you do not need to answer every question, although that would be greatly appreciated. The survey is as followed:


1. How often do you play video games?? (Hours a week, days a month, times in a year etc.)
2.Do you own video games? What consoles?
3. What part of a video game attracts you the most? (e.g. story, graphics, action, character design, character development, originality, etc)
4. What is the maximum you would pay for a professional video game?
5. Would “T.E.C. [Creative Studios]” be a suitable name for my business? Why/Why not? Is it memorable?
6. What is the maximum you would pay for an independent video game?
7. Do you think this business is possible for someone 15 years old and why?
8. Where would you like to purchase my product? (store, internet, etc)
9. Do you know who some of my competitors might be?
10. What sex are you?

[Dan MacDonald]

I moved this over to General Chat, generally if you want to poll the forum members for something or another it's going to be a general chat topic, regardless of how you intend to use the results.

Good luck with the poll.

[Reactor]

1. How often do you play video games?? (Hours a week, days a month, times in a year etc.)
While developing, only a couple of hours a week. Otherwise, anywhere between five to ten.

2.Do you own video games? What consoles?
Yes, I own my own games ;) The last console I purchased was a Sega Dreamcast, and a Saturn before that.

3. What part of a video game attracts you the most? (e.g. story, graphics, action, character design, character development, originality, etc)
The most? That'd be the gameplay.

4. What is the maximum you would pay for a professional video game?
About $90AUD

5. Would “T.E.C. [Creative Studios]” be a suitable name for my business? Why/Why not? Is it memorable?
It's not memorable to me at all- it sounds quite generic. But, if you attach it to something memorable (like a good game), it may appeal to me more then. On the flip-side, however, it does sound professional.

6. What is the maximum you would pay for an independent video game?
Around $30AUD

7. Do you think this business is possible for someone 15 years old and why?
Sure, if you know what makes a great game, and understand what is required to sell/develop it.

8. Where would you like to purchase my product? (store, internet, etc)
I prefer store purchases, but if it's a great game, I'll buy it anywhere.

9. Do you know who some of my competitors might be?
No, because I don't know what your game is.

10. What sex are you?
I am a male.

[EzEfoSurE]

wont someone reply plz???

[Rainer Deyke]

1. How often do you play video games?? (Hours a week, days a month, times in a year etc.)

Approximately once a year, I go on a gaming binge where I play 40 hours or so in a week, Otherwise in the range from zero to five hours a month.


2.Do you own video games? What consoles?

I play games on my PC exclusively.


3. What part of a video game attracts you the most? (e.g. story, graphics, action, character design, character development, originality, etc)

Being able to enter another world and interact with it.


4. What is the maximum you would pay for a professional video game?

$20.


5. Would “T.E.C. [Creative Studios]” be a suitable name for my business? Why/Why not? Is it memorable?

No. Acronymns are bad, and "Creative Studios" is too close to "Creative Labs".



6. What is the maximum you would pay for an independent video game?

Also $20, but I would be more likely to pay it.


7. Do you think this business is possible for someone 15 years old and why?

Only if that 15 year old has been writing games since the age of 10. I expect that it takes at least five years of game development experience before one can successfully do it as a business - maybe less if one has experience in related fields, and often quite a bit more.


8. Where would you like to purchase my product? (store, internet, etc)

Internet. I avoid retail stores, since they rarely if ever carry any games I like.


9. Do you know who some of my competitors might be?

Yes. If you do a couple of Google searches, you will too.


10. What sex are you?

Male.

[Nutter2000]

1. How often do you play video games?? (Hours a week, days a month, times in a year etc.)If I'm developing or doing a lot of work on a 'puter it might only be an hour a week if that, otherwise it can be a few hours every night to unwind


2.Do you own video games? What consoles?Yes, too many
Only have the PS2, I wasn't a console person (too expensive) until the latest generation of them but I haven't bought many games for it


3. What part of a video game attracts you the most? (e.g. story, graphics, action, character design, character development, originality, etc)I'm a developer so everything ;)
gameplay is probably the biggest though, if I don't think a game is going to provide me with long enough playing time then I won't bother, that said I'm a sucker for a pretty box cover!


4. What is the maximum you would pay for a professional video game?How long's a piece of string? I understand this isn't what you're looking for but if you take MMORPGs into account then if a good one came along (and despite popular opinion, I personally have yet to find one that can keep me playing for more than a few months) then I would be paying indefinately.
However, if you're talking about a non-MMO boxed product then £50 is the absolute most I would ever stretch to, and that would have to be the mother of all games.


5. Would “T.E.C. [Creative Studios]” be a suitable name for my business? Why/Why not? Is it memorable?Maybe, what does it stand for?
company names are not something I think about when buying games UNLESS I know them from previous products they've made.
As it stands it's not an eye-catcher on the other hand there's nothing to stop you using it as your professional looking business name and publishing under a seperate "cool" name


6. What is the maximum you would pay for an independent video game?See Q4
To my mind there is no difference between an indie game and a published AAA game, it's all down to production quality.


7. Do you think this business is possible for someone 15 years old and why?Anything is possible with enough guts and determination, however, being underage will have it's own legal issues and besides which running a business is hard work and (at the grand old age of 26 ;) ) my advice would be to enjoy life while you still can.


8. Where would you like to purchase my product? (store, internet, etc)If it's good then anywhere :D


9. Do you know who some of my competitors might be?Yes/No/Id Software/All of us?
Without an idea of your product/ideal market who can really say?


10. What sex are you?Male

[rhm]

1. Just a few minutes a week in the last few months
2. I'm a PC gamer
3. Gameplay, graphics, story
4. I have no maximum for a new GTA :)
5. It's ok unless you want to produce family games - it sounds too hi-tech
6. $20
7. Sure. At the age of 15 I already had 3 years of game development behind me. I wish I had the opportunities and knowledge I have now :)
8. I prefer stores
9. None, since I don't know your products
10. Male


Roman

[PoV]

I am enrolled in an entrepenuership program for youth in New York City, and part of my market research includes a small survey. Since the survey is mostly geared towards all types of people, and not people who regularly work with indepedent video games, the survey is even smaller :D.If your looking for statistics for general people, then developers are probably not the best people to ask. Depending on their role in games, the results'll jump all over the board from normal to hardcore, to rare.

1. How often do you play video games?? (Hours a week, days a month, times in a year etc.)Until I was 16 it was pretty much any spare moment I had. 7 years later, beyond what I do for work, I could go months without playing a game for enjoyment. When I do play, I could spend a weekend, beat it, and be done with it, and get back to not playing anything for weeks or months.

2.Do you own video games? What consoles?Yes, far to many games, and many I havn't even touched. All current game consoles and many previous generation ones, dozens of handhelds and things not normally available in US/Europe, you name it.

3. What part of a video game attracts you the most? (e.g. story, graphics, action, character design, character development, originality, etc)Uniqueness, design values, and art style. Stories are glue, not meat.

4. What is the maximum you would pay for a professional video game?Steel Batallion ($300 with cool controller), 'nuff said.

5. Would “T.E.C. [Creative Studios]” be a suitable name for my business? Why/Why not? Is it memorable?Sure. Sadly the only way I'd remember it would be if I caught you posting a lot, or if you released something crazy. My only thought on using creative in the name is if you truly are creative, you wouldn't need to advertise it in the name. Yeah, Image is a tough thing to build and to get right.

6. What is the maximum you would pay for an independent video game?If by independant you mean common clones of whatever game that's already out there, then not a whole heck of a lot. I can play a demo, and learn everything I'd ever care to know about a game. If I can't tell it's indie, then you've done something right. $10-20 is what I think most games (indie or retail) are worth, but sadly I'm used to paying whatever is asked ($20-$80).

7. Do you think this business is possible for someone 15 years old and why?No I don't, mainly because I judge success quite high. I don't discourage it, because you should be able to answer that yourself, and the only way that's gonna happen is if you make a truckload of mistakes and learn why. Also failing helps you appreciate success.

8. Where would you like to purchase my product? (store, internet, etc)If I actually wanted it, it wouldn't matter if I had to buy it in a dark alley from some shady fellow (as long as he accepted cash... shady guys with portable credit card machines... woo boy..). Yeah, that's a tough one. Making something that people want, and/or to making people want something.

9. Do you know who some of my competitors might be?Everyone on this forum technically. Many of us here have yet to prove ourselves, so welcome to the club.

10. What sex are you?male

[Sean Doherty]

1. How often do you play video games?? (Hours a week, days a month, times in a year etc.)

Normally, less than a few hours.


2.Do you own video games? What consoles?

Yes, PC only.

3. What part of a video game attracts you the most? (e.g. story, graphics, action, character design, character development, originality, etc)

Games made by Blizzard

4. What is the maximum you would pay for a professional video game?
5. Would “T.E.C. [Creative Studios]” be a suitable name for my business? Why/Why not? Is it memorable?

$69.00 CAN

6. What is the maximum you would pay for an independent video game?

$35 US

7. Do you think this business is possible for someone 15 years old and why?

Yes, because others have done it.

8. Where would you like to purchase my product? (store, internet, etc)

Store or Internet

9. Do you know who some of my competitors might be?

Yes

10. What sex are you?

Male

[Michael_Le]

1. 8 hours a week

2. I own X-Box and PS2. My computer library consists of plenty of latest titles at the moment.

3. The story and the originality are my top two.

4. The maximum I would pay for a video game is $60 US.

5. It looks alright, if you create a hit game TEC will be burned in my memory.

6. Same as #4 :)

7. There are some things in life 15 year olds still need to learn, but they have enough knowledge to run a business I'd say. Just don't get too arrogant, but be open and imaginative. Watch a lot of movies, you'll see many young people doing amazing things. Don't let society be an example of your future.

8. Internet is a great distribution tool.

9. Just the usual game companies.

10. Male

[exepotes]

1- 2/4 hours. sometimes nothing.
2- yes. atari 2600 (2 cartridges with lots of games)/ sega megadrive (around 20 games)
3- i like graphic adventures the most, so history, well designed puzzles and art i guess... in fifa 2002/04 i like playability
4- don't know
5- i'd choose half of the name. you choose wich one. :)
6- they don't ask much, so, if it's a good game, whatever they ask
7- at that age i enjoyed guitar more. wait, i still do. so, not for me, i don't know for you.
8- inet
9- male / 25 years old

[Coyote]

1. How often do you play video games?? (Hours a week, days a month, times in a year etc.)
Used to be about 20-25 hours a week. Since getting serious about Void War, it's down to less than 4. (BTW - I get that time because I almost never watch TV)


2.Do you own video games? What consoles?
More than I can count. Consoles - I own a PS2, Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, and one of those cool joysticks with 10 vintage Atari games on it. Oh, and a color GameBoy. Used to have a PS1, but the CD-ROM drive died on it, and my PS2 plays my old library just fine. Believe it or not, I prefer PC games.


3. What part of a video game attracts you the most? (e.g. story, graphics, action, character design, character development, originality, etc)
All of the above. But if you are talking initial attraction, it's got to be graphics and originality - you don't really reconize the other elements too well until you're well into the game.



4. What is the maximum you would pay for a professional video game?
I'm not sure. I probably spent nearly $1000 on EverQuest for two accounts (my wife's and my own) and numerous expansions over the course of three-and-a-half years.

Generally speaking, I'd balk at a game with a sticker price much over $50.



5. Would “T.E.C. [Creative Studios]” be a suitable name for my business? Why/Why not? Is it memorable?
Nope. It suggests nothing. "Creative Studios" isn't bad (I'll bet it's taken, though...), but "T.E.C." doesn't make me think "fun." And that's the impression you want to leave people.



6. What is the maximum you would pay for an independent video game?
See above. Most indy games aren't as feature-rich and don't have the production quality of their retail cousins, though, so I'd be hard pressed to shell out the same kind of cash. More like $35. But if an indy game had the same production values, or was so incredibly original that it defied comparison with any big-budget commercial game, I'd easily spend the same amount of money.


7. Do you think this business is possible for someone 15 years old and why?
There are legal issues you may need to get a parent / guardian to take care of with you. And making games requires a level of discipline, professionalism, and craftsmanship I don't normally expect to see from a 15-year-old. However, that doesn't mean an exceptional 15 year old couldn't do it. And if you start when you are 15, by the time you are 25 you may be very, very good at it.


8. Where would you like to purchase my product? (store, internet, etc)
Internet, Wal*Mart, Software Etc., Gamestop, Babbages, etc.


9. Do you know who some of my competitors might be?
If you are a game developer? Too many to mention. You can find a partial list HERE (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/contractor_display.php?category=1) (Free registration required... but if you are serious about game development, you should register anyway).


10. What sex are you?
A manly man. :)