How sell as game in your own web site ?

[coconut76]

Hello to all,

I've made an arcade game for PC called PikGem.
It is designed for the casual gamers : very easy to learn and simple to play. There is a lot of fun in the game. The player control a little guy who must collect gems in levels with various worlds,traps, and monsters. You can also take control of vehicles like rocket, skate, or waggon to go faster !
Please visit to get more information on the game : http://www.dconcept.info/index.php/en/pikgem-features

My problem is the difficulties to sell my game through my web site.
I have made PAD file to increase visibility but with no results.

I read that many indie have succeeded in selling their games by themself.
I don't know how they can succeed.
You will say me that their game are AAA games but I saw very small game without great quality that sell very well.

[mrkwang]

First of all, you don't know how to express your website, as I think.

For example, you didn't write direct link to your site even in this thread, neither in your signature. (See my signature below.)

Of course, you wish to be more cautious. So you might not write direct link, instead of some blanks. But if you read some other threads in this forum, you might know that direct link is still fine.

Pikgem direct link :
http://www.dconcept.info/index.php/e...em-fun-game-pc

And in fact, your link was not working for me, even I deleted all the blanks.

[coconut76]

Strange because the link works fine, I have just tested it again.
I didn't put direct link for spam of course.
So as you give it, you can find screenshots of PikGem at:
http://www.dconcept.info/index.php/e...em-screenshots
A video of the game at :
http://www.dconcept.info/index.php/en/pikgem-features
And of course download the game !

No problem for review.

Best.

[Dyno Kid]

First off well done for finishing the game!

Pad files offer little if any return, we put out a paid press release with zero results so even this can fail.

The site looks fine with clear easy to read links and the video and screen shots are also very well done.

Have you tried review sites like gamezebo and jayisgames not sure what ecommerce provider you use but someone like regnow and plimus and Bmt micro are pretty good and you can add affiliates.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Darren.

[coconut76]

First off well done for finishing the game!
Pad files offer little if any return, we put out a paid press release with zero results so even this can fail.

The site looks fine with clear easy to read links and the video and screen shots are also very well done.

Have you tried review sites like gamezebo and jayisgames not sure what ecommerce provider you use but someone like regnow and plimus and Bmt micro are pretty good and you can add affiliates.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Darren.

Thanks for your comments.
I didn't try gamezebo anb jayisgames but they seems to be for Flash or iphone games ?
I only use Paypal for payment because it is the cheaper and the most customizable.

[HDL]

I'd actually a different experience of the site than Dynokid did.

I've no experience in designing webpages so I can't really offer you advice, but I went to the webpage and I just got the impression of a lot of empty space. There were too many links to click on and I prefer having all the information on one page, or at least laid out a bit better. I came away without being at all sure what the game was about and no inclination at all to buy it. It doesn't look fun enough for me to even want to download let alone to play.

I looked at the side and saw the screenshots. I clicked on the big picture and rather than getting a blow up version like I expected, or taken to the screenshot page nothing happened. Most of the information seemed repeated on several pages and some of the links didn't seem to work. I just left bewildered and rather confused and still without a clue as to what the game was about.

If you want to sell your game I'd suggest fixing the website first. All the advertising in the world isn't going to help if your site doesn't make people want to at least download your game.

So after typing out the above I went back to the site again.

I didn't initally click on the video. I don't like videos, I usually skip them (and that's when I don't have my browsing settings set to block them entirely). From the tiny size of the screen I just assumed that it would be playing in that tiny scene and I wouldn't be able to see much. I was pleasantly surprised that it got bigger. I was disappointed by the lack of music.

Okay I'll admit watching the video did answer some of the gameplay questions. You hop around and collect stars? Can you write a text description of the game too for the site? Or make it more obvious where it is if there is one.

Both Gamezebo and JayisGames review downloadable games.

Plimus and BMT Micro allow you to have affiliates which mean other people will sell your game on their sites and thus pretty much do your advertising for you. They take a cut of the money though.

[coconut76]

Hi HDL,

You are right in some points : I will modify my website quickly.

First, I will add :
- more description of the game
- screenshot directly in main page
- for video, I don't know some people like it others not...
- for link problem, all works when I test from various location ?
- the screenshot on the side are not clickable due to CMS limitation,sorry.
- the lack of music : i don't understand there is music in the game.

Thank for the comment, they help me.

[JGOware]

a) Networking with other dev sites. Advertise each other's game.
b) Pad Files (limited success, don't count on anything major.)
c) Submitting to various portals Worth while but don't count on anything.
d) Trailers everywhere, not just on your site.
e) Search engine advertising.
f) Blog advertising.
g) Affiliate plans, BMTMicro, etc.

It's a bitch to self market now days. Expect very low numbers, especially for a single game. To make matters worse your game isn't exactly original so it will be competing in a pool of me too games. Granted it's 3d, but it's still a basic maze game from the looks of it.

My advice is don't dwell on the low numbers, because they will be low. Think long term and get your next game well on it's way. You CAN make money as an indie, but making substantial money from 1 game is very difficult unless you're coding the next indie smash, your best bet is to get a few smaller games done and cross advertise each game with your other games, website, etc, etc. Then slowly branch out to more robust games.

[coconut76]

a) no very easy
b) already done - no success but increase visibility.
c) already done .
d) no very easy
g) I think it isn't very efficiency

Yes my game specially the 3d engine make a lot of time to do...

I have seen that many developers have success with small and simple games.
Maybe it is the solution but the problem of marketing and sell the game will be the same.
I developped also a cad software and it is more successful than a game but it requires less (very less) time to develop...
But I prefer making game of course.

[Indinera]

PAD websites are quite a letdown in my opinion - it increases Google Hits and that's it....
Have you tried making a free game to increase your fanbase?

[coconut76]

Sorry but no free game for the moment.
And now I haven't time to make a free game...

[Applewood]

Whilst your English is decent (and for sure better than my French), it's not good enough to go on your website.

There are a bunch of grammar problems that should be addressed. Some parts are a bit "all your base".

[HDL]

There was no music in the video which is on the site. Or if there was it wasn't playing for me. Which is a good and a bad thing. I often complain about music when it's present anyway. But watching the video with no sound at all felt a bit empty. That said watching with no sound with it loading as quickly as it did was far preferable to having a super-slow video that took ages to load. So it's probably fine as it is.

I'm not saying that the video is neccessarly a bad thing. I was just giving my initial impressions and thought processes whilst I browsed the site (I'm sure if you send a hundred people there they'll all have varying experiences) and as I ultimately concluded that the video was good. It showed the gameplay far better than any description did.

I went back to the site though and like it a lot better now.

[coconut76]

Thank HDL. I'm happy that you like it a "lot" better.

Applewood : There are mistakes on my website ?
If you give me the problems, I will fix it immediately.
Thank for the information.