Could you please get some more free games?

Yea that would be awesome.

Maybe COG can create a Kickstarter that endorses a free package of games. Itā€™ll be a good way to keep the fanbase satisfied until they can find a reliable sponsor.

Free COG games! I wish broā€¦I wishā€¦ :C
But at the same time Buying the games really support the WONDERFUL authors.
If there was a Kickstarter I donā€™t really see how the Authors would get any money splitting the money evenly is kinda outta the question.

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The games are $2 - $5 and often have free demos at the main website. I donā€™t think they can get more accessible than this and still provide entertainmentā€¦

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COG can still release priced games. I was just thinking of a Kickstarter that can cover the costs of making a free game pack for the fans. Not provide a main source of income for staff. I understand how inconsistent and risky that would be.

What would be the point of releasing/buying priced games if you have a free games pack?

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It will attract more fans and increase the likelihood of people buying games. Just two or three free stories would be enough to peak the publicā€™s interest. In other words, COG can use a few free games to help endorse themselves and grow their fanbase. This is all just speculation though. In my opinion, COG getting a good sponsor would be the best scenario.

Edit: Just realized that the whole ā€œsponsorā€ thing was a completely different topic for another day lol. Iā€™m just gonna chill because Iā€™m going off topic nowā€¦

Well if paying 2-5$ keep CoG alive and the authors continuing to create awesome games Iā€™ll do it. Iā€™m not rich but there are ways for you to be able to buy a game like saving money from your allowance or getting a part time job.

Also be picky donā€™t just buy every COG being released, you have to set standards or factors in buying a game like(Ratings, Reviews, Friends recommendations ,Genre and themes akin to your liking, the price,the length of the game, replayability, The plot, Romace Options, Gender locked ,etc.)

Doing this takes time, mostly I ask the forum for guidance, there is also a high chance for spoilers so be careful but it is beneficial since you can pinpoint a compatible game for you, instead of buying two games and realizing that you only liked one, therefore the regret of spending is removed.

Choice of Games is still pretty young and is experimenting on ways to sell the games and increase the sales to support that game bundle idea, I think it needs more time to grow and mature so it can gain proper footing, reputation, visibility. The population of the target audience for Interactive fiction is pretty small so itā€™s tough but I have faith on CoG.

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I know that much of CoGā€™s audience skews young, but young people have always found plenty of ways to spend (blow?) money on countless other forms of entertainment. Most young adults have access to at least a few bucks to spend on a game/book.

My fear with offering free games is that you start building an expectation that the games should ALWAYS be free to the extent some folks might say, ā€œWell heck you offered The Fun Games pack for free, why are you now charging $4.00 for ā€˜Community College Heroes Versus Zombie Exodus: Nebraska Bites It!ā€™?ā€

Heck, Iā€™ve had (a few) reviews bitching about CCH not being free when free demos are alllll over the place. The ā€œfree demoā€ gives you a ā€œtest driveā€ sort of experience and should prevent a person from making a purchase that doesnā€™t suit his/her tastes, as @Obsidian discussed above. Plus, Choice of the Dragon is still around as a free title that should be interesting to people trying to figure out if they might like CoGā€™s games.

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Yeah,I agree. Nobody expects an engineer to ever work for free, but for some reason people tend to look for ways to pay artists, specifically writers here, as little as possible.

In my experience, one doesnā€™t simply work hard to create a finished and complete choice script game with the features and experience players want. Itā€™s also a sacrifice. Iā€™ve sacrificed time with family and friends. Iā€™ve used time for it that I could otherwise have used on my career or school. The time I put into a game always comes from somewhere else.

You arenā€™t only paying for the time spent on that one game (although it is quite a lot). Youā€™re also paying for the countless years the writer put in developing their skills and abilities before they even started that particular game. Itā€™s not just ā€œhard work.ā€ Itā€™s a lifelong undertaking, and itā€™s one that already has very few financial rewards.

Please just pay artists. Itā€™s one of those lines of work that people love to consume but at the same time trivialize. The idea of ā€œdo it for free to get your name out thereā€ is often used to hamper artists from getting the compensation they deserve.

Donā€™t mean to be overly salty. I just think that, perhaps, you donā€™t fully grasp just what youā€™re asking.

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Very well said! (20 character limit)

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I agree, and furthermore- at least from experience- if you release your first or major game(a) as free, it will increase people expectations for you games to be free, an really does little for the artist in the long run.

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To be honest, paperback books cost about Ā£7 new. Games can be anything from Ā£5 to Ā£50. Seems like a gamebook for Ā£2ish is a good deal.

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This really make me sad when some people ask for games to be free, I know that some donā€™t have the cash for it still just because the game is purely text based does not mean no amount of effort, work, and dedication came from the creator.

Why not try creating your own game and finish it and then share it for free. Of course it should be done with the same standards CoG requires. Like the length of the game and it should be written in understandable English. Also be prepared for critics who will post positive and negative comments about the game youā€™ve tried so hard to create, whether it affects the author or not it still is an emotional stress for any person.

I think that the writers here at CoG are creating their games as a hobby not really a job for them. Most work alone and some with a partner, not an entire team. They must have some other day jobs or night jobs, heck some could even have families that need their attention and they can only write stuff when they have vacant slot on their busy schedule. They sacrifice their time to be with people they care about so they can write games that we enjoy. It no fair to just simply say it should be free rather try to show some empathy to the authorā€™s hard work.

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As someone that started as part of a free project that then tried (and failed) to go to a paid project, I totally agree that the expectations of fans and their disappointments are one of the hardest things to deal with in the gaming world.

At the same time, it is my experience that even when a community member states and/or supports an ignorant/wrong/unrealistic position, we should be careful not to gang up on them or tear into them harshly. People grow and evolve and we should encourage that to the best of our ability.

@boredhypocrite:
Telling someone that they should go script/program or if they donā€™t like things to make their own is an understandable reaction but it is very hard to repair damage done if defensive reactions (such as perceived ganging up) are too strong. It is one of my strongest regrets - not handling ā€œignorantā€ or personal attacks by people in the public better. I would not wish any author/programmer/scripter/artist to experience such regrets.

@Zolataya

You have a point. We should be kind, compassionate and open. Somebody possessing a viewpoint I disagree with doesnā€™t mean anything about them as a person or even that theyā€™re wrong. it simply means I disagree.

I personally donā€™t think anyone is being harsh at all here. I am being firm about my position, but only because I see this as indicative of a more widespread problem of people consuming artistic work but not wanting to pay for it. Again, nobody really expects plumbers or engineers to work for free, but thereā€™s something about artistic endeavors that breeds these kinds of misunderstandings.

I simply donā€™t think people understand fully what it means to ask for games free. As a writer, Iā€™ve faced countless situations where people have had this misunderstanding, and Iā€™ve had to justify my work and even justify my making money off of that work. CoG is one of the few easily accessible places where writers can make anything off of what they do, although itā€™s definitely still not much. This is a very important place for writers.

More generally, there is a tendency in many folks to not want to pay artists. I canā€™t tell you how many times people have taken advantage of my writing skills as a favor, only to later turn around and trivialize them by telling me Iā€™ll never make money and that writing is a waste of time. No, writing is useful, but people tend to want it for free instead of properly compensating the writer for it. I think itā€™s important to discuss, especially when the ā€œwhy arenā€™t CoGs free?ā€ question comes up so much.

EDIT: I just saw what you were responding to. Dā€™oh!

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@LacetheDisgrace - Iā€™m sorry I was less than clear. Iā€™m multi-tasking for month/year end work and obviously, my super-bat-girl powers are not keeping pace with me. I totally agree with you on how people do not understand. I also agree about people desiring free content etc.

I really am not trying to counter-bash anyone or their points, just trying to point out a bit of learned ā€œwisdomā€ ā€¦ again sorry if I offended anyone.

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@Zolataya If it was my post regarding this

then you must think it harsh, but what I meant here is for anyone to realise how challenging it really is to create a game. To share some empathy with the person who created a game not to be harsh on the
person asking for free games. I work as a graphic artist and when I post some free pictures people donā€™t like it when I ask for commissions which is bad for me since how am I supposed to pay for my livelihood? Although I donā€™t appreciate your response to my post you made it seem like Iā€™m a stuck up arse. Thanks for that by the way.

That is what I mean, but I think my understanding in English to explain what I want is limited so I think my post was taken as something hash? Lols.

Time to leave this discussion before I post something very regretful.

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Itā€™s cruel to taunt us with the dream collaboration that will never come to pass.

(@JimD?..)

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With my current workload, Iā€™m predicting 2025 before I can take on another project.

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