Reputation is Required
A good reputation is more valuable than money -Publius Syrus
As a flash game developer, your primary objective is to create memorable games that are fun to play.
That’s why big name sponsors are paying money to sponsor your games. They want the games that are the most fun to play will be associated with them. This builds that sponsor’s reputation as a provider of quality games.
By associating themselves with quality games, a sponsor builds the player’s trust in them. The player no longer has to search for good games, because he trusts that the sponsor will present them to him. This trust is what will keep players coming back to their site again and again.
Reputation is just as important to a developer’s success in the flash games industry.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to have quality games. But the flash games market is getting crowded. Games that used to sell for four figures are barely getting looks these days. The quality of games out there is improving, and it’s becoming harder and harder to stand out from the crowd.
That is where reputation comes in.
Sponsoring games is always a risk for sponsors. They must always consider the potential risk (the cost of sponsoring your game) versus the reward (the amount of traffic your game will bring their site). Reputation is one of the ways you can reduce that sponsor’s risk.
Having a good reputation is like having 5-star product reviews on Amazon. It gives the customer (sponsor) a reason to trust you. When they see that your other products (games) have been well received (had millions of plays across the web), they will feel that your product (game) is a better investment of their money than another person’s product (game).
Think of reputation like this: When you go to the grocery store, which product would you rather buy; Kraft Mac N Cheese, or the generic grocery brand? One costs less, but you’ve seen the other one advertised on TV a lot. The reputation of Kraft makes paying more seem reasonable.
Once you build a reputation, sponsors will be more likely to buy your games. Although sponsor’s like to stay objective when sponsoring games, they can’t help being swayed by personal feelings at times.
Now that you’ve seen the importance of reputation as a flash game developer, let’s go over some ways to build it.
- Be the Best. Put simply, this means you need to create superb games. Games that get millions of hits are going to get noticed by sponsors.
- Be Consistent. This means developing games regularly, staying within the view of the sponsor and player’s eye. The more often you are releasing quality games, the more likely they will remember you. If you release your games few and far between, it can be harder to keep yourself in the mind of the player. It’s still doable, but the quality of your games must be worth it for the player to remember you and your upcoming game.
- Be Personable. Develop relationships with sponsors and fellow developers. You’ll find that it can be a great help in not only getting your next games sponsored, but when you need advice regarding something about the development or business side of flash games.
- Use Social Media. Give fans and sponsors a way to keep up with what you’re doing by using tools such as twitter or a personal website.
- Credit Yourself. This tip is really easy, so I’m still surprised when I see developers who fail to put in a splash screen or credit to themselves into their game. How is a player or sponsor supposed to recognize you as a developer if you only include the name of the sponsor on your game?
Now let’s hear your thoughts. Has reputation ever helped you as a game developer?
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