Comment by scarejunba
6 years ago
Maybe he's saying that adding good art won't make his games sell better. In that case it would just be cost without gain.
6 years ago
Maybe he's saying that adding good art won't make his games sell better. In that case it would just be cost without gain.
I personally have not bought Vogel's games based solely on their amateur visual appearance, and given the fact that he's never put out a "good-looking" game, how does he even know how it would affect sales?
> how does he even know how it would affect sales?
He doesn't know - but he feels he does not need to take the risk to find out because the stakes are too high for him (since he'll need to borrow from a bank or his retirement savings).
I'm sure those who feel strongly about the potential on HN, reddit and elsewhere could band together and crowdfund/formally pitch Jeff on an investment in an artist for a subsequent game and capture the upside while shouldering the risk - he probably would be happy to take the money; he's not ready to put up his.
> He doesn't know - but he feels he does not need to take the risk to find out because the stakes are too high for him (since he'll need to borrow from a bank or his retirement savings).
Then that should have been the main crux of his argument, without the need to start making up questionable numbers and making comparisons with other titles; particularly when it's an open letter on a subject nobody really seemed to care about prior to the previous article.
It seems his audience, his customerbase, is so extraordinarily specific that the letter would really have been better addressed to his fans and nobody else; instead, the two posts come off as unsolicited whining which I believe is what is rubbing people the wrong way.
5 replies →
He doesn't know, but he's tried and spent money on trying to lift the quality in the past and failed. Someone else might make it work better. If he'd be able to afford spending even more, it might work better. But he's made it clear he's not willing to take the economic risk inherent in that, and that's a valid choice.
Vogel is conflating 'good art' and 'good aesthetics', though. Many games 'look good' with 'bad' art because they spend the effort to cultivate a certain aesthetic.
That's probably true. Good art style/aesthetics is a foot in the door for a lot of gamers, unfortunately. A game needs to stand on a foundation of good game mechanics (and possibly good writing), but the mainstream players' choice to try your game is gated by the production value and direction/style of the art.