Steffo 1d ago
13 barn owls in a trenchcoat

Here's a thing about name-your-own-price media sales, having just helped a (surprisingly successful!) project launch on Itch:

If you can't afford the suggested fee, or want to try the game/book/zine/software/whatever first:

Absolutely go ahead and click the "No thanks, just take me to the downloads" button and give it a try.

The person watching the analytics wants to see that download number go up - quite possibly more than they wanted the money, as they were happy for you to have it for free.

They want their stuff out there.

You can always go back and give them money later. Make a list if you're worried you'll forget.

Obviously, if you 're flush and can trivially afford it, and if you know you're going to love it, pay the writer/artist/developer promptly and generously.

But people don't make art for it to go unseen.

And they don't make it only for the well-heeled.

If they offered it to you for free.
You can take it for free.
It's alright.

#IndieGames #IndiePublishing

Jun 25 at 8:58amWeb
Show thread13 barn owls in a trenchcoat1d ago

This is absolutely the sound of me going to my own damn wishlist and grabbing a couple of name-your-price items that I didn't have space in my budget for but felt too awkward to pick up for $0, even though they were offered.

Sitting in the publishing & production chair really provided some perspective here.

Show threadKit-T 1d ago
@HauntedOwlbear Thank you for this unseen perspective on the subject.
Show threadbazkie 👩🏼‍💻1d ago
@HauntedOwlbear hear hear!
Show threadOwlor1d ago

@HauntedOwlbear I think a good way of putting it in perspective is that there are a fair number of artists who have only released paid work who are of the opinion, either in private or in more informal public channels, that they are ok if people pirate their work if it means they get to experience them.

That's prolly not the majority by any means, but my point is if even a percentage of artists who don't use PWYW think free should be an option, it's probably safe to assume that most, if not all, artists who deliberately made something available for free is fine with people picking that option.

I know what make my day when it comes to my free games is when people talk about them somewhere, they don't even have to like it, it's just really cool to see a review or a playthrough of it somewhere.

Show threadCanageek1d ago
@HauntedOwlbear .... And there's a half decent chance the profits will be made up by someone like me who accidentally buys the thing twice, because they don't remember what they've already purchased and it will absolutely let you buy the same thing more than once.