Waiting screen before game - FAQ

[sourisdudesert]

Chaque membre obtient un multiplicateur de 1.1 pour le calcul de l'ELO en cas de victoire/ 0,9 en cas de défaite.

Ca c'est clairement pas dans l'esprit de BGA

Pour le reste pourquoi pas, mais on va déjà voir ce que ça donne avec ce qu'on a mis en place.

[jhauser42]

Perhaps it is time to make premium games truly premium and available only to paying members, not just only able to be created by paying members. This would give people an incentive to pay for the premiums and people would feel like they are getting something for their money rather than being punished for not paying.

As to the people saying that the fee is too much most people in the US and EU pay more for their morning coffee or tea each month than the premium fee is here for a full year.

[Liallan]

As to the people saying that the fee is too much most people in the US and EU pay more for their morning coffee or tea each month than the premium fee is here for a full year.

I don't. And I wouldn't say "most." Yes, I know there's plenty of people who wonder where their money went at the end of the month, but there's also plenty who really can't afford that stuff - and I know quite a few of them. It's already difficult convincing some people around here that some of us really can't afford it. Now they'll just think we're all liars.

[Rinjidoku]

As someone who is eager to start helping the site grow by buying a Club pass but isn't able to do so just yet, i don't think the waiting screen is problematic.
If you are willing to play a 5/10/30 min game, you have 30 seconds to spare.
If you simply can't and get frustrated and nervous, well, you have more important matters to solve within yourself.

[Liallan]

As someone who is eager to start helping the site grow by buying a Club pass but isn't able to do so just yet, i don't think the waiting screen is problematic.
If you are willing to play a 5/10/30 min game, you have 30 seconds to spare.
If you simply can't and get frustrated and nervous, well, you have more important matters to solve within yourself.

Yeah, too many visits to Starbucks.

[diamant]

It'll almost certainly be an unmitigated disaster in the long run due to people not enjoying the site when they are starting out as free users, so they leave and never transition into being paying members.

After I opened an account, I got a free try to BGA club. So, free users has some time (one month ?) to enjoy the site without the waiting screen.

[ringersoll]

Here in our area of the USA there are a number of roads that require payment of a toll in order to drive on them. Whenever the politicians see that revenue is not going up fast enough, they increase the toll. In some cases, this results in fewer people using the road and revenue actually goes down.

Now let's contrast that concept with some businesses in the fast food arena. You can buy a small, basic hamburger for only $1. This reduction in the price of the burger, results in more burgers being sold and a higher profit. Not, a higher profit margin, the % of profit is much smaller. But a higher total profit.

Can BGA try applying these principles? What % of users are paying members? If the price is lowered, will this increase the % of paying members and possibly increase the total revenue?

PS - I also do not have a problem with a sliding membership scale. I am by no means a wealthy person (in dollars anyway, I am truly wealthy in friends and family). But I always come up with the membership fee here at BGA. Living in the USA, I understand that my standard of living could possibly be higher than others in the world, and I would not have a problem with someone in a less affluent part of the world paying less for their membership.

[EllieK]

What? This isn't an April Fool's joke? All these great games and the only way to get people to pay is to flash a pay screen? No no no. That will not do. You have built a good thing here and traffic is the key. The more players playing, the more players paying. So you provided the ELO sidegame for free and membership dropped. Oooops. Just learn the lesson and invent a better side game.

I pay for the variety. I pay for the quality. I pay for the professionalism. If people want ELO before those things, then go back to selling them ELO. Maybe a reduced membership level. Full Members can create table and tournaments and have full access...ELO members get to see and compete in the ELO sidegames. Everyone else, come and play. I need players.

So the designers design the board games and you bring them to the web. You need someone to invent the BGA game, which is the game wrapped around the board game(s), which will only be available to members and will be so fun, so remarkably innovative, that the world beats a €20 path to to your door.

[Liallan]

So you provided the ELO sidegame for free and membership dropped. Oooops. Just learn the lesson and invent a better side game.

You might be careful with the word "membership." We're all members. Not the same as paying members. And I believe they said overall membership went up. You suggest driving traffic and that's what happened, but it didn't get more paying members. And it's been said they don't want to lose membership. And finding a way to solve this is exactly what they are trying to do - I think we have that part figured out.

So the designers design the board games and you bring them to the web. You need someone to invent the BGA game, which is the game wrapped around the board game(s), which will only be available to members and will be so fun, so remarkably innovative, that the world beats a €20 path to to your door.

They are already trying to work on the site - this doesn't happen like magic. How about an actual suggestion if you have one?

[EllieK]

You might be careful with the word "membership." We're all members. Not the same as paying members. And I believe they said overall membership went up. You suggest driving traffic and that's what happened, but it didn't get more paying members. And it's been said they don't want to lose membership. And finding a way to solve this is exactly what they are trying to do - I think we have that part figured out.

They are already trying to work on the site - this doesn't happen like magic. How about an actual suggestion if you have one?

I'll not be careful with any words, "membership" or otherwise. I'm a paying member and have been for many years. Your quips and condescension are entirely unproductive and I have no idea why you feel you need to engage in a confrontational response to my post. And I did provide a suggestion, perhaps you missed it, "Invent an ELO side game that people will pay for." I compliment the guys all the time on the work they do. I compliment them and I pay. They may appreciate it but I'm sure they don't need you to defend them.

To everyone else -- what is a good a meta game to play with the ELO? We need it cloaked in boardgame clothing. Think! Can a site full of gamers invent a game to play with ELO? We know who has the best ELO at each game -- but who has the best ELO in the as-yet-uninvented ELO game? You need to gamify this game site.