WHY IS BOARD GAME ARENA BECOMING PAY TO PLAY

[FrankJones]

The simple answer to the question in the title of this thread is, "Because websites cost money to operate."

No revenue = no website.

[warmachineuk]

If a service is free, you are the service. For this site, you are a player to fill out the games the paying customers want to play. so they think it's worthwhile paying. Welcome to capitalism.

I consider it like turning up to a board game club with no games. Those who brought board games will gladly play with you but can only play the games they brought. They may not be your preferred games but you're still playing good ones.

[Ceaseless]

I've always found it weird that someone can be premium just by playing many different games. I mean, this doesn't concretely contribute anything to the site, you are just enjoying yourself and not giving them any money, so how is it viable and how does it justify you being premium?

BGA exists because it has players. Even free players give people to play with. Encouraging them to play more games is a method that can add investments for players, as they try out more games and find more things that can tie them to BGA. And once they get premium, they may even choose to keep it without having to win 20 new games per month.

[yodamus]

Above. Says it all. Bingo. Free players. Equals more players to play against and tables filling out faster. You also have to win 1 time at the game, not just play it.

[nik592]

You also have to win 1 time at the game, not just play it.

Which probably implies you're playing it more than once for most games too.

[tbhp]

BGA exists because it has players. Even free players give people to play with. Encouraging them to play more games is a method that can add investments for players, as they try out more games and find more things that can tie them to BGA. And once they get premium, they may even choose to keep it without having to win 20 new games per month.

This reminds me of the people who say that ads make companies money. Same sort of logic. This isn’t based on anything concrete. If I were a company owner I’d never base myself on things like that.

[Suoivax]

BGA exists because it has players. Even free players give people to play with. Encouraging them to play more games is a method that can add investments for players, as they try out more games and find more things that can tie them to BGA. And once they get premium, they may even choose to keep it without having to win 20 new games per month.

This reminds me of the people who say that ads make companies money. Same sort of logic. This isn’t based on anything concrete. If I were a company owner I’d never base myself on things like that.

advertising doesnt make money?

wow.

[FrankJones]

There are two ways advertising can make a company money.

I am not knowledgeable enough about business to know which one is more important:

1) Showing ads on TV (or wherever) to increase sales,

2) Selling advertisement time/space to other companies and being paid a lot for it.

Number 2 obviously generates a lot of money. Companies pay obscene amount of money for short ads during the super bowl.

I'm less clear on number 1. Do people really go out and buy things because of ads? I am hard-pressed to think of more than a couple instances in the last few years when I did this. Maybe it happens subconsciously without my realizing it.

[Meeplelowda]

I'm less clear on number 1. Do people really go out and buy things because of ads?

"I am convinced that about one-half the money I spend for advertising is wasted, but I have never been able to decide which half." -John Wanamaker

[Ceaseless]

BGA exists because it has players. Even free players give people to play with. Encouraging them to play more games is a method that can add investments for players, as they try out more games and find more things that can tie them to BGA. And once they get premium, they may even choose to keep it without having to win 20 new games per month.

This reminds me of the people who say that ads make companies money. Same sort of logic. This isn’t based on anything concrete. If I were a company owner I’d never base myself on things like that.

You not wanting to base your hypothetical company on this isn't a very compelling case. Advertisements are being paid for, in large quantities by many people for quite some time, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's because they seem to work. I have a loose idea why that might be, but it's not my wheelhouse, so I'm just going to defer to the experience of the people that are putting their money where their mouths are that they are paying for this.

That said, in BGA's case this is not just advertising. The act of people using the service itself is part of the service in the first place. With sampling to boot.