As It probably is fairly obvious my games are made for kids.And the biggest challenge for me is advertising to parents.I have been searching for websites that advertise and most of the costs I've found are way too high for my budget.$500 a month is an extremely large price for me.Maybe after I get my business going I would spend more but I'm asking anybody.If you know of some places to advertise (even expensive).A list of many places would help alot.
Thanks
I don't know how useful this would be to advertise to parents, but Project Wonderful is pretty good for advertising on a budget. You can even get things advertised on there for free.
Although the last time I used it was nearly ten years ago, so things might have changed since then.
EDIT: And looking it up... it looks as though it's been dead since 2018. :~(
I did 2 quick Google searches:
1. Where can I promote my game for free
2. Forums kids video games
Perhaps you can promote your game the normal way and then go to forums where parents talk about videogames for kids?
Have you got examples of forums that parents talk about games for their kids?
Like I told you it was a very quick search and I just found some links like this one (for what it's worth) : https://forum.grasscity.com/threads/video-games-and-children.1428899/
My suggestion was to do those kind of searches and find what you think will best fit your goal based on your strategy. :)
Thanks for the tip but that was a horrible website.That website was for people who buy Mariwana.That would be a horrible impression.
That's ok I'm sure you didn't know.
I'll search on my own like you said.
Ohhh boy, I'm sorry !!! (laugh) :P :-[
Like I said it was a quick search in order to help...
I do hope you do find what you're looking for !
Thanks and if anyone else has some suggestions i'd like to hear some.
No suggestions, rather than say that parents will most likely search (Google) for it, or use Steam/GOG/etc and search for kids games. But if they're anything like me, they let their kids find the games they want by themselves.
Apart from a few AGS games I downloaded cause I thought my kid would enjoy them (or I downloaded them for my self, and then let him play it as well), all the games my son plays he has either downloaded them from Google play (to his tablet) or when he uses the computer he uses a site with games for kids (this site: https://www.friv.com/). I basically just check them to make sure he's playing something that is age appropriate.
Friv.com looks like a good place if I was publishing free internet games but my game isn't online or free.That's why is I want to advertise to parents because most parents would rather they bought their kids games instead of kids buying from adds without parents knowing about it.Many advertisements target kids directly and a lot of parents lose money on kids click adds.I want to be fair about it.Also advertising paid games to kids is illegal in some places.That's why I'm advertising to parents.
So Thanks for mentioning that website.That might be helpful in the future for html5. ;)
I just should mention to anybody that I'm looking for places to advertise to parents (not kids)for offline (paid) kids games.
Has anyone else got some ideas?
I don't think seeking places/services to specifically target parents is useful, rather you should market your games as being for kids, and then naturally when parents search for them, they will find your games.
I get what you are after, I was just sharing my own experience as a parent. I can't however talk for other parents.
Personally, I would ever only buy a game for my son, if I thought there was some good educational value attached to it. Like learning a new language in a fun way, or math, or history or... There are just so many good free games that he finds fun to play (and some even teach logic thinking! and I'm happy when I see he choose such a game instead of me imposing it on him).
Your best bet is mouth-to-mouth (or keyboard-to-keyboard), as you make the game, some parents see it, get it for their kids and the kids love the game that they tell their friends about it, or the parents tell their friends about it which in turn gets them to buy the game.
So make it fun for both parents and kids to play, label it correct and post it in as many platforms as you can, advertise it via social media, game reviewers and game events. In other words, just like any other game is advertised. And don't expect to cash in in it the first month or two or...
You can also try and found raise to get the game done, since that would at least give you some advanced sales if successful.
If I may pitch in, my interest is twofold, both since I released a kinda edutainment, kinda kid-friendly game about Gustav Vasa on Steam with some friends a while ago,
but also since I'm hoping to get my cousin's oldest kid interested in gaming (six years old as of writing) and would love to find some good games that, aside from a suitable age rating,
also doesn't require too much reading or knowing English in order to learn to play the game.
Blondbraid.I'm not sure if your asking about the game or saying what you like.I heard from a lot of places that edutainment is what most parents want but I've also heard the side of the story from kids.Most edutainment games are good and fun to a point.I've heard from many sources that kids will play these games but because many games use education as a blockage to the story the game drags.kids just don't have that kind of attention to enjoy it.Having a reasonable amount that doesn't hold up the game is a good idea.I didn't have edutainment in this game because I couldn't figure a way to fit it in.It is a good wholesome game that ranges from ages 5 to 14 maybe even any age.The game is packed full of about 500 background animation jokes that are age appropriate for anyone.There is not one moment of immorality and yet it's hilarious the whole way through.I made this game purely as proof that you can have immeasurable fun without immorality.I know there was no reason for me to say all that but I just had to say.And no it doesn't require much knowledge of english.and all speech is choosable as text or sound.
I'm not saying your wrong about edutainment.It all varies upon how it's used in a game.I am definitely considering it.
You gave many good details cassiebsg that I probably will do. ;)
Thank you for your opinions cassiebsg and blondbraid.
Your opinions are very useful to me. :)
I am asking this very early considering that the game won't be ready for at least a year or two.but I want to get as much knowledge as I can.So even though most everything has been mentioned as ways to advertise. If anyone knows something that wasn't mentioned .I could use as much help in this as I can get.
Sorry for such a long post.I talk so much at night. :X
You could start with learning proper punctuation. I definitely wouldn't buy a game from someone who doesn't care to write correctly, especially if it's a game for children.
I normally use proper punctuation fluently. It' s this irritating autocomplete on my kindle.It changes what I type.It also switches phrases around in different places. I don't worry too much if it changes punctuation on ags forums.It is harder typing on a kindle and it's much worse than typing on a phone.
Thank you for opinion anyways.
Quote from: Pajama Sam on Sun 23/01/2022 04:35:41
Blondbraid.I'm not sure if your asking about the game or saying what you like.I heard from a lot of places that edutainment is what most parents want but I've also heard the side of the story from kids.Most edutainment games are good and fun to a point.I've heard from many sources that kids will play these games but because many games use education as a blockage to the story the game drags.kids just don't have that kind of attention to enjoy it.Having a reasonable amount that doesn't hold up the game is a good idea.I didn't have edutainment in this game because I couldn't figure a way to fit it in.It is a good wholesome game that ranges from ages 5 to 14 maybe even any age.The game is packed full of about 500 background animation jokes that are age appropriate for anyone.There is not one moment of immorality and yet it's hilarious the whole way through.I made this game purely as proof that you can have immeasurable fun without immorality.I know there was no reason for me to say all that but I just had to say.And no it doesn't require much knowledge of english.and all speech is choosable as text or sound.
I'm not saying your wrong about edutainment.It all varies upon how it's used in a game.I am definitely considering it.
Regarding the edutainment aspect, you make a good point, no one likes, say, a math problem randomly thrown in for the sake of it,
though with the game I made with my friends, the edutainment aspect lies more with the story and spreading some basic awareness
around the tales surrounding a real historical figure and how he became king, rather than putting it in the gameplay itself.
It doesn't work for all education subjects, but I prefer making edutainment part of the storytelling rather than forcing it into a gameplay mechanic.
If anything else, you could always focus on any positive messages your game might have (Like if it promotes friendship, teamwork, or similar).
Quote from: Pajama Sam on Mon 24/01/2022 18:01:43
I normally use proper punctuation fluently. It' s this irritating autocomplete on my kindle.It changes what I type.It also switches phrases around in different places. I don't worry too much if it changes punctuation on ags forums.It is harder typing on a kindle and it's much worse than typing on a phone.
Thank you for opinion anyways.
I think it's not a too big deal here on the forums, but it's definitively worth taking seriously if you're going to market your game in a parent's group or similar.
As cat says, it's especially important if it's something marketed towards children, as many take poor writing as a sign of poor quality,
and there's, unfortunately, a pretty bad deluge of bad kids media tossed together for a quick buck that could easily drown out the stuff that's actually made with heart. :(
That's a good point Blondbraid. I didn't think much about education being something such as promoting friendship or good morals. That seems to be a newer thing. Around 2010 most edutainment games were based on curricula. Proving that humor does not restrain itself when limited to pure morality is partly the point. This is not obviously apparent and not much of a teachable moral though. I did decide to have the lesson at the end of the game when all is solved. Working this lesson out smoothly into the end scene is going to be a challenge considering how touchy people get about the subject. And to not keep you in wonder of what could be so touchy I'll tell you. It's simply telling kids how to get saved. All of my future adventure games will be teaching this lesson at least somewhere in the game (including other lessons).My games are teaching Christianity so yes that is a very good idea.
What I have typed here is the way I normally type. I am typing on a laptop at this moment. If my writing needs improved upon then I will practice.
I still haven't found very many places on forums to advertise to parents. I will just advertise normally and try to direct the appearance and feel of the advertisement towards parents.
I'm grateful for everyone's good points. ;)
To my mind, Cassiebsg's suggestion of getting it in the hands of game reviewers is probably best. I'm a parent, and I'm often on review sites for games and other media to make sure what we're playing/watching is appropriate for my 7YO. These sites often bring to light titles I hadn't heard of before.
Quote from: Pajama Sam on Thu 27/01/2022 22:51:00
My games are teaching Christianity so yes that is a very good idea.
Well that should make your game easy to advertise. Just find a religious site and promote it there.
If crappy bootleg games have taught my anything, it's that religious parents will buy anything for their kids if it has Jesus Christ plastered all over it.
It'll be nice for them to finally get some GOOD games for once. :-D
Also, you can claim your game is edutainment and teaching kids what they would learn from playing any game. Such as problem-solving, hand-to-eye coordination, etc.
A lot of people consider the Humongous Entertainment games to be edutainment, despite not having any edutainment qualities whatsoever.
Yes .That always puzzled me why Humongous Entertainment games were called edutainment.I do see though how that even though the main purpose was to have fun they still taught me as a kid not to limit my stories creativity to real life.The wackier it gets the better.Plus it also teaches kids in solving puzzles by using inventory items in the right places.As you said I can say what it teaches such as problem solving and so on.
I didn't think about advertising on a religious site.Thanks for the ideas. ;-D
If your goal is to teach Christianity, I think a religious site would probably be your best choice. Now, the game doesn't even have to be specifically religious, as long as it promotes something like kindness or similar values, and shies away from what the typical (religious) parent wouldn't want their kid to get their hands on. I put the parentheses there because atheists probably won't want their kid to learn cruelty or that drugs are cool or similar, either. ;)
I tend to react negatively towards games that disguise themselves as "ordinary" games, and then suddenly turn preachy. I have no problem at all with a game that's up front honest about what message it tries to express - if you try to find the Holy Grail, Christ comes as a part of the package. An even better way to integrate the message you want, would be to create a sympathetic character in-game that happens to be a priest. Talking about their faith would probably be a natural design choice, just like talking about cars would be if you created a character who was a mechanic.
Good idea heltenjon
Milkanannan: Could you please tell me what game websites you look on for your 7 year old?
Years ago I registered the domain kidsafe.app for an idea I had to make a crow-sourced "parental guidance" type app which parents could use to find games (video, board), movies, tv shows, etc. that were generally considered safe for kids (as voted on by parents). I never got past mocking up some design ideas (and I let the domain lapse) but this thread makes me think maybe it was worth building and I might dust off the idea now...
Quote from: Darth Mandarb on Tue 01/02/2022 13:36:02
Years ago I registered the domain kidsafe.app for an idea I had to make a crow-sourced "parental guidance" type app which parents could use to find games (video, board), movies, tv shows, etc. that were generally considered safe for kids (as voted on by parents). I never got past mocking up some design ideas (and I let the domain lapse) but this thread makes me think maybe it was worth building and I might dust off the idea now...
You should totally try it, it could be similar to the site Common Sense Media, but with a stronger focus on games, and indie games especially, especially if you could give indie devs the opportunity to upload their own games for parents to rate as opposed to other such sites,
where it's mostly just the most popular media that the parents pick and rate.