There are decades where nothing happens and there are weeks where decades happen

  • BeamBrain [he/him]
    hexagon
    M
    ·
    11 months ago

    Oof. Sorry to hear that. I wish Kor had done better so you wouldn't be stuck in such a situation. meow-hug

    • Goadstool [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      11 months ago

      Yeah well, me too of course, haha. Hexbear helped elevate it just above the precipice of utter obscurity, but without more reviews, it shall sit where it sits. In the meantime, I'll just keep sharing it with new people, and wait for something to change.

      • UlyssesT [he/him]
        ·
        11 months ago

        I've found it's a lot easier to get people to read/watch/play what you've made than it is to get those same people to leave reviews. yea

        • Goadstool [he/him, comrade/them]
          ·
          edit-2
          11 months ago

          Dude, it is literally impossible to get people to leave reviews. I went to that con a couple months ago, and had like two dozen people tell me, to my face, that they'd leave reviews. Not a single one of them did. Same goes here on Hexbear, a couple people recently assured me they'd drop a review, but then never did shrug-outta-hecks Of course plenty of others did do so before that, and they're honestly the reason I feel any sense of success whatsoever.

          At the end of the day, I'm mostly just glad that they actually played the game, though. Reviews are a way that fans of the game can ensure that Steam pays me more for the work it took to make it, but it also just means the most to me that people actually appreciate the game itself. The more people who get to do that, the more satisfied I will be with the obscene amount of work it was to make it.

          • UlyssesT [he/him]
            ·
            11 months ago

            Dude, it is literally impossible to get people to leave reviews. I went to that con a couple months ago, and had like two dozen people tell me, to my face, that they'd leave reviews. Not a single one of them did. Same goes here on Hexbear, a couple people recently assured me they'd drop a review, but then never did

            Oh that's so real to me and I hate it. burgerpain

            I've found for my own work that there's a nearly-impossible margin between "being too pushy about reviews" and "hinting in a way that is not noticed or outright ignored. sweat

            At the end of the day, I'm mostly just glad that they actually played the game, though. Reviews are a way that fans of the game can ensure that Steam pays me more for the work it took to make it, but it also just means the most to me that people actually appreciate the game itself. The more people who get to do that, the more satisfied I will be with the obscene amount of work it was to make it.

            I have to take comfort that most people that read my work seemed to enjoy it, even if they don't leave reviews and sometimes just privately message me and say they liked it. Yeah it feels good to read that but it'd mean a lot more if they just posted a few sentences where the algorithm can pick it up AAAAAAAAAAAAAH shinji-screm

            • Goadstool [he/him, comrade/them]
              ·
              11 months ago

              algorithm

              Even just the word makes me feel so tired at this point pain

              Hard to avoid feeling embittered by the knowledge that so many people are forced to work pointless jobs they hate purely to justify the validity of the system of our collective oppression, while artists are spurned for charging half the cost of a fast food burrito for something they spent 3 years meticulously pouring their soul into. What the fuck even is this reality, man.

              • UlyssesT [he/him]
                ·
                11 months ago

                I know how you feel all too well.

                Quality truly does not matter, nor does effort, when compared to the impact and significance of being born rich, being connected, or just being so cynically ruthless and pandering that you roll out cynical pandering trash that presses as many easy dopamine buttons as possible for the largest possible batch of consumers. doomer

                • Goadstool [he/him, comrade/them]
                  ·
                  11 months ago

                  I just wish you could like, opt-out of capitalism. I would happily renounce any contention for the ravenous accumulation of capital, in exchange for having my basic needs met. With any other game, when it's this rigged, the only option I would ever consider is to simply not play. But of course, the system doesn't work unless enough people are forced to be cogs endlessly worn down.

                  • UlyssesT [he/him]
                    ·
                    11 months ago

                    It's bleak, even Jokerfying, to contemplate the possibility I could have conceivably written something as sloppy as, say, "Ready Player One" and with a little initial nudge of failson privilege or at least friends in high places it could have been very profitable.

                    Games can be quite similar: some of the most profitable games are creatively bankrupt while pressing lots of addiction buttons for monetization purposes. RAID: Shadow Legends is only one of the most infamous examples.

          • refolde [she/her, any]
            ·
            11 months ago

            I never really considered the importance of leaving reviews and other algorithm-related stuff until somewhat recently.

            I do want to support devs in what little I can muster, but when it comes to reviews, I feel like I'm just too head emptyblob-no-thoughts when playing games to write something actually constructive deeper-sadness

            • Goadstool [he/him, comrade/them]
              ·
              11 months ago

              That's the thing, though: because we're just trying to satisfy an algorithm, it really doesn't matter what you write. I always just tell people they can leave a review that just says "Game is really cool, I like the dialog" or whatever, and that counts.

              I think a lot of people feel pressure to say something thoughtful about a game, but it's really not necessary. And as far as I'm concerned, knowing that they played it and liked it is plenty enough for me. I literally only care about Steam reviews because of the algorithm deciding how many people get to see my game at all.

              • refolde [she/her, any]
                ·
                11 months ago

                I actually just noticed one of my friends wishlisted the game. Wishlisting also helps with the algorithm too, right?

                Either way, I'm gonna go buy a copy for her.

                • Goadstool [he/him, comrade/them]
                  ·
                  11 months ago

                  Hot dang, thanks!

                  Wishlisting does help, yeah. Though it's much more important before a game releases.

                  Let me know what she thinks if she plays it!

              • BeamBrain [he/him]
                hexagon
                M
                ·
                11 months ago

                BRB, gonna dash off some quick reviews for, like, all of the indie games I've enjoyed.