How poor is too poor for video games? Gone are the days where a quarter got you the same play as everyone else. Millions of dollars of capital are being sunk into games for phones and tablet devices costing $600 or more, and each generation of console games are costing more and more at launch than inflation can account for. Today's market prompts many questions. Are gamers being expected to earn more than in the past? How can we ensure our development process is profitable without gearing our design the highest earners? Does our current base of developers represent those we are selling our products to effectively? This talk will cover the history of the economic class of your "average" gamer, a comparison of the markets being targeted by the current sections of the industry and the strategies being used, and some analysis of the challenges economic class plays in maintaining an creative development culture. Not all doom and gloom, this talk will also highlight positive strides in the industry in recent years, proven strategies and case studies, (yes, yet another talk with a Kickstarter section!) and as many discussions of people getting it right as discussions of the problems our industry faces.

1. At Least Your
Parents Had A
Basement
No Show Conference 2012

2. Things To Talk About
History Of Average Gamer
History Of Average Dev
Projections
Solutions

3. The Gamer
Price Points For Entry

4. The Gamer

5. Console Prices (By Hours)

6. Console games were luxury items, then
affordable, and are recently working their way
to become expensive again.
There has never been a time period where
there has not been a "high end" gaming option,
but low end options have often been limited.

7. The choices have
sometimes as far apart ...and this
as this:

8. However, wage inequality is creating an
increasing gap. In only 2 of the 30 years of
consoles have the lower 5th had greater gains
than the median, the difference averaging
$987.
Wage increases for the bottom 5th have only
matched inflation 4 out of 30 years, the
difference averaging to 2.6% less.
(US Census Bureau)

9. So what?
This means that console games are getting
further away from the lower class at a much
higher rate than even the middle class.
Consoles are not just for the rich yet, but they
are certainly not for the poor.

10. But wait!
What about mobile? Everyone has mobile!

11. Follow the money.
- Android developers earn 7% of what iPhone
devs do.
-The iPhone as a business is nearly twice the
size of google's entire operation
-Business indicates: cheaper phones are
second class citizens
-But what can WE do as Devs? Let's see who
we've been first...

12. The Developer
Price Points For Entry
Education

13. Price Points for Entry (Adjusted for
2012)
80's: Apple II: $4575 (211 hours)
90's: Average 1992 PC W/Graphics Card:
$3065
(141 Hours)
Now: Recommended System
for New Game Students: $4000+ (185
Hours)

14. Becoming a dev has typically not been cheap...
unless you were a student, right?
-Early MUDs!
-Lemmings
-Prince Of Persia!
-Epic Megagames!
-Octodad!
Our education system must be the answer!

15. Oh. Oh no.

16. The Next Big Crash
- 1 TRILLION IN STUDENT DEBT
- Better for portfolios than sub prime were
because of limited bankruptcy
- Debt financed education directs money
from the lower classes to the world of
finance, essentially taxing the poor.
- We must address accreditations vs valuation
of work.

17. Not Without VALUE, just low on personal value:
-Even supportive areas, grants tied with
university system
-Industry that expect relocations need
accreditation for Visas
-Frequent system for INVESTOR value

18. Projections (Doom and Gloom
Version)
-Games move further from the poor as players.
-Game development requires the same
economic system it always has.
-Developers start further in debt with the
profitability of the industry used as justification.
-Games could become an industry like
medicine or law, with heavy accreditations,
inflated competition and immense debt.

19. Projections (Awesome, Lovely and
Possible Version)
-Free to play opens up games to the full
economic spectrum.
-Middleware dev systems eliminate entry
barriers to development.
-The game industry gains an understanding of
labour value that other industries lack due
the rapid pace of change.
-Crowdsourcing could be understand by devs
in a way that disrupts an upper class heavy
investment system.

20. Hurdles
-Whale hunting.
-We could still screw up crowdsourcing.
-"War on used." This cannot hit the actual
hardware.
-Luxury development focus.

21. Solutions
- Understand F2P PLAYERS not just markets
- Most community management is FREE
- Middleware to schools
- Knowledge based free education, purchase
validations (Thanks MIT!)
- ...finally...

22. Closing Thought:
This is the first time the average price for the
tools to develop a game matches the price of
the most popular systems. We have actually
bridged the gap, people can make the games
they are playing.
We must let the new voices in gaming know
what is now within their grasp. and we must
welcome them at our doors when they arrive.

23. Contact Me!
Twitter: MoxTheZebra
Tumblr: nowlookcloser.com
email: mitchellsmallman@gmail.com