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People Keep Trying To Scam Their Way Into Free Video Games (kotaku.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: It's an epidemic that has been affecting indie game developers for years. When a game launches, strange emails start coming in. Sometimes they claim to be reviewers for websites that don't exist. Other times, they pretend to work for major outlets, using misleading email addresses to con developers out of their games. The scams have grown increasingly elaborate over the years, and for small-time developers who don't have a ton of experience dealing with press, it can be tough to sort out which requests are legitimate. (The problem appears to be more common in the indie scene -- one PR rep working in big-budget games told me they don't receive any scam requests like this.)
Emily Morganti, who handles PR for adventure games like Thimbleweed Park and West of Loathing, said in an email that these key scammers have become a regular feature of her job, like yanking weeds out of a garden. "I have the benefit of working for a lot of different indie devs, so I notice patterns that a developer who's only putting out their one game wouldn't see," she said. [...] Last fall, someone who went by the name Dmitry Tseptsov sent several emails to Morganti to ask for codes, explaining that he operated a coffee shop in Ukraine where he'd give out video games as prizes for trivia. "Even 1 key will help me a lot, for which I will be grateful," he wrote. "The cafe opened quite recently, but has a demand, and many people go to us. I mean, for my part, I promise to advertise your game." The coffee shop did exist, but Tseptsov had nothing to do with it, and as one developer discovered, the story was full of holes.
Emily Morganti, who handles PR for adventure games like Thimbleweed Park and West of Loathing, said in an email that these key scammers have become a regular feature of her job, like yanking weeds out of a garden. "I have the benefit of working for a lot of different indie devs, so I notice patterns that a developer who's only putting out their one game wouldn't see," she said. [...] Last fall, someone who went by the name Dmitry Tseptsov sent several emails to Morganti to ask for codes, explaining that he operated a coffee shop in Ukraine where he'd give out video games as prizes for trivia. "Even 1 key will help me a lot, for which I will be grateful," he wrote. "The cafe opened quite recently, but has a demand, and many people go to us. I mean, for my part, I promise to advertise your game." The coffee shop did exist, but Tseptsov had nothing to do with it, and as one developer discovered, the story was full of holes.
Question:
Why would you not make "review copies" tied to an account that you can just turn off at any time, date-limited (i.e. terminate on the game's release), etc,?
If there's one use of DRM that seems worthwhile and valid, that's it surely? It doesn't mean to say that you'll need the same functionality in the final game, but at the very least you'd lock it down a bit, no?
And they wouldn't even need "the full game", you could purge have the level data, etc. remove the endings, splat "Review Copy" over the image output, etc. etc.
Anything else - like giving out free codes to competitions... that seems to me to be a bit pointless - a cybercafe in the middle of the Ukraine isn't going to generate anything in terms of measurable sales for you, but you could still track those still.
If you're an indie you need the press, so why not give out your games like candy to this obsessive crowd of early adopters? (Similarly, note how many planned "leaks" there are leading up to a movie or video game release - or even traditional black fridays. Actual marketeers know how to use the obsessives to talk to their consumers.)
Last fall, someone who went by the name Dmitry Tseptsov sent several emails to Morganti to ask for codes, explaining that he operated a coffee shop in Ukraine
If you can't trust a random email from someone claiming to be in a coffee shop in Ukraine, then who can you trust???
While I'm sure its frustrating for the indie game developers, I would think that anybody asking for access to a new game is a positive to help it get traction in the market.
Looking at the last paragraphs in the TFA: “I’ve been doing PR since 2006 and always had a policy of sending a key to anyone who asked for one, no matter how small the site, but I’m a lot more suspicious now,” [Morganti] said. “The work involved in vetting people to figure out if they’re legit or not isn’t worth the effort and I think writers from smaller sites and freelancers are paying the price.” Again, reading from the end of the TFA, "By last Thursday, eight days after Unavowed launched, Morganti said she’d received 34 scam requests." That doesn't sound like a whole bunch and it's 34 users that the game probably wouldn't have gotten anyway.
Would it be reasonable for a small indie developer to have an unpublished policy of accepting *any* requests for say, 30 days after release to help build traction and then start vetting requests after that and only give them to qualified 'zines and sites? I'm sure the first month of release is crazy with users finding bugs and making sure the marketing is out there and right.
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
Pirating is so much easier than email scams.
How many sales are they loosing by trustring these fake reviewers? 50? 100?
If you cannot witstand this level of loses youâ(TM)re screwed anyway. There are two fundamental things that you have to accept when pubrishing a game, youâ(TM)re game is going to be âoepiratedâ, and whoever doesnâ(TM)t want to pay for the game, will not pay for it, even if it means they are not getting it by alternative means.
Once you accept this, youâ(TM)ll be able to focus your attention on the people that really care about your game and are willing to pay for it, which is what really matters.
Wrong thread.
Why does "people posting comments in the wrong thread" keep happening?
#DeleteFacebook
And he told me i can get free nintendo games at this store!
Gaming is for kids. Or men-children.
Grow the f..k up.
Giving out free copies to reviewers only tarnishes the review, because they got it for free, and the pain of price rarely factors into the review.
Lets say I got a game for my PC and it cost me $10.00. And I found it to be enjoyable however the graphics may have some glitches, or its renders were not well done, or had some bad voice acting in it. Vs. the Same game that cost me $40.00. I would be much more harsh on my review of the same game which cost more.
Price really does matter in the review. While it isn't the only factor. As a Free game should still meet some quality standards, however if it worth the expense is indeed a factor.
Having gaming companies giving a free copy to reviewers especially before they have settled on pricing, can give poor quality reviews, which can be unfair to both the company and the readers.
A free to play game may get a poor review because the reviewer though it would cost $100. But thought it would be only worth $50.
Or that $100 game got a good review only because the reviewer though it was worth $20.00
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
This never happened under the Obama administration. Another failure by our current blowhard in chief.
In a way this underscores the importance of having a verifiable certification for reputable media organizations, even if it is just some small game blogger. The world has stepped backwards in this regard; ANYONE who can post on a social media site can be taken for news. It can't stay this way. In any major sporting event, concert, etc there is an established set of credentials to display. No reason why there couldn't be credentials for this as well.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
As long as people continue to try and get something for nothing...
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
This is news? Really? Random emails attempting to get something for free is worth reporting on? How did this not get filed under "slow news day"?
Sent from my TARDIS
Nice to see a West of Loathing nod pop up. I've loved their work since the Kingdom of Loathing days, and West of Loathing is also great. Funny, fun, and surprisingly deep.
The Quirkz Handbook of Self-Improvement for People Who Are Already Pretty Okay
...how is this in any way news?
-Styopa
I'm entitled to any entertainment I want for free!
This is like the article a few weeks about about the hotels in the Maldives reporting how many people are asking for free accommodations in exchange for a post on their FaceBook page or Twitter feed because they claim to have so many followers they are considered internet influencers.
All this is, is more evidence of the gimme generation that believes they are entitled to whatever they want.
Time to start saying "No", a definite trigger word for most of them.
This is not new and not unique to games or even internet businesses. My brother owns a comic book shop and people are constantly asking via phone, email and in-person for free shit. Some are legitimate charities looking for something interesting to raffle off which he normally does because it's good advertising and a way to clear out stuff that's not selling well. Lots though are just moochers and many of them don't even have a good story, just "please give me ____".
Support Right To Repair Legislation.
The scams have grown increasingly elaborate over the years, and ... it can be tough to sort out which requests are legitimate.
They could develop a video game around these scams, but the results might be paradoxical.
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
Honest reviewers will pay retail for the game.
It's a story as old as slashdot.
Skim a summary, pass it, come up with a retort while skimming the next article, reply to wrong article...
People are impulsive...story at 11.
Can't the devs have a list of review keys, a game mode with noticeable "review copy" mentions plastered all over it, and a time limit that'll force quit the game after an hour or two?
Then just hand to them to whoever asks?
Seems likely anyone paying money for those keys would refund it.
The Age of the Internet has elevated indy media personalities way above 'big media' journalism. So the 'official' journo list used by PR agencies seeking FREE reviews has long gone.
Take Steam. Steam allows FAKE reviews called "curated" reviews from people give FREE compies of the game in the (logical) assumption that said peeps are far more likely to be favourable to the title. Indeed Steam is on the verge of depreciating or eliminating user reviews (like Netflix) and allowing only PAID reviews on titles that purchase this option from Steam
The biggest problem any indy title has? PUBLICITY. Every user given a free copy is a potential PR win if that user ends up liking the game and saying so online. Can an Indy company keep up with current reliable 'citizen' journos? Of course not. So unless the requests are far too many in number, it makes sense to treat each as valid. Certainly in the first stage of release of a game that hopes to have sales across a number of years- as most decent indy titles do.
If you make a game and give away the first 1000 copies, that is NOTHING if the game needs to sell many tens of thousands across time to make a profit. Problem is many indy devs are tight-wads without a clue as to the real cost of promotion (clue- AAA movies frequently spend as much as the entire cost of making the movie on later advertising campaigns).
Shoe string devs will claim that initial 1000 sales brings in key cash- and that may be slightly true- but most shoe string operations will crash-n-burn because of financial incompetence. And if a game is crap (most indy titles are), then giving out free copies for good reviews won't work- such devs need to create fake reviews that lie about the game.
When I was a broke kid I'd play demo versions and pay for the one that deserves my money. For a new game that costs 50 quid you're damn right I want to try before I buy!
So, just to understand: reviewers get a free key, that is, they get the game and they get to keep it for them after the review, right?
Nice deal, huh?
Woo! Emily Morganti!!
One of the best support/info query people I've ever dealt with over e-mail!
Thank you for all your help and honesty!
Keep telling it how it is and not trying to spin and sugar coat bad shit!!