Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

[dullman]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

Hmm the title of this thread is kinda misleading also truthfully it's a given fact that piracy raising sales of games (although large developers usually deny this fact because whilst it's usually truth but not for bad games), but the question is why not for hentai games?? The anwer is simple it's because most of them are just a crap, the only one i own is that i enjoyed playing them (which is ntrpg series and games from author rhode island, and few others singles games, worth to mention i'm only in rpg games), for others i rarely play more than one arc (few scenes just to see if it is good or bad, if i play more than half game it's a sing that it should go to buy list).
As for Western porn games is there any need to ask it?? I mean the only games i played was bonetown and the other game of this developer, and truthfully it was quite enjoying, the others "game" are just sex simulators. So the only way for someone who knows English not Japanese is to play modded games like skyrim.
As a current ones patreon gains popularity which might in effect increase amount of h-games on market (good ones) but in the reality it we would wait at least one year before someone release complete game, but as for current ones truthfully i don't see that their games that released for patreons leaked here, so i assume the piracy is much lower than you suggest.
Also one thing someone remember Coc campaign on offbeatr?? I mean he gets if i'm not wrong more 100k $ for developing free game, so truthfully there is no need to cry in desperation that games are pirated, the only one who loses profits are those who develops bad games, not those who trying to make good game.

ps. One thing By game i mean real game not VN which is something like interactive book.

 

[chrisroxxx]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

What is the problem

A typical hentai game selling for $10-15 usually has under 3 hours of gameplay, while for the same price, mainstream games in this price range usually offer at least 30 hours. You could even pick up occasionally really good ones like Space Engineers that's can keep the player engaged for a thousand hours.

This leads to a situations where anyone who's bought the typical hentai game will finish it in one sitting (fap to it once) then get bored of it on the same day. This leads to a psychological negative reinforcement, and makes people less likely to dish out money the next time around.

...snip...

I think the thread creator has a valid point here, the thing he kinda misses, though...What he sees as the typical hentai game in actuality is not it.
Yes there are lots of these small h-games or well let's call 'em erotic games that are mostly done in flash that keep you occupied for minutes at best. The reason we have so many of these games around: Well, let's face it they are easy to make and you can dish out a whole lot of them and thus creating lots of content...

The thread creator kinda ovelooks the more serious projects done by circles or even companies, yes they don't release as often as the creators of those smaller games do, but what they lack in quantity they make up in quality.

I don't wanna start a rouse against smaller developers, I bet their games can be equally good or better if given enough time to develop, but from my personal experience the titles that I paid for and I play again and again for many years to come, mostly are quality projects from established circles. That's statistically speaking about my personal consumer habbits.

The sales numbers on dl.site and various other sales sites prove me right, yes there is money demand and lots of paying customers for erotic-games, literature, toys, but like with most of things you wanna sell, to get paying customers you have to offer up a well-rounded quality product...

 

[Anckagalon]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

Anyone knows why steam not allow hentai games or why developers cannot use steam? I don't know money, terms or something

 

[azurezero]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

Anyone knows why steam not allow hentai games or why developers cannot use steam? I don't know money, terms or something

huniepop and the censored cinderella escape ended up on there

 

[Anckagalon]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

H-games on steam looks very boring and most of them are CG novels, i don't know why developers use it, pls anyone? Or you azurezero ur a good developer too

 

[dood]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

My take on the whole hentai piracy situation is two fold.

1. No one wants to get caught paying for a hentai game. Especially in western society, even buying such stuff can get you screwed on employment and other areas of your life. It's entirely bullshit but unfortunately the western world thinks that its okay to screw people for decisions made in private. It doesn't help that the people can't seem to get the difference between underage porn. If the character looks cartoonish, they just somehow believe its underage porn and treat it like that. The legal system might protect you (on the grounds that a depiction of an underaged or young looking individual in a pornographic material is not punishable because it intersects with freedom of expression. Thus its unlikely you will be prosecuted for having fictional underaged/young looking people in your porn stash) unfortunately nothing protects you from being ostracized by the sadly highly vocal sex-negative people.

2. Everyone has different fetishes and atheistic tastes. Sure you're paying for 20 CGs... but of those 20 CGs which ones did you actually like? It's entirely possible that you buy a game for its CG or its animations and they suck and none of them appeal to your tastes. Thus I get the impression that a lot of people pirate because they don't know they're buying and piracy is the only way to be sure they spend money on the product they want.

But at the end of the day who knows? Piracy is often hyped as a killer problem but the connection between piracy and lost sales is tenuous at best. Making a sale by tricking people doesn't count as a sale nor does losing a sale because someone pirated your product and found it sucked (and therefore didn't buy it) counts as a lost sale. We all want to help the small devs but I think the issue generally lies in the fact that pornographic production is always viewed negatively so we don't often get highly talented individuals choosing to work there. Are you going to draw art for a AAA game at a AAA salary or work in an industry where you pretty much have to hide your identity or some asshole who s/he thinks s/he's helping people will try to ruin your life?

 

[azurezero]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

H-games on steam looks very boring and most of them are CG novels, i don't know why developers use it, pls anyone? Or you azurezero ur a good developer too

I'd be more likely to go for a non h game on steam.

 

[habisain]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

Anyone knows why steam not allow hentai games or why developers cannot use steam? I don't know money, terms or something

Steam basically has right of veto on anything on the service, and they don't allow pornography. I don't think it's codified in the terms or anything, but that's how it is - best I can find is a statement saying "Steam does not allow games where the primary focus is sex".

You must be registered to see the links

.

As to why people pirate H-games? Well, if they're pirated any more than regular games (which I suspect they are, given the prevalence of pirated pornography, but can't find any data on it), I'd point out there's likely a basic morality argument. Specifically: porn is immoral (or at least, this is a message that society does put out quite a lot, some parts more than others). Therefore people do not feel a strong compulsion to act morally with regards to pornography, and therefore piracy is justified.

 

[erobotan]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

H-games on steam looks very boring and most of them are CG novels, i don't know why developers use it, pls anyone? Or you azurezero ur a good developer too

I plan to get Blitz Angel Spica on Steam in a few months. There will be patch to uncensor steam version too.

 

[Anckagalon]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

I plan to get Blitz Angel Spica on Steam in a few months. There will be patch to uncensor steam version too.

Seriously previous to do that, encourage the users here to support you man, if steam allows a game like yours, with solid story and not only hentai, would be great if this little community support games of that style, the only problem i see is that steam library is public, for some users probaly thos could be inconvenient but well.. Good luck with that seriously.

 

[erobotan]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

Seriously previous to do that, encourage the users here to support you man, if steam allows a game like yours, with solid story and not only hentai, would be great if this little community support games of that style, the only problem i see is that steam library is public, for some users probaly thos could be inconvenient but well.. Good luck with that seriously.

I'll try but i don't seem to have that many fans here ^^

 

[Ayra]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

I'm more than happy to buy H-games personally and I dislike piracy in general (I'm on these forums to learn and talk about interesting games, not to pirate them), but I'm never going to be buying one on Steam.

I have some co-workers on my Steam friend list: publicly broadcasting to them that I purchased and played some of those games would be uncomfortable at best...

 

[Kyrieru]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

Other than interacting with communities on a personal level in order to garner respect, the best way to sell a lot of copies is to make a high quality product, and sell it at a reasonable price, thus gaining customer confidence. In the best case scenario, you have both.

Unfortunately, the majority of H-games are of very low quality, and sorely over-priced. This, coupled with the availability of pirated copies, and the nature of pornography as something to be physically desired, creates a situation where users have absolutely no confidence in the product from the beginning, and yet download it anyway for the potential of a few moments of satisfaction, only to be disappointed, even physically, thus reinforcing a continued lack of confidence.

Add to that the typical reasons for piracy, such as a perceived lack of value, the inability to afford a product in the first place, or simply not caring to pay, and you have a lot of piracy.

Do I think it's a problem? Personally, no. I think if your game is even halfway decent you'll sell a lot of copies, especially given the laughable quality of most H games, where the lack of confidence makes anything mediocre seem amazing. I cannot speak for other devs, as working alone has it's financial benefits, but feel free to pirate my games and don't feel bad about it. If you don't want to buy them, then chances are I've done something wrong, or you weren't going to buy the games anyway. I'll live, and at the very least maybe you'll enjoy them a little and buy something when I make something better.

 

[Anckagalon]

Re: Discussion - why I think hentai games often get pirated and potential solution

I'm more than happy to buy H-games personally and I dislike piracy in general (I'm on these forums to learn and talk about interesting games, not to pirate them), but I'm never going to be buying one on Steam.

I have some co-workers on my Steam friend list: publicly broadcasting to them that I purchased and played some of those games would be uncomfortable at best...

You can hide these from your library =D