Make $$$ playing Game

#21 @Will Harrison: Of course it's not possible to make a completely cheat-proof game. Everything you do to counter a potential cheater can be reversed or evaded.

#22 Well, as many in the GG community have said, "the best way for no one to cheat, is to not have the game at all."

#23 Stefan: Well, I'm guessing that in order for someone to cheat, they would have to hack the program and modify it somehow... is it not possible to detect those changes, thus detecting a cheater and preventing them from playing? Anyway, this is off-topic.

#24 Keep all the important stuff server side to avoid cheating. Here's how I would try to set this up:

Player has an online account with the server (in a database). Player pays (via paypal or whatever) and receives credits in his/her account. So now let's say the player has $50 in their gaming account. They can now wager this money as they see fit, of course they'll have to find someone willing to match their bet. Or there could be simple template games - a $0.10 game, a $0.50 game, and a $1.00 game, as well as special $5.00 games just for those trust fund babies who want a kick out of losing lots of money real fast. Now you definately need some form of skill rankings, ala Halo 2 or something, so that people are matched with people in basically their same skill category. That way everyone always has a chance of doing well in their bracket.

Put enough room so people don't switch brackets too quickly - for instance I was paying to play Noah's Ark on MSN.com awhile back, and as soon as I got good enough to win anything in one skill bracket, I was immediately shot into the next bracket where I would get my butt kicked. Needless to say I quit playing pretty quick.

Finally, I don't think this is considered gambling (although I could be wrong), seeing as (well depending on the game) you are betting on your skill, rather than wagering on luck. Defined by dictionary.com, Gambling is:

a)To bet on an uncertain outcome, as of a contest.
b)To play a game of chance for stakes.

So I guess technically wagering on skill could fit under (a). Definately check with a lawyer, but if MSN.com is legal in most places, why not your game?

I personally would feel a tremendous draw to playing a game I could profit from. However, if I feel the game system is screwing me, (brackets must be perfectly balanced for players to be successful but not to the point of having a totally unfair advantage over others in their bracket), I'm outta there faster than a drunken prostitute awakening in a church sanctuary.

Good luck!

Glez

#25 There's a Halo 2 tournament at the beach here in San Diego on the 30th. $50 to enter and I hear there's either a $1,000 or $6,000 purse, or both. They're calling it a tournament. But how is it any different from Will's online idea? The only difference I can think of is that the tournament is a rare, grand, promotional, and maybe even televised event. Where an on going, online or offline tournament system would be less controlled.

But I can honestly see it festering into something bad. There's enough teenagers spitting racist comments and claiming everyone who beats them to be some sort of child molester when playing Halo 2 just for fun. I don't need some 40 year old man trying to pay rent from games adding to that rediculous behavior.
-Ajari-

Edit: I can't say I wouldn't try it at least once though.

#26 I agree with your central point, but of course there's always that greedy little b#@tard in each of us gamers who'd love to make money doing what we do anyway, leaving the workworld for the chumps! (LOL) So why not capitalize on that as game developers?

Glez

#27 Online poker as i'm sure everyone knows,
is currently a huge industry with reportedly

#28 If you want to spend money on a game and possibly make money(Big fat chance of that) then go play project entropia. www.project-entropia.com

As far as making a game where you play tournaments... The problem with that is that it is ilegal in a lot of states. Florida being one of them.

It can be done but there is a lot of hassle that goes into it. You will need a lawyer and a system that will block people from certain states and in some cases the states will be fine but there will be local laws that do not permit such things.

Trust me, I know this from experience that it is a big hassle but it may be worth it.

#29 Well i see it more as bingo really... everyone pays. 1 or more people win. that's legal even here in oklahoma. course you can gamble all you want at the indian casino's right outside the city limits... go figure

#30 Another company that has been doing this for years: http://www.worldwinner.com/

#31 Wow, this thread has been revived from a year ago. :)

What I find compelling about this idea is that it draws in a wider audience and trigger people's interests at a different level then normally found in games.

See, in most games, whether it's a computer game, console game, board game, card game, or sports game (physical game), there is an appeal to people's interest at a level where it is simply a matter of over coming a challenge of some kind, but there's no real gain in winning. Sure you get a high score and bragging rights but that's it, that's your reward.

Now, if you add the possibility of a cash award, it suddenly changes the whole perception of the game, doesnt it? That's what I found interesting about this idea initially.

I hope that it becomes more mainstream and standardized, because, like Greznov said, "there's always that greedy little b#@tard in each of us gamers"....lol

Who doesnt want to make money right?

I mean, I think a game's success is dependant on how the market perceives it. When you associate the possibility of making money, it just becomes more interesting to more people. Also it makes it more "adult", separating itself in the consumer's mind from the "kids" games, which we know definitely appeals to an older audience.

Just some things to think about.