Do mobile apps violate the NECST principles?

[martymon]

Hi all,

I'm new to these forums so hello to everybody!

I had my heart set on creating mobile games/games as a way to make money online. I have managed to create a couple of games which are up on the internet. They haven't made me anything as yet but I have to admit I haven't marketed them all that well (not sure where to begin actually!)

However, after reading TML and the CENTS principles, is this a poor way of going about making money?

Need - Does anyone really need games? Game hobbyists perhaps? Bored people looking to fill time? Maybe my game could be a value add if it has an original twist.

Entry - The barriers for creating mobile games seem to get lower and lower with the great range of tools available. It practically costs nothing to get something up on the app store and you can always contract out to freelancers to do the programming/art.

Control - It would appear the app store is in control of anything I put up since I don't own the platform.

Scale - The app store has the potential to bring my app to a lot of people so this one is ok.

Time - Apps are pretty much design once and let it go so this one is ok.

Thoughts?

 

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[7.62x51]

Hi all,

I'm new to these forums so hello to everybody!

I had my heart set on creating mobile games/games as a way to make money online. I have managed to create a couple of games which are up on the internet. They haven't made me anything as yet but I have to admit I haven't marketed them all that well (not sure where to begin actually!)

However, after reading TML and the CENTS principles, is this a poor way of going about making money?

Need - Does anyone really need games? Game hobbyists perhaps? Bored people looking to fill time? Maybe my game could be a value add if it has an original twist.

Entry - The barriers for creating mobile games seem to get lower and lower with the great range of tools available. It practically costs nothing to get something up on the app store and you can always contract out to freelancers to do the programming/art.

Control - It would appear the app store is in control of anything I put up since I don't own the platform.

Scale - The app store has the potential to bring my app to a lot of people so this one is ok.

Time - Apps are pretty much design once and let it go so this one is ok.

Thoughts?

I haven't read about CENTS yet but here are my thoughts:

Needs:
Perceived Needs are what count, even if they're not really needs at all.

Entry:
I'm learning app development too, I'd say the barrier is still quite high. However, I'll agree that it is getting lower, as a result, we see more apps being built and fewer apps making profit.

 

[BigBrianC]

It depends on the app. If you're making a game, its literally Marketing+being lucky. There are some stupid games at the top of the charts and some great games with 5 downloads. Personally, I believe the next big thing is B2B apps. You know you can target one company, get them to pay you a large amount for a license, get higher downloads, move up, get more clients, etc. Easier to sell to a company to get thousands of downloads than each individual consumer.

 

[loop101]

Hi all,

I'm new to these forums so hello to everybody!

I had my heart set on creating mobile games/games as a way to make money online. I have managed to create a couple of games which are up on the internet. They haven't made me anything as yet but I have to admit I haven't marketed them all that well (not sure where to begin actually!)

However, after reading TML and the CENTS principles, is this a poor way of going about making money?

Need - Does anyone really need games? Game hobbyists perhaps? Bored people looking to fill time? Maybe my game could be a value add if it has an original twist.

Entry - The barriers for creating mobile games seem to get lower and lower with the great range of tools available. It practically costs nothing to get something up on the app store and you can always contract out to freelancers to do the programming/art.

Control - It would appear the app store is in control of anything I put up since I don't own the platform.

Scale - The app store has the potential to bring my app to a lot of people so this one is ok.

Time - Apps are pretty much design once and let it go so this one is ok.

Thoughts?

Need - Games *can* be ways to satisfy the top two levels of Maslow's Hiearchy of Needs.
Entry - It only costs $100 a year to be an iOS developer, but not many people are willing to learn the required skills.

Control - You can somewhat control your app by being in more than just the Apple Store. An Android and HTML5 version of your game make the Apple Apps store just 1/3 of your market (but probably 95% of your revenue). IMHO, "Control" cannot really be met by a pure App. If you had a HTML5 game on a website that you controlled, which also had a cool App that could optionally replace the web interface, you would have control. For example, if Candy Crush was an HTML5 game, which also had iOS and Android versions, you would arguably be in control. Apps like an app for eTrade, Reddit, eBay, Amazon, Kindle, etc would be good examples. I think I read MJ had said apps *could* be FL, but I forget his specific reasoning (other than CENTS itself).

Scale - Scale is a YES.
Time - Time is a YES.

The best example of the CENTS principles at work, is the App Store itself. Apple is in the FL because they are collecting a tax on every developer ($100 year), every developer machine, and every app (30%).

If you are going to make a game, you should read up on Freemium economics. The Apple App store use to have an advantage that Apple users were willing to pay $1 for a game, while Android Play users will not, but that advantage is mostly gone now. People expect free, but you can still make money through IAPs. I think Candy Crush makes $3M a day.

The hardest thing about the App store, from what I've read, is getting people to know about your app/game. If you're not in the top 500 apps, it is hard for people to know you exist. Not many people are willing to search through 500 games to find a new one.

 

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[smarty]

Depends on the game.
Some games make millions from selling in-app credits, premium levels of the game etc.
Simple games won't do it as much though.

 

[Ninjakid]

Hi all,

I'm new to these forums so hello to everybody!

I had my heart set on creating mobile games/games as a way to make money online. I have managed to create a couple of games which are up on the internet. They haven't made me anything as yet but I have to admit I haven't marketed them all that well (not sure where to begin actually!)

However, after reading TML and the CENTS principles, is this a poor way of going about making money?

Need - Does anyone really need games? Game hobbyists perhaps? Bored people looking to fill time? Maybe my game could be a value add if it has an original twist.

Entry - The barriers for creating mobile games seem to get lower and lower with the great range of tools available. It practically costs nothing to get something up on the app store and you can always contract out to freelancers to do the programming/art.

Control - It would appear the app store is in control of anything I put up since I don't own the platform.

Scale - The app store has the potential to bring my app to a lot of people so this one is ok.

Time - Apps are pretty much design once and let it go so this one is ok.

Thoughts?

Need - Need isn't need in the literal sense. It's more like demand. Is there a demand for mobile games? Absolutely. I played Goat Simulator for the first time a while ago. Practically useless, but freakishly entertaining.

Entry - Of course, there's also so many tutorials and books written on this subject. Plus if you have the money, you can always outsource. But do people who download apps care about any of that? No. They see an app they like, they download it.

Control - think of it as utilizing a distribution network. Even companies as big as Instagram and WhatsApp rely on the app store for their business. But you can also set up a website if you want to expand yourself with their platform. The app is just one way of getting to customers.

 

[Julio Andres]

I, as an app developer myself, would say yes, they violate CENTS, particularly the N and the C. I would not rely on them for a Fastlane business, but yes for an awesome passive income. Also I think the best idea is try to create a service around the app.

 

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