BigFish Games (an online casual game portal) has just reconfigured its offerings to include a new category -- the Large File Adventure Games category. It includes several familiar adventure titles. You can have a look at it here.

The Bigfish Games homepage is here if you'd like to see the others kinds of games that they offer.

Thanks Becky.

If you join the club, those adventure games are quite a deal

Very nice, thks becky

Yeah, makes me sad to see games I've paid $20-30 for on BFG where I pay $7.99 a game. I can't believe Ghost In The Sheet is there so soon! Seems like I just got it from Amazon a few weeks ago.

Just think of all the folks that would never have known about adventure games had it not been for exposure such as this? There are far more casual gamers than adventure gamers and it would be awesome to recruit more into the fold. I think it's a grand idea.

Ana

Thanks Becky for keeping us all so well informed

Bernie

Excellent! Thank you very much for this! I'll be using it for sure!

I have some games from Bif Fish and one I can't play after downloading it again (had to fix my computer). The other games work. I tried to e-mail them and they won't write back. The customer service is not very good. I have sent 5 letters, and nothing....I do get all the ads though through e-mail. I will be quiting them cause they don't respond.

Am i alowed to ask, last time the thread locked?

After we download games from the bigfish can we burn them onto our cd and play them like all othr games and without to have to get in touch with them for anything?
can we play them on diffrent computers freely wenever we like and lend them to friends and family without to go to the net again or more than one time?

VRMpls, I can assure you that it is not the norm for BF to not respond to your requests. I am sorry you are having difficulties but they are known for their excellent customer service. (Check out the threads in Casual Games and you will see).
I hope you can get it straightened out.

LindaMarion, the game may be installed 3 times and only to a computer you or a household member owns. It is not to be shared with friends. You need to unlock it via the interet three times and it will check the IP address you are using.

Ana

I agree with BET, Big Fish are great when it comes to customer service. I played one of their demo's successfully, but the full version just would not run. They answered emails straight away, went through some possible technical issues which unfortunatly did not work. I was then given the opportunity to choose any other game (full version) to download. Good luck, VRMpls. Hope things are sorted for you.

many thanx for the info brown eyed tiger

Vrm, did you check your spam folder? I have written Big Fish many times and have always gotten a reply. I did find them in my spam folder one time though.

I have checked....and usually have no trouble with them. I only put the game in twice and it won't play. If they would just answer me that would be ok. I keep trying and will continue. I do want to resolve this. I really want to play the game again.

My mail from them ends up in my spam mail and comcast blocked all their support mail when I needed it. I had to provide them with a different email address.

Ana

I wonder how the economics work here - $6 or whatever means there isn't very much going to the developers for each sale of a game.

In some ways I'd like to pay more for a game, and know the developers are getting more as well as my thanks for their efforts!

Peter, the games are 19.99. The 6.99 is a Game Club Price. You are guaranteeing you are buying 12 games in a year to get that price. They are banking on the bulk sales that way. It is like a buying in bulk at a Warehouse Club to get a discount. You pay a yearly membership and I can buy 8 Tissue boxes at a Warehouse Club bundled together for the cost of 4 boxes at a regular grocery.

Ana

Ana, I can understand the economics from the BFG point of view. What they're doing is similar to the book and record clubs that I remember from when I was young. I wish them well particularly as I think it's an important development in the way games are distributed.

I'm less sure from a developer point of view, particularly developers of Adventure games which cost more (think they cost more) than casual games to make. On average they're going to get perhaps a third of a sale through BFG that they might get for a conventional sale? Does the reduced chances of a BFG game being copied or traded compensate?

All this is pure conjecture - even in conventional games publishing there isn't a strong relationship between sales and what the developers get.

Peter -- I'm guessing what would compensate would be the numbers. Will large numbers of casual gamers who don't usually buy adventures be introduced to them through this Club concept, broadening the overall adventure gamer base?

EDIT: I just noticed at the BigFish site that Tomorrow's Game will be East Side Story! Another Indie adventure game at BigFish (well, tomorrow it'll be there.)

Becky let's hope so - that BFG and others will indeed introduce a new wave of people playing Adventure games!

I'm impressed that BFG are showcasing such indie games.

I was surprised to see Ghost in The Sheet available so soon after it's release - like you I've just paid the full wack + shipping for the game, as I have done for many of the other AGs now available at low cost for BFG members.

If you are the sort of gamer that likes to play a game, trade then move onto the next, I can see the annoyance, but I like to keep my games & would rather pay more to have the flexibility of a disc version - so for me not so sad! - in fact I can only see the positive side.

Peter, I've got to agree with Becky that the economic viability has to lie in the volume of sales.

I choose to go without other luxuries so that I can buy every new AG I want on disc.

I now also, because I am a member of BFG, spend more on casual games - if I had to pay $19.99 for each one I wouldn't play them at all so that's $6.99 each time as opposed to $0.00!! Also, although I enjoy them I do view most of them as 'throwaway' but I do have 1 or 2 favourites so if I come across a disc version I may buy it at the higher price (bearing in mind I have already paid $6.99) & I'm sure I'm not the only one!

As for large download AGs - for anyone on a small budget does this not give them the opportunity to buy & experience more games for the price of 1 rather than have to limit their choice? So this must lead to more games being sold so surely this has to generate more income for everyone involved in game production? Also more people may be encouraged to try Adventures & possibly, as I do for casual game favourites, pursue a disc version later on!

I love BFG and have purchased 2 "large file" adventures from them so far (including East Side Story which is downloading right now). I don't tend to trade very often so the way their game club works is right for me.

To clarify the reinstallation policy, here's BFG Guy's post about it. Unlimited downloads/installations of a purchased game on the same computer provided that you didn't clean out the HD and reinstall the operating system again:

http://www.gameboomers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=276710#Post276710