Going Off on a Tangent at
ION Games Conference
Known for his experienced approach to gaming, WildTangent's Alex St.
John has a lengthy history within the industry. At the 2008 ION Games
Conference he spoke out against PC gaming being overtaken by consoles,
and championed the cause of the more casual game. Ten Ton Hammer was
fortunate enough to sit down and hear his philosophy on foreign
markets, microtransactions, and more.
style="font-style: italic;">
style="font-weight: bold;">Ten Ton Hammer: How
do you feel about the acceptance of microtransactions in the US markets?
style="font-style: italic;">
style="font-weight: bold;">Alex St. John: A lot
of people think that online web business currency was invented in Asia,
which isn't true. It was invented in the US and failed here but
succeeded there for interesting reasons. The first is, in this market
we have very good anti-piracy and copyright laws which sustains a
market for single player games that aren't easily stolen. People are
generally honest in the US and respect the copyright laws so you are
able to sell content. In Asia this isn't quite the case, so there is no
competition for any other business model.
do you feel about the acceptance of microtransactions in the US markets?
style="font-style: italic;">
style="font-weight: bold;">Alex St. John: A lot
of people think that online web business currency was invented in Asia,
which isn't true. It was invented in the US and failed here but
succeeded there for interesting reasons. The first is, in this market
we have very good anti-piracy and copyright laws which sustains a
market for single player games that aren't easily stolen. People are
generally honest in the US and respect the copyright laws so you are
able to sell content. In Asia this isn't quite the case, so there is no
competition for any other business model.
