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Comment by Sanctor | Hacker News Reader

I can maybe add a "Remove Ads" IAP. This is such a niche game I didn't think anyone would be willing to pay for it. Also if you sell the game or offer IAPs you have to get into some sort of merchant agreement with Google, I don't quite know how that works.

But I'll work on it. Thanks for the feedback!

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Yes, I second that... I'll pay for a good math game for my kid—I don't let him play ad-based games though.

It is decided then. I'll release an Education version without the ads.

I've learned this the hard way with interstitial and banner ads throughout releasing a dozen or so apps. You really need a rather large user base to make them even a bit worthwhile to a developer. Scratching out pennies will have a huge downside if it lowers the experience of the app to your whole userbase. It's an art form not to make the user feel like a product. Everyone thinks they know how but really so, so few do, myself included. I've also put down many apps because of ads. It's stopped one of apps from moving as quickly as it should. I've since moved away entirely and incorporated IAP that unlocks slightly more features or a straight up price tag from the get-go.

Anecdotal, but I believe this led to much less moaning and groaning from users, higher ratings, and a better overall experience (and yes, better returns)!

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's very valuable to me. I'm very much a stranger to this world, and I don't have anyone to ask for advice.

I don't like putting ads in the game. If nothing, it breaks the retro atmosphere I'm going for. But I also have the dream of doing game development for a living and have to make money somehow.

I'll try the paid method. I guess I couldn't imagine people willing to pay for something I do as a hobby for now.

"If nothing, it breaks the retro atmosphere I'm going for"

I commented before about finding the ads annoying. But really, this is the crux of it. It completely breaks the experience, as I am playing a pixelized retro game and a modern looking clean ad appears on the screen.

Tangentially, why don't you consider also publishing the same game, but with a different art style. An art style that might be more relatable for kids these days (no idea which, just suggesting you research that).

It wouldn't be too much work to re-skin the game. I can maybe put a selection in the settings page that could switch between retro and modern.

This is the first time I've heard this suggestion. I will definitely consider this. Thank you!

> can maybe put a selection in the settings page that could switch between retro and modern

Oooh once you go that route, you can make skins "unlockable" from gamer progress! That's always fun (if the rest is, too)

> I guess I couldn't imagine people willing to pay for something I do as a hobby for now.

I've struggled with this myself. While there might be some who aren't willing to pay, many people are willing to pay for something they get value out of. That said, the sheer number of terrible apps I've downloaded stops me from paying up front for an app from an unknown developer, but as I mentioned before, my bar is very, very low for the amount of use I need before I'm willing to pay $1 to remove ads or unlock the rest of an app.

Yep, I can second this. I can put up with ads myself, but I don't want my 5 year old to play a game with ads since they no longer know what they're doing once an ad pops up.

Thirded. This game is a little advanced for my 4 y.o. but I would MUCH rather pay a couple dollars to have ad free games. Most of the free educational kids games are crappy to use for a 4 y.o. because they pop up ads over the game. Inevitably she clicks on them by accident and then ends up in the Play store and confused about what happened or how to get back to her game.

I understand. Most developers don't care once they've got their ad impression.

Although I don't assume people would outright buy the game without trying first. Especially from a first time developer. So the free version is a necessity for me.

I made a math game that was ad-free. It started out with a $1 purchase price at first launch, but I decided to make it free since it was not being downloaded. I'm curious if you have any advice on how to market to your audience of "parents that will pay for ad-free kids' games".

Free to download, then $1 to remove ads or unlock the full game. I get the frustration, but I'm someone who pretty much never pays up front for an app, but the bar for getting me to pay $1 to remove ads or unlock features is extraordinarily low. I basically need about an hour or so of use before I'm willing to invest (which is unfortunately necessary thanks to the hundreds of essentially useless apps I've downloaded in the past).

Honestly I'm not sure. My process for buying a game would generally be: Open Play store, search for e.g. "toddler math", filter for "Paid" and then look for something with good reviews. Even with that criteria you are likely competing with 100's of other apps.

It may be worth noting that some parents wont let their kids play games with ads.

There are two good reasons that I can think of for this:

1. The content of some ads can be inappropriate, even in children's games.

2. Fear that an ad will lead to a purchase of some kind.

I think an IAP would be a good solution for you.

I'll start working on the ad free version ASAP.

It's also annoying for younger kids that accidentally open the ad and haven't learned how to get back into their app yet.

Reason 3: some of the ads are a downright scam.

Seriously, using some free apps makes me feel like it's 1998 again with the "you are visitor number 1,000,000" and "your phone might have a virus - click here for free removal" ads. I would not be comfortable with a kid playing games containing ads like that.

I look forward to buying it -- always looking for good/educational apps that both my kids and I can enjoy together.

I'm going to add on to the calls for a "Remove Ads" IAP. I don't typically buy games, but I will pay to remove ads in a game I like. I don't mind ads while I'm testing a game, but I hate how they break up the flow of the game, and they use a lot of data as well. I uninstall the game within a week or so if I can't get rid of the ads.

I haven't downloaded the game yet, so I can't really say if your ads would bother me, but I hate ads so much that I'd gladly pay to get rid of them.

The clearest message I got from this comments section is that there should be a way to remove ads. This will be my first priority.

I would also recommend a paid version without the ads. I had never saw a full screen mobile ad before. I was quite annoyed and surprised with that.

They are called Interstitial Ads. I know it's annoying but I think banner ads are worse. They are usually placed at clever positions so you'll click on them by accident.

I'll release a paid version.

Yes, these indeed look more professional and less dark pattern. Just a shock as a first time.

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