Ready? Steady? Go!
Whenever he's waiting for a bus or subway train, Zhang Junming takes out his smartphone and spends a few minutes playing a game. Usually, he favors games that are available as free downloads.
As the train or bus approaches his stop, Zhang finishes playing the game and uploads his score to see how he ranks among other players. Although his ranking improves almost every time he plays, Zhang seems indifferent to the result. He will play again when he gets another few minutes of free time.
The app developer, in his twenties, was once a very good game player and dreamed of creating his own apps. Now though, he works as programmer for a small, independent game app developer.
While the PC and Web game markets are occupied by the industry behemoths, apps stores have mostly become a platform for small- and medium-sized developers, although individual competitors are also flooding into the field.
Zhang's first app, Doctor Dot, was released on the iTunes apps store in November. The game cost 99 US cents per download and has been downloaded 200 times so far. "The money I've earned (from Doctor Dot) almost covers my membership of the Apple iTunes app store for two years," he said.
Theoretically, that means that every future download should see Zhang make a profit, but he considers his first product a failure, partly because he didn't raise awareness of the product through marketing and promotional activities.
"More indies are coming to the market. Although that may result in an unprecedented number of new products, there will be many failures and few developers will make it in the end," he said. That's sobering news for the estimated 6,000 indie app companies on the Chinese mainland, for whom generating a single, rudimentary game app usually requires the involvement of four to 10 IT engineers, over a period of three to six months.
One notable challenge facing all game development companies is that Chinese consumers are notoriously reluctant to pay for downloads, preferring to use free products instead.
And although independent developers are making great strides in terms of innovation, many web game developers are also entering the arena.
Wesley Bao is the co-founder of Coconut Island Studio, established in 2009 in Shanghai just one year after Apple allowed independent developers access to the iTunes app store.
Initially, Bao was Coconut Island's sole employee, having ploughed 200,000 yuan of his savings into the idea. However, a partner later came on the scene and the company now has a staff of four.
Since its inception, several of Coconut Island's apps have gained top ranking on the iTunes app store's weekly most-downloaded lists. For example, iDragpaper topped the European and US download charts in the first week it was available.
Having worked for a number of foreign-based Web game companies, Bao decided to develop his own ideas for games applications. Registering the company after the name his wife uses on her personal blog, Bao formulated a clear business plan, based in part on the vagaries of the Chinese market.
For example, because Chinese consumers are reluctant to pay for apps, Coconut Island's pay products, such as iDragpaper and Mister Frog, are only available overseas. However, all the apps the company makes available through the Chinese iTunes store are free, and half of Coconut Island's global revenue comes from selling advertising space at the bottom of the interface of free-to-play apps.
However, most games only remain fashionable for around six months. "We always keep in mind ways of improving the playing experience to intrigue players and keep them coming back for more," said Bao.
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