(Note: Iâm glad you wrote this post, because the Forum is a place for ideas! Iâm giving off-the-cuff feedback here that will sound negative, but that doesnât mean I think the post was bad.)
The main difficulty with any proposed app project is that almost all apps get close to zero usersâincluding plenty of apps that seem like they should be popular, or at least donât obviously seem less entertaining than their more successful competitors. Itâs hard to get traction in crowded markets, and âmobile gamesâ is a crowded market.
Itâs true that very few mobile games have a social mission. However, this means that youâre targeting an unusual set of people. Most people (I assume) download mobile games as a form of low-cost entertainment; theyâre unlikely to be interested in an app whose sole purpose is to take their money, even if itâs for a good cause. If someone wants an app that will help them donate to charity, itâs unlikely that theyâll be looking for one with a game layer between them and their beneficiaries.
There are certainly people in the world for whom this hypothetical app would be useful and entertaining and persuasive (in terms of getting counterfactual donations), but I donât think those people are common, and that adds another difficult problem to the initial problem of âgetting users for your appâ.
(Note: Iâm glad you wrote this post, because the Forum is a place for ideas! Iâm giving off-the-cuff feedback here that will sound negative, but that doesnât mean I think the post was bad.)
The main difficulty with any proposed app project is that almost all apps get close to zero usersâincluding plenty of apps that seem like they should be popular, or at least donât obviously seem less entertaining than their more successful competitors. Itâs hard to get traction in crowded markets, and âmobile gamesâ is a crowded market.
Itâs true that very few mobile games have a social mission. However, this means that youâre targeting an unusual set of people. Most people (I assume) download mobile games as a form of low-cost entertainment; theyâre unlikely to be interested in an app whose sole purpose is to take their money, even if itâs for a good cause. If someone wants an app that will help them donate to charity, itâs unlikely that theyâll be looking for one with a game layer between them and their beneficiaries.
There are certainly people in the world for whom this hypothetical app would be useful and entertaining and persuasive (in terms of getting counterfactual donations), but I donât think those people are common, and that adds another difficult problem to the initial problem of âgetting users for your appâ.
Very good points, I agree with all.
Donât be afraid to sound negative, honest feedback can save a whole career!