Hacker News Reader

Comment by SimianLogic2 | Hacker News Reader

My oldest is 8 and he plays a TON of browser games (no smartphone yet, doesn't have the password to download stuff on his iPad).

View on HN

Then it's no wonder he plays a lot of browser games, right?

I mean, yes? That's the point I was making?

I see a lot of other people piling on to also rebut this bit, which is what I was specifically targeting:

> These days, every one of Kongregate's users has a smartphone with free games more accessible and convenient than the old browser gaming model.

But is it a strong rebuttal if it only stands because your kid is in a special situation? Obviously there are exceptions to the rule that everyone moved on to a smartphone, and your kid is one of them, but your example kind of proves the rule - people that don't use smartphones are quite rare (as in they are 8 and don't have a smartphone and don't have the iPad password - not exactly a common situation to find yourself in).

So, had I put an "almost" into "[almost] every one", you would have seen the point I was making and realized that your daughter isn't going to single-handedly keep Kongregate afloat?

Basically everyone responding to me has tried to catch me on a technicality error. Yet notice how these "rebuttals" don't change the reality that Kongregate and NewGrounds are struggling.

For example, a response that actually engages with a point I was making would be to disagree with the reasons why they are dying and why Kongregate pulled the plug on new games and chat.

I'm pointing out that Kongregate has to compete with games like Dota Underlords and Fortnight on portable phones made for portable gaming which are a caliber of game you don't even see in the browser game market.

You'll have to help me understand why you think your daughter not having a smartphone moves the needle on the points being made here.

My son, alone? Nope. But I'm still getting royalty checks, so someone other than 8-12 year olds are playing. The world is a big place, and not everyone has an iPhone. Are fewer people playing than back in 2008? Yes. Is it enough to be viable? No way to know. I would say that Kongregate made some big bets over the last few years that didn't pay off (mobile, publishing, Kartridge). That doesn't make them bad bets, they just didn't work out.

I think it's very likely they could make enough money from their remaining brand and html5 games to pay for a couple of full-time bodies to keep the lights on. The company has changed hands a few times the last few years and the founders have moved on, so I would think it has more to do with the current owners bailing on Kartridge and winding the business down than the pure economics of the site itself.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com