SOP Forum Thread✦Gaia: Don't Lose the Plot

What motto best fits our philosophy?

I BELIEVE	7.3%	[ 8 ]
united gaians	0.0%	[ 0 ]
The plot thickens...	12.8%	[ 14 ]
United We Plot	17.4%	[ 19 ]
Gaia: Don't Lose the Plot	28.4%	[ 31 ]
No all for naught, save our plot!	5.5%	[ 6 ]
We want the P	10.1%	[ 11 ]
No plot no Gaia. Know plot know Gaia.	8.3%	[ 9 ]
#NoPlotNoGaia #KnowPlotKnowGaia	7.3%	[ 8 ]
Plot our course!	2.8%	[ 3 ]
Total Votes:			[ 109 ]

This poll closed on October 6, 2014.
No longer accepting new votes.

[Pie]

Chibi Halo

Pie

The Iron Magus

Okay, but how are they gonna milk them other teats?

Well, the same way other entertainment media makes money, obviously.

Advertising used to be a big one. Sponsorships were great for everyone involved! However, if those are gonna bring in the bucks again, they need to boost that user count, so this might not be the best avenue quite yet.

The next thing that comes to mind would be merchandise. Unfortunately, yes, Gaia's been burned once with physical merchandise and is reluctant to try it again. That's why I think an art book would be a good way to wade back into those waters -- publishing seems to be a more well-established industry than plush toys and novelty t-shirts. (I wonder if they could even do backstory novellas? Text is cheaper to produce than art, and it'd be a good way to add depth to their plot without throwing together big events and such.)

If they're against that, there's the realm they're more comfortable with: Digital merchandise. Plot tie-in Cash items, high-res PDFs of Gaia art... piracy wouldn't be much of a concern with that last one, because they already have the silver bullet against that: bundling it with an in-game item. Or better yet, with a raffle ticket for appearing in one of the upcoming art pieces!

It'd be cool if they returned to developing games that expanded on the plot, and dabbled in alternate forms of media (... well, okay, maybe not animation, that was really exceptionally bad). Really load up that hook with extra bait, you know?

You mention the art book idea. I wonder how many people would buy one if it was in the form of a book app (for both iOS and Android) where they could have information on the shop keepers and other main NPCs around the site along with past and present art on top of a digital book. Then they could update it a few times a year with new art for free or galleries for purchase for 99 cents. I always believed they could make some decent dollars with an app people needed to pay for and an art book would make for a good way to do so.

Oh man, I was thinking more concept art and finished pieces. I hadn't even considered putting bios in there. They could even stick in some side stories, like I had suggested for novellas, perhaps interspersed with little doodles... or maybe staff interviews... emotion_kirakira

If they didn't want to go the app route (not sure why they wouldn't, but y'know), they could also make a library feature right on the site, and release exclusive content bits that way.

[Pie]

`Hydro

Pie

`Hydro

Pie

Well, the same way other entertainment media makes money, obviously.

Advertising used to be a big one. Sponsorships were great for everyone involved! However, if those are gonna bring in the bucks again, they need to boost that user count, so this might not be the best avenue quite yet.

It would be lovely if we could go back to Sponsorships, however they weren't exactly loved. I recall people complaining and complaining about them, which it doesn't surprise that now we have GG's. I actually liked the sponsorships and was sad to see them go. I couldn't possibly have predicted the GG's as a 'replacement', however I don't know what people were expecting as a replacement....

To this day, I still don't get why people complained about freebies.

Except for the Bee Movie Suits. Ah, memories...

I admit those were ugly, but I remember getting to explore the flash space for it and it was kinda cool.

Of course, the forum seems to complain about everything so it feels like anything is a gamble....it's not just that the site needs GC sales to survive, it seems like the only readable mode of what people like.

I remember the Venus and Secret sponsorships being a massive hit in particular. Skittles had the right idea, but they pushed their brand image a little too hard and the actual fashion of the items suffered...

And then there's Bee Movie.

I'm not sure complaints are really a good measure of anything, not until they hit the scale that they're at now. There's plenty complaints about everything GC nowadays, though it seems the biggest ones are GGs and the fact that Gold options have suffered horribly in comparison.

[Hassli]

The D-Party is cooking up something I think you guys will enjoy.

[Pie]

Hassli

The D-Party is cooking up something I think you guys will enjoy.

Is it a dessert? surprised

[Hassli]

Pie

Hassli

The D-Party is cooking up something I think you guys will enjoy.

Is it a dessert? surprised

I can give you a preview (but please don't post)

[Pie]

Hassli

Pie

Hassli

The D-Party is cooking up something I think you guys will enjoy.

Is it a dessert? surprised

I can give you a preview (but please don't post)

This is less cherry-filled than hoped.

But I still like it! 3nodding

[Chibi Halo]

Pie

Chibi Halo

Pie

The Iron Magus

Okay, but how are they gonna milk them other teats?

Well, the same way other entertainment media makes money, obviously.

Advertising used to be a big one. Sponsorships were great for everyone involved! However, if those are gonna bring in the bucks again, they need to boost that user count, so this might not be the best avenue quite yet.

The next thing that comes to mind would be merchandise. Unfortunately, yes, Gaia's been burned once with physical merchandise and is reluctant to try it again. That's why I think an art book would be a good way to wade back into those waters -- publishing seems to be a more well-established industry than plush toys and novelty t-shirts. (I wonder if they could even do backstory novellas? Text is cheaper to produce than art, and it'd be a good way to add depth to their plot without throwing together big events and such.)

If they're against that, there's the realm they're more comfortable with: Digital merchandise. Plot tie-in Cash items, high-res PDFs of Gaia art... piracy wouldn't be much of a concern with that last one, because they already have the silver bullet against that: bundling it with an in-game item. Or better yet, with a raffle ticket for appearing in one of the upcoming art pieces!

It'd be cool if they returned to developing games that expanded on the plot, and dabbled in alternate forms of media (... well, okay, maybe not animation, that was really exceptionally bad). Really load up that hook with extra bait, you know?

You mention the art book idea. I wonder how many people would buy one if it was in the form of a book app (for both iOS and Android) where they could have information on the shop keepers and other main NPCs around the site along with past and present art on top of a digital book. Then they could update it a few times a year with new art for free or galleries for purchase for 99 cents. I always believed they could make some decent dollars with an app people needed to pay for and an art book would make for a good way to do so.

Oh man, I was thinking more concept art and finished pieces. I hadn't even considered putting bios in there. They could even stick in some side stories, like I had suggested for novellas, perhaps interspersed with little doodles... or maybe staff interviews... emotion_kirakira

If they didn't want to go the app route (not sure why they wouldn't, but y'know), they could also make a library feature right on the site, and release exclusive content bits that way.

If Disney can pretty much have an interactive art book for ten dollars then Gaia can do something simple for the same price or less. They could get a lot of people buying that, especially in the art community where a lot of people enjoy well put together things like that.

[Hassli]

Pie

Hassli

Pie

Hassli

The D-Party is cooking up something I think you guys will enjoy.

Is it a dessert? surprised

I can give you a preview (but please don't post)

This is less cherry-filled than hoped.

But I still like it! 3nodding

its gonna be a good way to waste a month.

[The Iron Magus]

Pie

Well, the same way other entertainment media makes money, obviously.

Advertising used to be a big one. Sponsorships were great for everyone involved! However, if those are gonna bring in the bucks again, they need to boost that user count, so this might not be the best avenue quite yet.

The next thing that comes to mind would be merchandise. Unfortunately, yes, Gaia's been burned once with physical merchandise and is reluctant to try it again. That's why I think an art book would be a good way to wade back into those waters -- publishing seems to be a more well-established industry than plush toys and novelty t-shirts. (I wonder if they could even do backstory novellas? Text is cheaper to produce than art, and it'd be a good way to add depth to their plot without throwing together big events and such.)

If they're against that, there's the realm they're more comfortable with: Digital merchandise. Plot tie-in Cash items, high-res PDFs of Gaia art... piracy wouldn't be much of a concern with that last one, because they already have the silver bullet against that: bundling it with an in-game item. Or better yet, with a raffle ticket for appearing in one of the upcoming art pieces!

It'd be cool if they returned to developing games that expanded on the plot, and dabbled in alternate forms of media (... well, okay, maybe not animation, that was really exceptionally bad). Really load up that hook with extra bait, you know?

I just don't think advertising/sponsorships have really been a viable moneymaker since the recession. I don't think its the low user numbers--it's just that fewer companies are willing to cough up for the privilege.
I seriously can't believe how bad Gaia got screwed with their old merch store. I bought several items from there over the years--OMG Hat, grunny, zOMG hoodie and messenger bag, a couple phone charms... I wonder what possessed the company that ran the store to just take the money and run. x_x

Gaia actually still sells T-shirts, but it's... not very well advertised. sweatdrop

Art books, regular books, even high-res special editions of the Manga... I'd love to see all of those for sale, in either print or electronic form.

Ahaha... remember how excited everyone was about the Gaia animation? xd It was something people were wanting for years, and then it just... yeah. sweatdrop

`Hydro

It would be lovely if we could go back to Sponsorships, however they weren't exactly loved. I recall people complaining and complaining about them, which it doesn't surprise that now we have GG's. I actually liked the sponsorships and was sad to see them go. I couldn't possibly have predicted the GG's as a 'replacement', however I don't know what people were expecting as a replacement....

I didn't like them. I thought they were tacky. Of course, now I wish we could go back to those days. x_x I'll take "tacky" over "economy-destroying" any day. sweatdrop

Hassli

I can give you a preview (but please don't post)

Subscriiiibed.

[Pie]

The Iron Magus

I just don't think advertising/sponsorships have really been a viable moneymaker since the recession. I don't think its the low user numbers--it's just that fewer companies are willing to cough up for the privilege.
I seriously can't believe how bad Gaia got screwed with their old merch store. I bought several items from there over the years--OMG Hat, grunny, zOMG hoodie and messenger bag, a couple phone charms... I wonder what possessed the company that ran the store to just take the money and run. x_x

Gaia actually still sells T-shirts, but it's... not very well advertised. sweatdrop

Art books, regular books, even high-res special editions of the Manga... I'd love to see all of those for sale, in either print or electronic form.

Ahaha... remember how excited everyone was about the Gaia animation? xd It was something people were wanting for years, and then it just... yeah. sweatdrop

Hm, I suppose that's a viable argument. Maybe a combination of the two, really -- these sorts of advertising campaigns can still be seen going full force off Gaia, but it's safe assume that they're going for safer bets, whereas Gaia has simply become a riskier one. Better to shell out for the superbowl ads, right?

It... really is sad. I never got my Grunny or Gwee plushes. crying I'm amazed they haven't yet gotten legal justice for this.

Oh, I've heard of the T-shirt shop. I just... eh, I don't know. I feel like shirts alone only go so far as merch, particularly if they don't advertise it much at all on the site itself. Plus they've lost some of their best designs, like the old zOMG! ones...

I feel like we should storm Site Feedback with our Gaia Publishing ideas, at this rate. We all want it!

They... um... yeah. I think their first problem was going with 3D Animation... and that entire studio... gonk

[Hassli]

Hassli

I can give you a preview (but please don't post)

Subscriiiibed.

I'm hoping Slick or Pie will announce it to the guild for me once it starts.

[Pie]

Hassli

I'm hoping Slick or Pie will announce it to the guild for me once it starts.

You can count on me! I'll even put on my Grun-day Best!

[The Iron Magus]

Pie

The Iron Magus

I just don't think advertising/sponsorships have really been a viable moneymaker since the recession. I don't think its the low user numbers--it's just that fewer companies are willing to cough up for the privilege.
I seriously can't believe how bad Gaia got screwed with their old merch store. I bought several items from there over the years--OMG Hat, grunny, zOMG hoodie and messenger bag, a couple phone charms... I wonder what possessed the company that ran the store to just take the money and run. x_x

Gaia actually still sells T-shirts, but it's... not very well advertised. sweatdrop

Art books, regular books, even high-res special editions of the Manga... I'd love to see all of those for sale, in either print or electronic form.

Ahaha... remember how excited everyone was about the Gaia animation? xd It was something people were wanting for years, and then it just... yeah. sweatdrop

Hm, I suppose that's a viable argument. Maybe a combination of the two, really -- these sorts of advertising campaigns can still be seen going full force off Gaia, but it's safe assume that they're going for safer bets, whereas Gaia has simply become a riskier one. Better to shell out for the superbowl ads, right?

It... really is sad. I never got my Grunny or Gwee plushes. crying I'm amazed they haven't yet gotten legal justice for this.

Oh, I've heard of the T-shirt shop. I just... eh, I don't know. I feel like shirts alone only go so far as merch, particularly if they don't advertise it much at all on the site itself. Plus they've lost some of their best designs, like the old zOMG! ones...

I feel like we should storm Site Feedback with our Gaia Publishing ideas, at this rate. We all want it!

They... um... yeah. I think their first problem was going with 3D Animation... and that entire studio... gonk

Right. I meant specifically the kind of online advertisement that Gaia was doing. Advertising as a whole is still big business, but they're less interested in online communities... from what I've heard.

I may go check out the redbubble shop... I actually bought a couple shirts from them, but it's been a long time since I've looked at what's available.

[The Iron Magus]

Hmm, there's actually a lot of cool stuff in the Redbubble shop. Most of it is a bit overly cute, though... not exactly the kind of stuff I'd wear around town. sweatdrop

What plothead would want to be without the "We'll Be Right Back" Shirt? Space Pirate Flynn is looking quite badass... it's a shame she became a symbol of the bane of our economy. -_- Wear this to confuse your friends! The understated Gaia Towns shirt is a great way to show Gaian pride while still remaining on the downlow about your shameful pixel doll addition. ninja And you should in NO WAY infer anything improper about this Moira and Vanessa shirt, despite the fact that one of them is straddling a giant pair of scissors, and the other one is showing off her tongue technique. burning_eyes

They even have stickers, throw pillows, and tote bags. sweatdrop

And plenty of Diedrich gear, for the D-Party. xd

[Pie]

The Iron Magus

Hmm, there's actually a lot of cool stuff in the Redbubble shop. Most of it is a bit overly cute, though... not exactly the kind of stuff I'd wear around town. sweatdrop

What plothead would want to be without the "We'll Be Right Back" Shirt? Space Pirate Flynn is looking quite badass... it's a shame she became a symbol of the bane of our economy. -_- Wear this to confuse your friends! The understated Gaia Towns shirt is a great way to show Gaian pride while still remaining on the downlow about your shameful pixel doll addition. ninja And you should in NO WAY infer anything improper about this Moira and Vanessa shirt, despite the fact that one of them is straddling a giant pair of scissors, and the other one is showing off her tongue technique. burning_eyes

They even have stickers, throw pillows, and tote bags. sweatdrop

And plenty of Diedrich gear, for the D-Party. xd

Wait, what? I only knew they were selling t-shirts. I had no idea they were taking advantage of Redbubble's other merchandise options...

... ... ...

Oh.

My.

GOD.