giwake

giwake

@giwake

game developer, I think?

  • they/them

i make games and music, sometimes.

profile picture by @thewaether!!!

moving to https://bsky.app/profile/giwake.bsky.social

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giwake
@giwake
PIZZAPRANKS
@PIZZAPRANKS
PIZZAPRANKS
@PIZZAPRANKS

Opening the PIZZA PRANKS Videogame Tape Club

Application Form Here

Starting in 2023, I began selling Indiepocalypse on USB sticks stored inside of tape cassette cases which I shorthanded to just calling "tapes". I am now opening up producing tapes (maybe making a production label?) for any developer who would like me to do the same for them.

There are 3 main (non-exclusive) options:

  1. I print-on-demand tapes and sell them online through my website.
  2. I print-on-demand tapes and sell them at in-person events I table at.
  3. I print and ship you runs of tapes to do whatever you want with.

The costs for the options are:

  1. $3/tape ($2.65 USB/case/insert/shipping materials cost + fee)
  2. $2.50/tape ($2.65 USB/case/insert cost + fee)
  3. $2.50/tape ($1.78 USB/case/insert cost + fee) + shipping and shipping material costs.

Material costs are estimates based on time of writing, but shouldn't vary too much and I'll announce well ahead of time if they drastically change to the point where I would need to change the price.

There is an optional revenue share in the cases where I am selling the game for you, but this is strictly optional. The cost of tapes I ship to you will be paid up front. The cost of the print-on-demand tapes will be taken from the sales and the remainder sent to you.

Otherwise, all I need from you is a cassette cover or the art assets for me to make the cover for you. Cassette insert format templates are likely available in multiple places online, I used a cover from the excellent site The Cover Project (example https://www.thecoverproject.net/view.php?cover_id=24315) for my base size template.

Alternatively, if you'd like to make the tapes entirely on your own but want to ask me about any of the logistics of production, shipping, etc. feel free to email me at indiepocalypse@gmail.com or message me any other way you prefer. If you have any alterations you want to try or want to talk about other ways to physically sell games (postcards + codes are a good cheap option!) also don't hesitate to ask.

I think these tapes are a good low cost format akin to zines for game devs making games at a similar scale. They're great for your local (and low cost) art markets, zine fests, and the like. Just think it should catch on as a standard!

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in reply to @PIZZAPRANKS's post:

MxAshlynn
@MxAshlynn

Very cool! How large are the runs typically?

I will be thinking this over.... I wonder if there are other low cost, small size formats that one could experiment with.

Although tapes have the advantage that the DIY scene is already used to them....

(As an aside, I think there may be a typo in the cost option section. It looks like options 1 and 2 are the same?)

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PIZZAPRANKS
@PIZZAPRANKS

I personally order the supplies in runs of 50, which is a good mix of inexpensive and affordable for me. In terms of people ordering from me, there's no minimum or maximum.

I initially used postcards with codes stuck to the back which are way cheaper (~$.40/card at a run of 50). If you're selling codes instead of a physical thing containing the game files, I imagine most printing options would be similarly inexpensive.

But I've found the tapes are much better at drawing people's attention at events and are more obvious at a glance to someone walking by your table that you aren't selling art prints. For a time I was burning DVDs but found that increasingly computers do not have an optical drive. I even had to buy an external drive that had write capabilities.

(yeah, I was thinking of the two consignment options as the same but the second would have no shipping material costs. updated it.)

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PIZZAPRANKS
@PIZZAPRANKS

You can get them pretty cheap off aliexpress. I pay $60~70 for 50 of them. They might be lower quality(?) but I'd used a similar cheap trade show usb stick near a decade maybe and it always worked so I assume they're probably fine. I only got a new stick when I lost it and the actual brand one I bought from Staples failed within a month so who knows with these things.

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