I received an invitation to join the Spyparty beta this morning. Which apparently is actually an invitation to give Chris Hecker 15 dollars. Am I the only one who is supremely uncomfortable with this trend of games being released to the public, ostensibly to be BETA TESTED for a fee? Used to be, video game developers would pay YOU to help sort out the bugs in their game (quality assurance). Now Minecraft, SpyParty, and Overgrowth want you to pay for the privelege.

Ok, I understand why they are doing it. Without publisher support, the game just wouldn't be made in the first place. It's basically kickstarter, just less formalized. And Spyparty, and Overgrowth, actually look pretty damn cool. But I'm still weirded out by it. I'll happily beta test your game. I submitted over 50 bug reports to the Tribes: Ascend devs. And unltimately, I've put a decent amount of money into that game. But I'm not going to pay for some half-finished work.

What are your thoughts?

its a roll of the dice.

Well, when you signed up for interest in the SpyParty-Beta it said right there that it will be a paid beta after which you will receive the finished product. I see no harm in tha. I think it is ok to do it, because a small team can't test a complex game like SpyParty seems to be all by themselves. The Minecraft-model works, so it is only natural that others try it as well.

The games I play nowadays are pretty much exclusively indie games that give you access to betas before an official release (Paradox games excluded -- though given their usual state at release, 'beta' isn't far off). I don't see an issue with paying for something before it's finished, if you can expect the developer to continue to develop. I bought Kenshi last October, and that game isn't anywhere close to being finished even today, but I don't feel dissatisfied with my purchase.

On the other hand, if these games cost $60 rather than $15 or $20, I might have some problems -- but they don't, and consequently, I have a relatively significant number of games which I can reasonably expect to get better and better over time. Xenonauts, Kenshi, Overgrowth, Project Zomboid, and Kerbal Space Program to name a few.

I'm pretty sure I've gotten more enjoyment out of each of those games individually than any blockbuster title in the past several years, at a fraction of the cost. My experience is probably atypical, though.

It is just like kickstarter, but with a playable product when you put your money down rather than simply a promise. You're helping fund the further development of the game by putting down some money, and you get to play the current build of the game while you wait for the final product to come along. I'm personally reluctant to put down money on anything but the final product, but then I just don't put money into kickstarter and paid betas. But if other people want to, that's fine.

It's also worth noting that the Tribes Ascend beta you mention is basically in the same boat as these games too - during the beta they opened the cash store and allowed people to pay real money for items and shit. It's the same basic issue of having a funding model during the beta phases, it's just a different pricing model.

Paid beta testing is the easiest way to get a devoted group of interested beta-testers. The people who will preorder the game are probably the same ones who would be happy to help out for a chance to play early. It's a win-win, and anyone who doesn't feel like it can just buy the game once it's actually released.

Another added bonus is that by the time the game is released, the wikis and guides will already be established to help new players.

Chris has stated multiple times you would be paying for the beta and when you sign up to the beta list you agree that you would pay if you're invited. Plus you will never pay a bean for the game again after that.

Money now > customer tomorrow.