It’s 2024. By now, we all know that tipping for services rendered is a common practice. According to Mike Ybarra, the former president of Blizzard, it’s a courtesy that should also extend to game developers.
So last week, Mike Ybarra went on to X to suggest that games include a way for players to show appreciation for the developers of single-player games that don’t try to squeeze players for every cent they’re worth: having the option to leave a tip.
I've thought about this idea for a while, as a player, since I've been diving into single player games lately.
When I beat a game, there are some that just leave me in awe of how amazing the experience was. At the end of the game, I've often thought "I wish I could give these…
— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) April 11, 2024
In his X, Mike Ybarra points to games like Horizon: Zero Dawn, God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, Elden Ring, and Baldur’s Gate 3. To be clear, Mike Ybarra wasn’t proposing that this be a mandatory investment but rather just an option at the end of some games because it would show just how special the game truly was.
As you can imagine (and so did Mike Ybarra when he posted the X), many did not like the idea at all, but from my side, it’s hard not to see his point. We all dislike microtransactions in games and live-service games even more, so if there were a way to show developers our appreciation when a game doesn’t take that route or really resonates with us, it would be pretty cool.
Throughout the sea of hate on his X, some users did come forward with some pretty good ideas of how they show appreciation without tipping:
I gifted BG3 to my best friend! So I bought it twice. Maybe buying the game for someone else more than once or updating to a collectors edition is a nice way to do it
— Chai Waifu Tecito (@chailattecos) April 11, 2024
No, instead how about a survey that pops up when you beat the game and if the game gets a lot of positive surveys maybe the developers who worked on the game should get a bonus. It’ll be a way for the company to reward good work.
— DudeRetro (@DudeRetr0) April 13, 2024
What I do is buy the game for someone else, and/or buy it on another platform. Sometimes though everyone I know already has it or it's not on multiple platforms.
— Yoshen (@JustYoshen) April 11, 2024
I thought about this so many times for so many years. Totally feel that, but i’ve found my way to handle this. I purchase great games several times. Nier Automata for example, i purchased digital on PS and Xbox and physically on Switch, same for other games i really loved.
— MonsieurOblivion (@MonsierOblivion) April 11, 2024
So, while tipping might not be the best way to go about things, it’s an idea worth toying around with, especially for smaller / indie developers.
But now I want to hear from you. What, if anything, do you do if you play a game and finish it thinking it was worth far more than the initial investment? Let me know in the comments.