If I'm understanding this experiment correctly, they want people to pay to play chess on their site?
Why would I choose to do that, when I can play for free at any number of well-established sites that already have decent-sized playerbases?
Topic: Online Chess Game - page 2. (Read 3762 times)
If I may, people do not like signing up for stuff. Especially a game that can be played free almost anywhere. A possible solution to your 'freeloader' problem would be to set up tournaments (even over a week or two) and charge for entry. The house (that would be you) would keep a percentage of the prize(s).
I appreciate the suggestion, but I'm working off some very well established baseline data. With a nearly identical site, I can get a 22% registration rate on targeted clicks with required and confirmed deliverable e-mail addresses. On this site, e-mail is optional so reg rate should actually be higher than that baseline (although Bitcoin users aren't going to qualify as targeted chess traffic). With a credit card payment option, I can get a 0.4% conversion rate on clicks with an average spend of just over $30 per customer measured across a two year interval. No prizes or tournaments have been required to get that either.
I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel -- just determine if the bus can run on Bitcoin as well as it can on credit card. Realistically, my expectations are low. The world of Bitcoin is like a poor 3rd world nation. Its citizens aren't likely to spend much simply because they don't have much. Nevertheless, if a successful model of any kind can be established within the Bitcoin economy, that's when we'll start to see exponential growth.
A really interesting project, I used to play chess a lot. Such projects should be supported more, not just exchange websites and lotteries.
I love chess. It is a lost art on most.
If I may, people do not like signing up for stuff. Especially a game that can be played free almost anywhere. A possible solution to your 'freeloader' problem would be to set up tournaments (even over a week or two) and charge for entry. The house (that would be you) would keep a percentage of the prize(s).
All that would be required is a Receive Address for, and a Return Address for (in case they win).
If I may, people do not like signing up for stuff. Especially a game that can be played free almost anywhere. A possible solution to your 'freeloader' problem would be to set up tournaments (even over a week or two) and charge for entry. The house (that would be you) would keep a percentage of the prize(s).
All that would be required is a Receive Address for
I've been working with some guys who just released a fun little web based chess game that sells access for Bitcoin. It's primarily an experiment to test the viability of a Bitcoin micropayment gaming site, but it's a fun way to spend a few bitcents. Try it out at:
http://www.desperadochess.com/
They are also making their sales stats publicly available, so it should be interesting to see what happens.
http://www.desperadochess.com/
They are also making their sales stats publicly available, so it should be interesting to see what happens.
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