Wednesday 9 January 2013

In Game Purchases

One of the money making schemes for online games is to offer "In Game Purchase" for players. By investing a little extra cash (usually small amounts here and there), a player can gain an extra advantage or receive extra resources that are normally impossible or difficult to come by.
While discussing this topic with some gaming (non-chess) friends of mine, we wondered whether such a scheme would work in chess. A couple of obvious suggestions were to buy extra pieces during the game, to pay for a second move in a row, or to simply bid for the result of the game. Of course non of these are in anyway practical, but a more subtle approach may still work.
Rather than have 'in-game' purchases, 'in-tournament' purchases may work instead. Organisers could offer 'Joker' cards, which when played before the start of the game, would earn play double points for that round. Or a 'Veto' card, which allows a player to not have a particular opponent for that round. There might also be the 'Restart' card if a player doesn't like where a game is headed, or even the 'Do-over' card, which is used at the end of a game. But to maximise profit, the organisers would also sell 'Immunity' cards which cancel the effect of any played card :)
Of course this is all just for giggles, but if you could add 'effect' cards to chess tournaments, what would they be?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

1. GPS will monitor your opponents orientation while away from the board so you can switch the clock over to the other side.

2. Autodetection of potential promotion pieces being in opponents hand or dropped on floor.

3. Your opponent isn't allowed to eat or drink at table.

4. Opponent is never allowed to leave their seat.

5. DGT board so you don't have to write moves down.

6. Water to drink goes from 50% uptime to 99%.

7. You don't have to shake your opponents hand.

8. Your opponent has to give you a real handshake.

9. You get first pick of the Bolens book sale.

10. Spectating titled players come over and give you a brief shoulder massage in a critical position. Maybe sharp intake of breath would be good too.

11. CRAZY HEADGEAR!!! Hang on that happens anyway no fee required.

12. Cool chair.

13. You get to play with Isle of Lewis chess set. Confuse your opponents!

14. You get to play with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer chess set. Trivialise your game!

15. Every time your opponent touches a piece they get a bom-bom fail noise.

16. Free rum for your opponent.

17. Free rum for you.

18. Free rum for the arbiter.

19. Custom skins for pieces.

20. Flying mounts.

Mark Patterson, Esq.

Garvin said...

Probably the best idea for this type of concept comes from backgammon where you get to double.

Lets say you are playing a best of 5 'sets'. So you need to win three games. In any of the games, you can turn the cube over and tell your opponent you are doubling the stakes.

The opponent then has the option to either accept the double or resign.

Could also work for chess, especially in rapid.

You think you have a winning position, or you wish to force your opponent to stop wasting time playing a dead lost ending.

Turn the cube over to indicate playing for double stakes and they would almost certainly resign in lost positions.

Anonymous said...

Well in online chess I think it already exists. Chesscube.com has a wager system for every game with their ingame currency. When you get to a low amount it is very hard to find games so there is an option to pay to add "so many" game currency.