[Poll] Will you tip the developers after you finish the game?

You can participate in the survey at the bottom of this message. This poll stems from a post I saw on social media. Because last week Mike Ybarra brought up an interesting topic.

The former head of Blizzard Entertainment said in a tweet that he would like to be able to tip the scales in the game's favor. He explained in his tweet that there are games that are so special to him that he is willing to give 10 or 20 euros as a tip. He cites Elden Ring, Horizon Zero Dawn and Red Dead Redemption 2 as examples of the best games that I would personally pay 80 or 90 euros for. But would I also do this as advice?

I find Ybarra's statement interesting, but I will not support it. First of all, I think the games are expensive enough. For 95% of the games I play, I don't see any added value in this, and frankly I assume the publisher has already built enough profit margin into the price they're asking for the game.

There are also other considerations that make me less enthusiastic about Ybarra's proposal. For example, I see there is a risk that developers' careers will be further eroded and salary reduced, with a contractual arrangement whereby additional salary can be earned through tips. Like the 18-year-old waiter on the balcony, who can make a good living in a sunny summer, but it depends on many factors. Offsetting your meager salary as a developer with tips seems to me to be a very undesirable situation, partly because you as a developer don't have full control over how the game is marketed and at what time it's released.

Then there's the pessimistic side of me that says this advice wouldn't go to developers at all, but mainly to Mike Ybarra themselves in the industry: the top 1% in the industry who are already making a lot of money. In short, the more I thought about it, the more I respectfully considered Ybarra's proposal. In my opinion, the best expression of appreciation we as players can give to developers is: enthusiasm! Talk about games, share screenshots on social media, and convince friends to get that game. Speaking of which, have you gotten Sea of ​​Thieves yet? And try Elden Ring, the game is now on sale!

Anyway, what do you think of Ybarra's proposal?