Father Geek is pleased to play your games and toys with a wide range of diverse individuals. We play all our games with Child Geeks (from ages 2 to 18 years old), Parent Geeks (adults and parents who are casual game players who look for games to play with their family and peers), and Gamer Geeks (well-seasoned gamers who are very involved in the gaming hobby). Every product we are offered to review is played multiple times, and the results of the play sessions are recorded in a fair and objective manner.
Our reviews include a high-level summary of the game, an in-depth overview of the gameplay, a prediction that attempts to determine how well the product will be received based on history, and a final summary of what we observed with our closing thoughts on the gameplay as a whole. All our reviews are handled professionally, detailed, and published on our website, Amazon.com, and Board Game Geek (where applicable). We also maintain a growing social network across Facebook and Twitter, where we actively communicate and share our game-playing experiences with our followers.
Our services and our time are available to everyone, from the just-starting indie game designer to large corporate publishers and suppliers. We review each product on its own merit and do not favor games or products with a higher production value. Our one and only goal are to inform and share how we position our hobbies and interests with our friends and family, using play as a means to educate and, of course, to have fun.
Starting on May 12th, 2013, Father Geek has shifted its business model to address the explosive growth and interest in our services for crowdfunded games using platforms such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Our time is now at a premium, but we do not want to reduce our level of quality as a result. We now charge for some of our services, asking for a modest fee with the continued promise to provide a high quality, fair, honest, objective, and professional written review. Payment helps support our site’s infrastructure and the time we spend with your product with a large group of people (buying snacks for them, printing handouts, etc.), but does not in any way influence our review. When you pay for our services, you do not get any special treatment other than the time we dedicate to your review.
Below is our pricing guide. Please review it and then contact us using the website’s contact form or send us an email at fathergeek@gmail.com. If you are an indie game designer or this is your first time attempting to have your game reviewed, I recommend you give Five Things to Consider Before Sending Your Game to a Reviewer (Including Me) a quick read.
Review Services
Published Games | Unpublished or Crowdfunding Games | Published Crowdfunding Games |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Review Price: | Free | $200 | $100 |
Scheduled: | No * | Yes | Yes |
Perks: | o An honest review from a Child, Parent, and Gamer Geek perspective (new players, casual players, and advanced players) o Published on our website, Board Game Geek, and Amazon.com (where applicable and by request) o Announced on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ o Includes all games from large game publishers, smaller companies, and our favorite people in the world, the independent board game designers (self-published or through the Game Crafter) | o A complete "Prepublished Game Review"* breakdown of your game, including rules explanation, game play, and any game variants, with links to your campaign o Published on our website, Board Game Geek, and Amazon.com (where applicable and by request) o Announced on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ o Free ad support (small sidebar ad - see below) for the duration of your campaign that is visible across our entire website | o A complete "Prepublished Game Review"* breakdown of your game, including rules explanation, game play, and any game variants, with links to your campaign o Published on our website, Board Game Geek, and Amazon.com (where applicable and by request) o Announced on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ o Free ad support (small sidebar ad - see below) for the duration of your campaign that is visible across our entire website |
* Scheduled reviews are generally reserved for time-sensitive projects and receive top priority with our gaming groups. A request to play a published game by a specific date is welcome and we will do all we can to accommodate.
* Father Geek does not provide “previews”. We will review all unpublished games in the same way we review published games, except we do not fix too critical of an eye on unpublished game component quality or rules. If you are just looking for a preview (where an individual will introduce the game and speak to it without suggesting the quality of play), we can recommend a number of well-known and respected reviewers who will be happy to assist you.
Ad Placement Services
| Text Link | Small Sidebar | Large Sidebar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price: | o $30 for 1 Month (30 days) o $80 for 3 Months (90 days) | o $50 for 1 Month (30 days) o $125 for 3 Months (90 days) | o $80 for 1 Month (30 days) o $220 for 3 Months (90 days) |
| Location: | Visible on all pages of the website | Visible on all pages of the website | Visible on all pages of the website |
| Formats: | HTML hyperlink | o PNG o JPG o GIF (static only) | o PNG o JPG o GIF (static or animated) |
| Dimensions: | 200 letters | 180 pixels wide x 144 pixels long | 180 pixels wide x 288 pixels long |
* Father Geek will not promote gambling, sexual material, or drugs/medication. Contact Father Geek if you have any questions regarding your advertisement content.
Payment Options
- PayPal
- Certified check
Refund Policy
A full refund will be provided if requested 2 weeks or more prior to the scheduled publication date. At 2 weeks prior to publication, work has begun on the review, meaning our time and focus is being spent on your game.
Game Return Policy
As of October 2016, Father Geek will no longer return or forward games or game prototypes.
Giveaways
Our giveaway and contest hosting services now have their separate page entry.
Frequently Asked Questions of Importance
Q: Why do you charge for your game reviews for Kickstarter/Indiegogo Games, but not published games?
A: More times than not, games provided to us for a Kickstarter/Indiegogo campaign are (1) not complete and (2) of poor to moderate game component quality. The rules are oftentimes not done and the game play is still being tweaked. This makes teaching the game and getting players to sit down with us a much more complicated and time consuming process. Kickstarter/Indiegogo campaigns are also timed and we will release our review based on your time-table. If the game is provided to us late, we might have to scramble to get the review out the door. Additionally, we will be reviewing your game twice. Once before it is published to support your campaign and a complete re-review of your game once it is published and sent to us. In contrast, published games are complete, rules are finished, are only reviewed once, and the game bits are as good as it’s going to get.
Q: What is the difference between your “Prepublished Game Review” and “Published Game Full Review”?
A: Nothing other than our understanding of the game’s current condition. For a “Prepublished Game Review”, we ignore component quality, poor editing in the rules, and review the game for its game play with the understanding that “what we are playing is not the final game”. For a “Published Game Full Review”, which is only provided for published games, we are much more critical of the entire game, from component quality and game rules to game play.
Q: I see you charge less for a crowdfunded published game review. Why is that? EXPLAIN YOURSELF!
A: Sometimes, a game is already published and is also seeking crowdfunding to further support a new print run or decrease the total price for all. We will charge half of our standard paid review fee if the game is available to purchase today and seeking additional funding, as well.
Q: Okay, but what’s the difference between a “preview” and a “review” of a game?
A: In our opinion, a “preview” is simply a “hey, here’s what the game is about and here is what they plan on doing with it!” That’s interesting, but does nothing to suggest what the game play is like once it is put to the test on the gaming table. A “review” is an objective deep-dive into the game and what it’s all about, how it plays, and what the players think of it. If you are just looking for a way to get your Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign recognized and not inspected, we suggest you consider doing an ad with us instead of a review.
Q: Wait! What? You charge for reviews?! Does that mean I get to influence what you say?
A: No. Your payment is for our time only. We play each game (if appropriate) with a large number of people. FatherGeek.com provides reviews after playing games with children, parents, and gamer elitists. While you are not paying for our words, you are paying for our focus on your game, which we will play multiple times. And, again, we don’t charge for reviews of published games. Only for games or products that are part of a Kickstarter or an Indiegogo funding campaign.
Q: Why should I bother to give you money if I know someone who can do it for free?
A: An excellent question! If you would like us to spend quality time with your prepublished product, we request a fee. Others don’t. Shop around, review every reviewer’s work, and then approach those who you want to work with. Heck, I can recommend a growing number of excellent reviewers. Take a moment to look through the Top Reviewers and Most Active Reviewers on Board Game Geek. You’ll quickly see there are many talented individuals who would be more than happy to play and review your game.
Make the best choice that is for you. You worked hard on your game. Take the time to find the right reviewer. We pride ourselves on quality and our large number of reviews should speak for itself. If you like what FatherGeek.com is all about and how we review games, let’s work together. If not, then we wish you all the luck in the world. No hard feelings.
Q: Didn’t you review all games for free?
A: Yes, for almost 3 years. This was our “trial period” where we tested the waters, determined if FatherGeek.com was something we really wanted to do, and changed our style of writing to accommodate our interested readers. As far as we are concerned, FatherGeek.com is now out of “BETA” and ready to fly on its own.
Q: If I give you a full copy of the game after it is published, shouldn’t that be payment enough?
A: If your game was guaranteed to succeed, then yes. But crowdfunding is not a “sure thing”.
Q: If I pay for a review, am I guaranteed a “Father Geek Seal of Approval”?
A: No. The Father Geek Seal of Approval is only given to games where all three groups we play games with (Child Geeks, Parent Geeks, and Gamer Geeks) have approved it. And we don’t attempt to influence their review comments or thoughts on the game whatsoever. Technically, FatherGeek.com doesn’t award the seal; the people who play your game do.
Q: Can I send you the game/product before I pay for your time?
A: Yes, and we’ll notify you when we get it, but we will not spend any time with your game/product until payment is received.
Q: Can I send you a box full of games/products?
A: Yes, but we won’t review the games in the box one after another. We’ll space them out.
Q: I represent a gaming/toy company/distributor you are currently affiliated with. Will you review our crowdfunded game/product for free?
A: Yes, and if you are wondering who Father Geek is affiliated with…
