do i have to pay monthly for big fish ? or some membership fee ? they have ghost dogs of moonlake for $3, i'm wondering if you have some membership fees , in addition to the $3 to downlaod this game ? thanks

Hi, I moved your post over to the Casual Games forum.

If you are a member of the Game Club at Big Fish, Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake would cost $6.99; folks who are not members of the Game Club would pay $9.99.

If you join the Game Club, it will cost you $6.99 a month and in return you will be issued one Game Credit per month good for one $6.99 game. There is no minimum amount of time you are required to be a Club member and you can cancel your membership at any time.

Let us know if you have any more questions.

I think the first time you purchase they automatically consider you a member and you can cancel within 30 days. At least I think that's what happened with me. I cancelled because I prefer to just buy games when I feel like it and not be bothered with membership and punch cards or whatever it all is I see being talked about on this board.

Yes, they "automatically" signed me up for their Club, too, and then I noticed a charge hit my VISA bill later. It irritated me because I did not feel like they were very forthcoming about saying they were going to do that. I immediately canceled my "Membership," and I did not go back to the site for several years because of that experience.

However, they do have frequent sales, and like Old Broad said, I prefer to visit and buy when I want to, and not on some schedule of theirs. You do NOT need to be a Game Club Member at all. You will find the sales are frequent enough that, if you wait for one, you don't need to pay a monthly membership to still have access to the games you want at decent prices. Just keep a list of the games you are interested in or have played the Trial version of, and then buy several at a time when a sale arises.

All the casual games are generally short in duration, IMHO, so go for the Collector's Version. Usually, these have bonus play, but you would want to verify that before buying.

Unless things have changed since I last bought a game at BFG, you need to look for a small check box relating to club membership which is automatically checked when you purchasing something. It isn't obvious that it's there because it rather small, but at one time it was there.

That is my understanding of how it works, too, unless something has since changed.

To each their own. But I think it's good to remember that the $6.99 membership credit doesn't have to be used right away. And 2 credits are good for a CE. As has been stated, it depends on how often you buy games and how much you can justify spending. I'm a longtime BFG member and remember joining and cancelling several times at first. BFG is now sort of a hobby for me, so I consider the monthly membership is just a part of the cost for my hobby. Sort of like buying yarn, paints, fabric, or other craft materials for those with creative hobbies.

As far as CE vs. standard versions, IMO the Bonus chapters are not always worth paying twice the price. For someone who doesn't want to pay for membership, I would recommend waiting for the standard versions. The games that are released as CE's prior to being offered in standard versions are usually good long games without the bonus content.

I didn't notice any check box but I admit I never read the fine print. They did notify me by email though thanking me for joining or something and saying that I could cancel within 30 days. I was not taken by surprise with a charge on my credit card or anything like that. What I didn't think to do though was get my first game at that really discounted price that they offer for first time buyers because I had somehow misunderstood that and didn't realize it was my first direct purchase from them.

For me, I have mostly still been trying to get games on disc rather than by download, although it is getting harder and harder a) to buy games on disc and b) to figure out where to put them once I have them. As I am buying more casual games lately, I am doing more by download, however I still am not really interested in the membership. I don't want to worry about the credits, etc. It sounds too much like my job!

They often have the CE's on sale for $7.99 or so, so I can stock up then.

I'm not a Game Club member. I just buy a game from Big Fish when I see one I fancy. And that certainly isn't every month.
So paying a set monthly fee isn't economical for me

[ And I'd never remember to spend any type of game credits before they ran out !! ]

So I probably pay a little more for the games I DO buy - but then Big Fish hold sales very frequently and I can always take advantage of those to save a little

Having said all that, though, I'm not admitting to just how many Big Fish games I HAVE bought !!

I think it's pretty easy to keep track of things since the BFG site has a bar at the top of the page that shows how many Game Club credits you have as well as a tally for your punch card. If you're a Game Club member, the bar will be there whenever you access the site. When you've filled a punch card, BFG sends an e-mail with the coupon code and the expiration date. You usually have a few months to use the coupon code.

I buy a lot of games and hardly ever replay them. I feel that being a Game Club member has saved me a lot of money. One of the recent changes that Big Fish made re: using Game Club credits for CE games is just one example of why I don't find the monthly membership fee to be a waste of money. I can either wait until I've accumulated 2 GC credits or buy a GC credit to add to the one I get with the membership fee and get a CE for the member price. But, with all the sales that BFG has had, I can't remember the last time I paid the full member price for a CE. Not to mention that you get 3 punches when you buy a CE - even if it's on sale. Since I stock up on CE's whenever there's a good sale, I've managed to get a lot of standard editions for free. All in all, for me the membership fee is never a waste of money. It's debited on the same date every month and I can count on that when planning what to buy.

Here's a summary from the BFG website: http://bigfishgames.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/907

Thanks, Sparkle. You certainly know your way round Big Fish !!