Are you buying used games? Then you are a complete stingy and trash of the gaming industry. You’re worse than any pirate who sailed the sea of warez. Or at least, that’s what the publisher wants us to think. Whether you have the right to sell the product you have purchased is irrelevant: the sale of used games is destroying the gaming industry.
When a new game is traded or sold to a game store, the money is then deposited by the retailer rather than going into the hands of hardworking developers who spend blood, sweat, and tears to create their pride and joy. The same game can be bought and sold many times and it can be said that the purchase is a potential sale that has been stolen from the game company itself. It’s true that you don’t hear the music or film industry complain about their second-hand losses, but is making an album or film worth the amount of money and effort spent developing a Triple-A game title? As usual, it is the consumer who decides whether a game is worth $50, and often they decide to use the pre-owned price.
Garbage Incentive for New Purchase Pembelian
Game companies are already using a number of methods to earn extra cash after releasing their games in the form of downloadable content (DLC) and now there is an incentive to buy new ones. Pre-order bonuses seem to be in vogue right now with many games including codes for additional DLC or certain in-game bonuses.
We’ll take a look at some of the junk incentives offered by publishers to encourage new purchases and what alternatives are more acceptable.
Exclusive DLC & Pre-Order Bonuses: Gamers aren’t new to receiving bonuses in collector’s editions and the like, but recently we’ve seen lots of additional freebies in new games or as part of pre-orders. title. Most of it is in-game DLC, such as new weapons and armor, new maps or various other cosmetic additions that don’t really add much to the game. In fact, most of these items you can probably live without. I don’t really need the Blood Dragon Armor in Dragon Age Origins and I can live without the tattoo set in Fable 3, thanks a lot. I would say that armor DLC is one of the most useless examples of DLC incentives. Although it may not be as useless as Horse Armor from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
In some cases, the DLC on offer is a little more substantial. Some games offer quests or missions, and this feels more like a ‘thank you’ bonus. Bioware has taken it one step further by offering a DLC delivery service in Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age 2. This service allows players to download a series of free items, as well as access paid DLC. In Mass Effect 2, this includes some additional side-quests and exclusive armor/weapons (Groan). Players can also add a new character to their game squad, Zaeed, and he comes with his own loyalty mission as well as several small areas to explore plus new weapons. While this is a better incentive and adds more to the game, if you don’t buy the new Mass Effect 2, then getting Zaeed will cost you 1200 Microsoft Points ($15). Gosh.
The cost and value of the DLC is something to discuss another time, but to judge the quality of future DLC, compare it to the Undead Nightmare pack from Red Dead Redemption. For just 800 Microsoft Points ($10), a new single player game will be unlocked that rivals the original game. This is a stunning example of DLC quality.
Online Pass: Now this seems to be an interesting/worrying trend in recent games, remove as necessary. It all started with EA when they introduced the ‘Online Pass’ idea for some of their major titles, like Dead Space 2, The Sims 3, Madden NFL 11, etc. These online cards are one-time codes that grant access to their in-game online multiplayer functionality. This means that you are prohibited from playing online unless you buy a new game, and thus have a passcode, or you spend $10 to get this card if you are unfortunate enough to buy a used game.
Several companies have already started using this system, including Ubisoft, Codemasters, Warner, THQ and now Sony. Sony will follow the same trend by offering a $10 code to used gamers and this initiative will kick off with the release of Resistance 3.
While online tickets are a good method of making a profit from potential lost sales, they are also a bit of a concern because they penalize second-hand players, effectively removing some of the game’s content from players. In some cases, the share of online games is much larger than the mandatory story mode and if you’re already paying for a service like Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus, then that just adds to the extra cost.
Non-Resettable Game Savings: Now this ‘incentive’ really works. In the recent Resident Evil Mercenaries title by Capcom on the 3DS, players are prevented from deleting their saved data. This means that the game cannot be started from scratch and looks like a direct attack on a secondhand game. Now, that’s not a big deal in Mercenaries 3D, as this data roughly translates into high scores and some can’t be unlocked, but imagine if this system was used in other games, like RPGs? What if you bought a used game that was already finished? As a result, most rental shops are unwilling to provide 3D Mercenaries.
But the worst thing about non-resetting games is that it also penalizes gamers who have purchased new games, as they are prevented from resetting their game data if they wish.
What’s the Alternative?
So, if the incentives that drive us to buy these brand-shattering new games don’t work, or are just ‘a little bit of bullshit’, then what are the alternatives?
Nintendo Club: Nintendo offers some more attractive incentives for new purchases. Each new game comes with a card that can be redeemed for points in the ‘Club Nintendo’ service. Here, gamers can spend their points on a wide variety of collectible Nintendo merchandise, from posters to clothing. There are many items that can be saved for. Let alone that some of the better items require a few points and maybe ten hundred Wii, getting a physical item for your loyalty is a pretty neat idea.
Imagine if you could be awarded Microsoft points to spend on XBLA games? Or maybe you could spend those points on real-world stuff, like control pads, or posters? I would love to see real rewards as incentives rather than crappy in-game armor.
Casual & Digital Games: There’s a reason why digitally downloadable games, like those on XBLA or PSN as well as mobile games, are becoming so popular. They offer a great gaming experience at a low price. All of these services have evolved over the years, from selling small retro games to full-fledged gaming experiences big enough to make many full-priced games cry. I know I’ll have Limbo on my Xbox sooner than some dodgy Kinect Carnival Games version, and it’s also a lot more value for money.
Mobile and indie games are constantly evolving and many game developers are already realizing that smaller games are an alternative to big-budget titles. This doesn’t mean we’ll see the end of the Triple-A game, but it does reevaluate the value of the game.
Lower That Price: In fact, not everyone can afford to buy a video game at full price. We live in tough times, and with some titles selling for $60, for many it’s a case of buy cheap or miss. Some games are honestly not worth $50 and are reduced to half price in a matter of weeks. Even digitally distributed titles can cost as much if not more than their retail counterparts. Used games are very popular because they are cheaper. Simple, really.
While it seems certain game stores are taking advantage of the popularity of used games to maximize their profits, especially since the pre-owned options seem quite expensive, pre-owned titles are also a savior for the smaller independent retailers battling the bigger ones. branch store. We all know that options offer customers the best deal, whether selling new or used games.
Online retailers like Amazon and Play.Com still offer lower prices, but I don’t like seeing this replace the magic of mainstream shopping. However, if the retailer can offer better deals on the new titles, it might boost sales.
So, what’s next?
Maybe the gaming industry needs to rethink their half-baked incentives and look at the reasons why gamers are quicker to buy a used game than paying cash for a shiny new copy. The industry also needs to get rid of the idea that used gamers are the enemy. We’re not pirates, we don’t steal games. We are just customers. However, the real problem lies with retailers maximizing their own greed at the expense of the industry.
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