Gamers as a group are the most brainless moronic consumers in existence. No other industry in the world could get away with treating their customers the way the gaming indusrty do and still have customers.
If you go into a garage or a shop or anywhere and are insulted, ripped off, get bad service, in any way feel wronged you would not go back, not even once.
But with the gaming industry you are considered a pessimist if you dont give them 10 more chances to not shit on you this time.
The only reason they treat us like we do is because they know they can. We need them as much as they need us. We are desperate. They are our crack dealer.
Critical Edge 6o3matty 21 FEB 2015
DLC can be exploited to be a money grab. Taking certain content out of a game to be sold later. To me, that sounds like a slippery slope when it comes to people in suits that do not care about the game itself, only money. No no no, that is tin foil hat stuff, and you must name call anyone who doesn't have your opinion of DLC.
COD 1 had the expansion pack/DLC named United Offensive that had new weapons, maps, VEHICLES, game modes, larger servers for $30. You might say, "Well that is no different from DLC now". But here is the kicker. You also got a new single player campaign as well. edit: Nowadays, that is called a sequel (BF3/4/Hardline FarCry3/4)
DLC is watered down now and is being exploited by publishers because they can. Because crap consumer practices will let the snow ball keep rolling. Tell me with a straight face that you think DLC has been improving and you like where the gaming industry is heading. You keep name calling and bring up other videos that actually agree with my point to some degree.
Also games were so good back then that getting only 10 hours out of a game is TRASH. I sunk hundreds (maybe thousand) of hours in COD 1 because of multiplayer alone.
YOU have the Power to Change the Trajectory of the Video Gaming Industry sfscriv 1 NOV 2015
aRaven Critical Edge 26 OCT 2015 Quote:
There are some games that some people are guaranteed to buy. Why not pre-order these games to get whatever little bonuses you are going to get for pre-ordering, be it a price discount or some sort of additional content?
If a consumer is going to purchase the product no-matter-what, then they should absolutely Pre-order.
aRaven Critical Edge 26 OCT 2015 Quote:
With all of the pre-order bullshit nowadays it's hard to swallow the fact that you are supporting this direction in the industry by simply pre-ordering a game...
When individual voters give away their power by pre-ordering, the quality control mechanism is put at risk. Each individual product will only sell so many units in its life-time. The percentage of pre-orders directly effects the release date and the condition of the product at release. There is much less risk with a specific product if a sizable portion of the life time of sales has already been made with pre-orders. The fallout (low sales) of a release too early and half completed product is much less with strong pre-orders. Time and strength swings over to the developer and corporate executives away from the consumers when a sizable amount of the money has already been made.
Without pre-orders, the consumer has more time to understand the state of the product at release. The information about the actual state of the product at release impacts the decision to purchase. A product that releases too early and half completed suffers with low sales because the consumers want a product to be complete at the time of purchase.
Another factor to consider in this process is the reputation of the company making the product. If the company is highly reputable with a long standing record of consistently releasing high quality products, then the risk to the consumer is low. If the company has a poor reputation with a long standing record of consistently releasing low quality products, then the risk to the consumer is high. This is where I have a BIG problem with the weak decision making of the Battlefield customers. EA/DICE has consistently had very poor releases. As a consequence, the pre-orders should be LOW. Yet EA/DICE hype and Electronic Arts marketing are able to overpower the established customers. In addition, many of the established customers do not possess the will power to resist a purchase that is too early.
Present in this problem set is a large percentage of consumers in this market consistently displaying addictive behavior. The quality of the product is not a factor in the consideration of whether or not to purchase the product. The product is purchased no matter what because the junkie has to have his fix. That behavior placed our community in this current state of affairs and resulted in a serious decline in the quality of the products consumed.
aRaven Critical Edge 26 OCT 2015 Quote:
You have to look at what it is that is being offered as a pre-order bonus,...
It should not matter. With a less than reputable developer, they MUST demonstrate a certain level of quality and completeness before YOU purchase the product.
aRaven Critical Edge 26 OCT 2015 Quote:
...still won't have much of an effect unless many people make the same choice.
Blaming the others is not the proper course of action. You have to accept responsibility for your vote. Those that are around you who are display signs of weakness need encouragement to resist the temptation to buy too early. We all benefit from holding the developers feet to the fire to produce a quality product.
aRaven Critical Edge 26 OCT 2015 Quote:
..., if you pre-order something like a set of expansions without even knowing what the hell they are, before even knowing if a game is good or not then you are an idiot,...
Depends on the reputation of the company producing the product. Nine of ten times it is better to wait to see the state of the product before purchasing. Even the best of companies has a rotten apple every once and a while. Send the company and the stockholders the correct signal by rewarding high quality products and crushing poor quality products.
V4L3R4 Critical Edge 28 OCT 2015 Quote:
Since we are forced to pre-order to get all of the available content, it forces us to buy without knowing what it is we're getting...
You do not have a firearm pointed at your head. You actually have a choice and therefore YOU have the power over quality and how the product is released.
V4L3R4 Critical Edge 28 OCT 2015 Quote:
This is a bad precedent,...
Yes, it is a bad precedent that is making millions of extra money for the corporate executives. If it is functioning spectacularly, then why change it. The individual consumers have the power of their wallet and the extremely powerful word-of mouth. Look at the marketing budget for DayZ which, I imagine, was damn near zero. Great concept with fantastic word-of-mouth marketing. Word-of-Mouth marketing works both ways. Talk-up the good and talk-down the bad.
Ignore the business company affiliation and focus on the message of the following video:
V4L3R4 Critical Edge 28 OCT 2015 Quote:
I'm very disappointed with the direction in which AAA games are headed,...
As you should be... If you and your friends have been purchasing and word-of-mouth marketing a product from a less than reputable company before it has even been released, then shame on YOU.
V4L3R4 Critical Edge 28 OCT 2015 Quote:
...pre-order incentives that give you bonus items or xp or in-game stores...
Those incentives are working, but should not be based on the state of the games at release. Be strong!!
V4L3R4 Critical Edge 28 OCT 2015 Quote:
The reason companies are trying so hard to suck every penny out of us so desperately is because their budgets...
Wouldn't you? (There are enough people that will take advantage of the weak) Some idiot is giving you money and keeps giving you money for half the work that is usually required. That process equals big profits. Keep the assembly line going. These addicts can't get enough. The stockholders are salivating at the appreciation of their stock. Business is GOOD!!
V4L3R4 Critical Edge 28 OCT 2015 Quote:
Why does it cost significantly more money to create higher resolution textures or models?
It's the Marketing and Michael Bay explosions that work the consumers up into a feeding frenzy.
V4L3R4 Critical Edge 28 OCT 2015 Quote:
Does marketing need to spend several million dollars to market a game that a lot of people will already buy?
If it works...
V4L3R4 Critical Edge 28 OCT 2015 Quote:
Does CoD really need to hire Kevin Spacey? Do we need big name Hollywood actors to play bit-parts?
It tricks the consumers into thinking they are getting more for their money. The long duration portion of the product used is in the multiplayer portion. So, the single player narration should have little impact on the overall game. But then, there is the marketing that is not only affecting the prime audience, but also the relatives that are looking for a quality product for Christmas. Parent thinks, "Well damn, it has Kevin Spacey in it. It must be good." Purchase made. This is brilliant marketing. It not only appeals to the direct users of the products, but also their extended families.
V4L3R4 Critical Edge 28 OCT 2015 Quote:
There seems to be no light at the end of this tunnel,...
Understood. It is very discouraging. Be strong, make good decision, and spread the word.
V4L3R4 Critical Edge 28 OCT 2015 Quote:
[we] have zero impact on the mentality of the publisher, who will merely attempt to cordon off more of the game as a pre-order bonus next time....
You have all the power depending on how you choose to wield it. "With great power comes great responsibility." Uncle Ben told Peter Parker in the movie Spiderman.
Turn up your [I]volume[/I] for this one.
V4L3R4 Critical Edge 28 OCT 2015 Quote:
The best we can do is use our critical thinking skills and remember all the times we've been burned by big name titles being released in a shitty state...
Yes, thinking is part of the solution. Not behaving like an addict is also another part of the solution. Be sure to use that word-of-mouth marketing.
V4L3R4 Critical Edge 28 OCT 2015 Quote:
Whatever we do, it doesn't fucking matter because the mass market plebs will eat up anything that is shoved down their throat by flashy ads and trailers...
Self-defeat is a common state-of-mind of mankind.
V4L3R4 Critical Edge 28 OCT 2015 Quote:
It's all hopeless, the fight was lost before it began...
Go fetal !!! Someone will take charge. You can do as they wish... .
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