Consumerism, self-control, boycotts and the Gamer. A sort of mini-rant.

[BreakfastMan]

So, a lot of people think that a lot of things are wrong with the game industry today. Many people place the blame on developers and publishers. And while they are not wrong to assign some degree of blame to them, I do not think it is useful to focus on what developers/publishers can do differently. We are not members of the company (well, most of us). We do not have control over what projects get greenlit when. We do not have control over company policy. We do not have control over what gets published by whom, and with what DRM. No, what we have to focus on is what we, as gamers, can do to affect change. The companies are beholden to us. It is we who pay their paychecks. Publishers are not stealing money from our wallets. In order to purchase their product, we have to go into a store/steam/PSN, put it in the cart, then go over to the checkout area and hand over the cash. We have more power than we sometimes want to acknowledge. We share some of the blame for the state the industry is in, and we should actually do something about it so no one can look at us and accuse us of laziness or complacency.

If a game company is doing something you hate, do not purchase their product. At all. EA the devil? Don't purchase their products. Don't purchase them new, don't purchase them used, don't purchase them digitally, don't purchase them physically. Do not purchase their DLC, do not purchase anything that they have released. Activision running the COD franchise into the ground with samey sequels? Don't purchase that next sequel, hoping it will be different. CD Projekt Red providing their game DRM free at GOG? Purchase it there instead of on Steam. EA putting invasive crap into Origin? Don't use Origin or any games that use Origin. Want more old-school RPGs? Support those old-school RPGs and shun all of the newer ones. Hell, buy copies for all of your friends to show them how good those games are. Want more core games for the Wii? Actually fecking buy those core games.

Until we fecking learn some self-control and don't purchase games that do stuff we hate, we cannot expect anything to change. Complaining by itself does not change anything at all; it needs to be backed up by action. Which is something that we have not yet figured out how to do. We need to get out of this consumerism mindset that so many seem to be stuck in, and actually become responsible consumers. So, I implore you, if a pub or a dev is trying to screw you over, don't fall for it and purchase the game; grow some fecking balls, learn some self control, and don't purchase their games. Do what you say for once.

/mini-rant

Discussion! What do you think you can do to affect a positive change in the industry? What positive changes do you want to see?

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

That's what I am doing with EA.

I just don't know when to stop. Do I buy an EA game once it has no DRM in it or do I just wait until they say "no more DRM, ever!" which will never happen.

yeah same.

While I am drawing a thick line, it's hard to know where that line begins and ends, and if it actually makes a difference...is EA gonna go "Phew, they are buying again, back to the tricks people!" *insert obligatory Mr. Burns evil picture here*

 

[Hal10k]

That's what I am doing with EA.

I just don't know when to stop. Do I buy an EA game once it has no DRM in it or do I just wait until they say "no more DRM, ever!" which will never happen.

Let's work from the hypothesis that approximately 25% of potential consumers of a company's products share your exact views and follow your purchasing habits exactly.

If that 25% of the consumer base simply stops buying all of that companies products, no exceptions, then that company is going to go into crisis mode. They're going to experiment with DRM, DLC, or any other sort of incentive to increase sales and the available profit margin derivd from those sales. Market practices you approve of may result from this. But more likely than not, the end result is going to be something different, but not necessarily more to your approval.

If, however, you instead buy that company's products selectively, based on which particular products you approve of, then the company's reaction is going to be different. They'll have immediate access to all available sales data, and they'll be able to determine what is selling well and what is not. If they see, for example, that product A has no overly restrictive DRM, and is selling as projected, and product B, with DRM, is selling 25% less than expected, I think it would be easy to determine which method they will pursue in the future.

In short: Making informed purchases is more beneficial to the market as a consumer than simple blind boycotts.

 

[BreakfastMan]

However, I must disagree with you about doing nothing (as in, not bothering to pay for a game or DLC that has a feature we dislike or find to pricy to spend.) If we hold back to much, people will get frustrated due to not having anything. Just because I despise Mass Effect 3's ending doesn't mean I have to stop myself from buying the game. It's multiplayer makes up for it (actually that's a lie but I still enjoyed the story overall.. despite the ending). We can't be to picky with what we want or don't want. Again, I agree we shouldn't buy obvious rip offs like day 1 DLCs but we can't hold back where companies are unaware what to do because no sales are going through.

...except we won't have nothing if we support the devs that do stuff we like. I am not saying do not buy any games ever, buy games from good devs. They still exist. Or buy older, awesome games. I know I still have dozens of old PC games and old PS2 games I have not played.

And I say we should be picky. We should be very picky. It is the only way we can actually expect change.

 

[SugarSkulls]

One idea for preventing buying 'The Same Game part 3' is to start threads on gaming sites with titles like, 'The Same Game part 3 alternatives' where the discussion is to provide the best similar to this game video game that is close enough to it to satisfy the need to play the bad game, but is a game with better business practices, gameplay, writing, etc.

And the point of it would be to pick one or three best ones, not to just list off every indie jrpg or fps ever. Kind of like an unofficial official knockoff.

 

[Smooth Operator]

It's true this young community hasn't got around to learning self control yet, partially because a good chunk of the demographic is very young and partially because they just got used to buying games blind as a kid.

Yes this used to be all fun and games but shit has gone big wig corporate and your wallet vote is more important then ever, this is the time where things start to shape for the future, and if you want to see quality products then the foot hasto come down.
If your dog shits on the carpet you got to smack him on the nose right there and then or he will just keep doing it, same goes for companies, if they suffer financially for bad behavior they simply can not afford to do it any longer.

But we still got a long way to go before the community can actually unite in holding off their immediate gratification to make a point.

 

[Kahunaburger]

Yeah, I've made it a policy of not buying shitty games with shitty DRM after a little misadventure with Advent Rising and SecuROM.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Yeah, I've made it a policy of not buying shitty games with shitty DRM after a little misadventure with Advent Rising and SecuROM.

What about good games with shitty DRM? Do you avoid those was well, or purchase them?

 

[Kahunaburger]

Yeah, I've made it a policy of not buying shitty games with shitty DRM after a little misadventure with Advent Rising and SecuROM.

What about good games with shitty DRM? Do you avoid those was well, or purchase them?

I don't think of any game I have to install spyware to play, am not able to get to work at all, or that requires an online connection for single-player as "good."

 

[Redd the Sock]

Funny, I did that with Capcom and Street Fighter x Tekken, and Capcom thought I didn't buy the game due to market saturation empting my wallet.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/117274-Street-Fighter-X-Tekkens-Poor-Sales-Due-to-Cannibalism

You see that's the thing. I know a lot of people hold to the magical power of the boycott and witholding money to get better services, but on their own, such tactics aren't particularly successful. If anything they seem to push companies in worse directions like trying to block used game sales, or producing only what appeals to the non-boycotting mass market. The DLC isn't selling not because it's too expensive, the game just isn't popular. Game X doesn't sell, it isn't becuase it stunk or was poorly marketed, but there's a lack of interest in the francise or genre. I won't say the conept is worthless, but it is going up against some very prideful and stupid individuals that would rather face bankrupcy than admit they have to conceed to the consumer base.

 

[TrevHead]

I think too many passionate gamers and fans get too caught up in the marketing hype of a game and feel they must play X title even if it makes them buthurt.

Just look at the crap sonic fans have put up with through all these years (even worse with the current state Sega is in)

 

[Kotep]

If you want to boycott a game and show your dislike of it, don't pirate it either.

Pirating shows that your issue with the game was an economic one. No matter what your reason actually is, they will see it as 'this person would have bought the game but the economic incentives weren't correct'. If you're upset with a game, just put it down, leave it, and play something else. There's so many games out there.

 

[Halo Fanboy]

Too bad we can't go back in time and boycott ME3.

 

[Terratina.]

Boycott can change the industry, it's just that big boycotts tend to go... wrong. I, personally am not buying Diablo 3 because of the bull that's been put into it such as the Real Moeny Auction House. And yes, we do need to be picky. If we show devs and publishers we will only buy good games and ram it into their heads, hopefully more good games will be produced.

 

[Hal10k]

That's what I am doing with EA.

I just don't know when to stop. Do I buy an EA game once it has no DRM in it or do I just wait until they say "no more DRM, ever!" which will never happen.

Let's work from the hypothesis that approximately 25% of potential consumers of a company's products share your exact views and follow your purchasing habits exactly.

If that 25% of the consumer base simply stops buying all of that companies products, no exceptions, then that company is going to go into crisis mode. They're going to experiment with DRM, DLC, or any other sort of incentive to increase sales and the available profit margin derivd from those sales. Market practices you approve of may result from this. But more likely than not, the end result is going to be something different, but not necessarily more to your approval.

If, however, you instead buy that company's products selectively, based on which particular products you approve of, then the company's reaction is going to be different. They'll have immediate access to all available sales data, and they'll be able to determine what is selling well and what is not. If they see, for example, that product A has no overly restrictive DRM, and is selling as projected, and product B, with DRM, is selling 25% less than expected, I think it would be easy to determine which method they will pursue in the future.

In short: Making informed purchases is more beneficial to the market as a consumer than simple blind boycotts.

What do you do when every EA game has DRM and some are becoming origin only?

If having DRM at all is a deal breaker for you, then it would make sense to avoid most of their games. However, given the fact that the vast majority of AAA games released nowadays have some form of DRM, that policy would be limiting your choices somewhat. If the negative consequences of DRM are your main objection, then it would make sense to purchase products that implemented their DRM in a relatively harmless fashion. I'm given to understand that you youngsters are fond of Steam, for example.

 

[Wild_Marker]

If you want to boycott a game and show your dislike of it, don't pirate it either.

Pirating shows that your issue with the game was an economic one. No matter what your reason actually is, they will see it as 'this person would have bought the game but the economic incentives weren't correct'. If you're upset with a game, just put it down, leave it, and play something else. There's so many games out there.

But what about DRM issues? Like, the people who pirated Assassin's Creed 2 because the game was good, but the DRM would make it into a worse game than the pirate version. How would you qualify that sort of thing. It's not an economic reason...

 

[Kotep]

stuff

But what about DRM issues? Like, the people who pirated Assassin's Creed 2 because the game was good, but the DRM would make it into a worse game than the pirate version. How would you qualify that sort of thing. It's not an economic reason...

It's not about the actual reason for doing it, it's about what the companies will see as the reason for doing it. If you boycott a game and pirate it, the company sees that you wanted the game, but didn't want to pay.

Also, there's the issue that they might take the fact that people are pirating it as a reason to introduce more DRM, even if that DRM is going to eventually be cracked.

Playing the game despite boycotting it undermines that message a bit.