Et tu EA?

[Sarge034]

I think your book comparison is the best one I've heard in a while and I agree to a point. I see the used game market as reselling the hard copy of the book.... the single player... and I have no issue with this, as nothing is gained or lost by its changing hands AND no additional costs are incured by the company. However, EA has their own servers that continue to encure costs with each aditional profile. For thoes of you who don't belive me, go to your 360, put in an EA game, and go to the multiplayer. You see where you have to sign in to your EA account? Do you have to do that to play a non-EA game? As it is costing the company money to provide a service to a new customer with none of the compensation the first person had to pay, I'm ok with the $10 server fee. It allowes for the product that does not cost the company money to maintain to change hands, while making sure everyone payes their fair share or the opperating costs for the services the company DOES have to maintain.

Also sorry about any spelling issues, I've been up for about 26 hours now.

 

[Azure-Supernova]

Again, the stuff from Project $10 is all on the disc, and in this day and age, multiplayer is in no way, shape, or form an "added bonus.

By my understanding of Project $10, EA include additional content on the discs for people who purchase a new copy and redeem the content with their one time key (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, I'm at work and a majority of sites that are said to explain it are filtered).

So, again by my understanding, when you purchase that game used you are fully aware that there is no working key to that redeemable content. Am I right so far? And that you are also fully aware that you will be required to purchase that content. What's the problem? You have the game, you have the core content (core content being the game) and you're only missing the extras thrown in; regardless of whether they're on the disc or not.

As for activating Project $10 affecting multiplayer; well again what's the problem? Someone who has purchased new has already paid for their 'online pass' and have contributed to the upkeep and running of servers for online games. To purchase the game used and then expect access online without a contribution is pretty self entitled.

I've got nothing against used games. I own a few myself and I don't believe there's anything wrong with used games. But I fail to see how what EA is doing is wrong.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Again, the stuff from Project $10 is all on the disc, and in this day and age, multiplayer is in no way, shape, or form an "added bonus.

By my understanding of Project $10, EA include additional content on the discs for people who purchase a new copy and redeem the content with their one time key (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, I'm at work and a majority of sites that are said to explain it are filtered).

So, again by my understanding, when you purchase that game used you are fully aware that there is no working key to that redeemable content. Am I right so far? And that you are also fully aware that you will be required to purchase that content. What's the problem? You have the game, you have the core content (core content being the game) and you're only missing the extras thrown in; regardless of whether they're on the disc or not.

As for activating Project $10 affecting multiplayer; well again what's the problem? Someone who has purchased new has already paid for their 'online pass' and have contributed to the upkeep and running of servers for online games. To purchase the game used and then expect access online without a contribution is pretty self entitled.

I've got nothing against used games. I own a few myself and I don't believe there's anything wrong with used games. But I fail to see how what EA is doing is wrong.

They call it extra content, but it's usually on the actual disc with the rest of the content, and all the code does is unlock it. From my point of view, if I pay for a disc, whatever is on it is mine. As for why making multiplayer a part of Project $10 is so bad, it's because multiplayer is no longer an added bonus to a game -- it is every bit as much a core part of the experience as the singleplayer, heck, it's closer to the core in a lot of cases. they've also already been paid for all of the content that they are denying you, and the person who paid for it can no longer access it, having sold his or her game to you. EA is out no money for your used purchase, anything they take on it is pure profit, profit that is completely undeserved in this case. You don't pay the publisher every time you buy a used book, do you?

 

[MADrevilution]

theres a slip of paper in the case with the code, im sure this has probably already been said in the comments above me

 

[Dys]

Simple solution; don't buy those games.

Any publisher that thinks I'm willing to pay a 'project $10' type thing on top of my choice of the "fuck you, you're australian therefore we demand more of your money" charge[footnote]This, somehow, literally doubles the cost of the game.[/footnote] or the cost of postage from another country (considerably cheaper but involves waiting 6-12 days for shipping) then, basicially, they can take my potential business and shove it straight up their potential asses. Just to be clear, that is to say I wouldn't buy those games.

 

[Varrdy]

Tables and cars don't take well over a hundred million dollars to make, distribute, and advertise.

Are you kidding? Tables, sure, but almost every new car designed costs a lot more than your average video game! Design, specifications, marketing, re-tooling of the factories, paying the workforce, part manufacture, engine production....I could go on.

Each and every new car on the market today is very likely to have cost the manufacturer some serious coin to get from the drawing board to the end of the production line. $100million? Ford probably spent that and more on the Focus alone.

Wardy

 

[oplinger]

...It's just 10 dollars. Also that's really really old, project 10 dollar has been around for what? a year now?

Seriously ...it's 10 dollars. ....Who cares? I mean yeah feel free to argue that you could use 10 dollars for lots of things like...toothpaste, or gum balls. But at the end of the day, they didn't surprise you with it. >.> You don't need games. You don't need to spend the extra 10 dollars..

Mind sending me ten dollars? It'd help me out a lot. It's just ten dollars!

Will I get access to your multiplayer? Or various other features?

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

...It's just 10 dollars. Also that's really really old, project 10 dollar has been around for what? a year now?

Seriously ...it's 10 dollars. ....Who cares? I mean yeah feel free to argue that you could use 10 dollars for lots of things like...toothpaste, or gum balls. But at the end of the day, they didn't surprise you with it. >.> You don't need games. You don't need to spend the extra 10 dollars..

Mind sending me ten dollars? It'd help me out a lot. It's just ten dollars!

Will I get access to your multiplayer? Or various other features?

Does it matter? You've already called it an insignificant amount of money. XD

 

[deckai]

And that's why I hate EA.. they are incredible dicks..

And all the people who say "hey that's their right".. you all are blinded by consumerism... how many things exist where you have to pay the original manufacture when you buy something used... "Hey I bought this used shirts.. but to be able to use them I have to pay Calvin Klein"

Oh and let's not forget.. everyone thinks that: "A" buys from company "B" a game for 40 bucks and sells it later to "C" for 20 bucks = "B" lost 20 Bucks. But no "B" still made 40 bucks, and "A" has again 20 bucks to spent on videogames...which can be used to buy games from "B".

What EA does is just greedy, simple as that. Wanting money for something they technically sold already is not only cheeky but borderline criminal. And I can't understand how anyone can accept this.

 

[Sgt. Dante]

I'm pretty sure that if you buy the game new you get the online for free.
At least, that's how it was with my last EA multiplayer game.

It is a tactic to get money from people who buy used games.

thank you for summarizing the points I made in original post

So why are you complaining? You don't have to pay anything.

Yes, but I like to buy used games and I like EA games and I don't want to pay for content that's already on the disc. I'm rallying for my gamer brothers.

Why should they? A used sale gives them the same amount of money that a pirated copy does. They have every right to withhold content in used copies to encourage people to buy it new so they can make a profit.

No, they should encourage people to buy new, not punish the impoverished for buying used. Like Dragon Age 2: I pre-ordered so I'm getting a fuck ton of extra goodies and exclusive weapons. That's the right way to do it.

Or you could probably buy it when it goes down in price and spend $10 on that stuff as DLC. It's not like they make you pay for it. If you like the game enough then you can buy it, if not don't worry. the game is still perfectly playble wihtout that stuff.

 

[Sgt. Dante]

And that's why I hate EA.. they are incredible dicks..

And all the people who say "hey that's their right".. you all are blinded by consumerism... how many things exist where you have to pay the original manufacture when you buy something used... "Hey I bought this used shirts.. but to be able to use them I have to pay Calvin Klein"

Oh and let's not forget.. everyone thinks that: "A" buys from company "B" a game for 40 bucks and sells it later to "C" for 20 bucks = "B" lost 20 Bucks. But no "B" still made 40 bucks, and "A" has again 20 bucks to spent on videogames...which can be used to buy games from "B".

What EA does is just greedy, simple as that. Wanting money for something they technically sold already is not only cheeky but borderline criminal. And I can't understand how anyone can accept this.

Not the same,

Buy now and receive this special item for free!!

What's that? you don't want it now? that's fine, it's a limited offer anyway, you can simply pay for it later if you want it. It'd be like complaing that the second hand shirt dodn't come with a waistcoat like it did in the shop. yes they're sold together but one does not entitle the other.

Just because 'Extra' content is on the disk doesn't mean that you have an immediate right to it, the source code is on the disk, so do you feel that you are allowed free access to it? This kinda stuff is an extra, they haven't sold it until you've 'bought' it from the XBLa store or PSN, and you are given a voucher code to get this stuff for free. If anything that's damned decent of them.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

You can't demand content for free, just because it's on the disc doesn't mean it's yours to use.

If you want to use EA servers and play the game online you have to pay $10 to do it because you bought it used; because you saved money on the purchase; because that's the only way they can get money from used sales.

It's a fair tactic but it doesn't prevent used sales and it usually does just lead to this sort of reaction meaning it's effectiveness is questionable.

 

[B2kCyclops]

I see this whole 10$ thing as a payment for server availability/maintainance...
Because running servers for todays games take a shitload of money, if provided by the companies...

Now, if they would guarantee(by contract/EULA) stable and running servers for 3 years or more after your purchase of the additional/online content and make the content free after said service is not longer guaranteed, then I would consider it an appropiate fee.

But, they don't.

And most of them deny any servers run by users.

So, I say: Fuck 'em.

I don't buy games that cost over 30 Euros, never have, never will.
Well, exept special editions... ;-)

Now here's a tip for you greedy publishers whos releases are to 80% overpriced, repetetive, unimagetive crap(EA and Ubisoft in particular):

Make more special editions with figurines, gimmicks, posters, maps, tin "jewelry", soundtracks, artbooks and other cheap to produce stuff.
It won't/can't be resold at GameStop and alike, and your proft margin will show at least 20-30% more money...

The customers will be even more likely to buy your product brandnew and buy even part 24 of your shitty franchise with glee.

Just as an idea...

-m.h.

[small]-typos edited-[/small]

 

[-Samurai-]

...It's just 10 dollars. Also that's really really old, project 10 dollar has been around for what? a year now?

Seriously ...it's 10 dollars. ....Who cares? I mean yeah feel free to argue that you could use 10 dollars for lots of things like...toothpaste, or gum balls. But at the end of the day, they didn't surprise you with it. >.> You don't need games. You don't need to spend the extra 10 dollars..

Mind sending me ten dollars? It'd help me out a lot. It's just ten dollars!

Will I get access to your multiplayer? Or various other features?

That's, uh.....nevermind. His mulitplayer :0

OT: I honestly don't mind project 10 dollar. I've bought a few used and new EA games with the intention of playing single player only. If I feel like playing multiplayer, I buy the code. The $10 plus the low price I bought the used game for still has me at less than half the price of a new copy.

When I know I'll be playing online, I buy new. I get the code, I get to open a new game(which I love doing), and the code usually ensure some free future DLC, and/or some extra unlocks. Hell, Bad Company 2 Ultimate Edition gave me Battlefield 1943(1942) for free, all the DLC maps for free, and the Onslaught mode for free. Not a bad deal at all.

 

[Ralphfromdk]

Here's a way to look at it.

Every time some one is about to buy a new copy of Shooter Guy 5, but then gets an offer to buy it for 15$ less, most times he will do that.
Every time this happens, the publishers loose that sale, that would have been there if it wasn't for the used games.

And less money for the publishers / developers, means less good games, maybe even studios closing. Maybe those last 10.000(random number i picked)used copies made the difference between the studio dying and keeping making games.

For this very reason I buy all my games new. I want said developer to make more games for me.
Unless of course it's and old game or what not. Those might not be around in new copies, but then there's no loss for the company that made it anyway.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Here's a way to look at it.

Every time some one is about to buy a new copy of Shooter Guy 5, but then gets an offer to buy it for 15$ less, most times he will do that.
Every time this happens, the publishers loose that sale, that would have been there if it wasn't for the used games.

And less money for the publishers / developers, means less good games, maybe even studios closing. Maybe those last 10.000(random number i picked)used copies made the difference between the studio dying and keeping making games.

For this very reason I buy all my games new. I want said developer to make more games for me.
Unless of course it's and old game or what not. Those might not be around in new copies, but then there's no loss for the company that made it anyway.

Question: would the publisher sell the game for $15 less in the absence of the used market? Because if paying MSRP was my only option, I'd find a cheaper hobby, and they'd be out a customer for life, instead of for the occasional title which I buy used instead of new and on sale.

 

[snowfi6916]

If the only reason you buy a game is for the strength of the multi-player, then you shouldn't have bought the game.

To quote Yahtzee, "a game needs to stand up on its own with just the single player".