shrekfan246 said:
One thing to note is that unless a developer isn't working under a publisher, purchasing the game to directly support them is a bit of a double-edged blade, because developers that don't self-publish generally seem to get a very small percentage of royalties from game sales after release.
Problem with that perspective though is that the publishers have bankrolled the studio already and the sales are to recuperate their costs for funding the studio.
By buying the game it shows the publisher that hey this studio is worth it for supporting for their future games, which could lead to future hits. Examples: Valve and Sierra.
By not doing so, the studio dies from their first release, because no one bought into it. Like Clover and Okami.
And it's probably far more important for said support if the studio is independent and not owned by a publisher - Obsidian or DoubleFine over Naughty Dog.
Even though there's a lot of indie games being released, I dare say 1% end up being worth it. So even with support, getting a worthwhile hit is still very, very small and hard to break in. Yet people complain about lack of variety out there.
You want better games, support studios that make those that are similar to what you want, even if you aren't going to play. Because by keeping them alive, there's a chance they would end up making a game you'd enjoy. I view it as an investment into the future. Granted it would depend on how much disposable income I have, but the odd <$20 game here and there that I'm not going to play isn't going to hurt me.
I'd still prefer the new AAA games to be cheaper on release though, buying 2 at $30 is a lot better than trying to decide for 1 at $60.