Possible cure for so-called "consolitis"
- Thread starter allinwonder
- Start date
Recommended Videos
The problem with your argument is that you're comparing apples to oranges. Vehicles, and luxury vehicles at that, aren't exactly something you can pirate very easily. If you want that car, stealing it probably isn't in your option choices unless you're incredibly unrealistic. Then again, you're wanting to steal a luxury car rather than a jalopy so you probably are unrealistic in this hypothetical and ridiculous scenario.
Games, on the other hand, can be pirated somewhat more easily due to the fact that it's primarily digital information and not something that is large, unweilding, and difficult to move easily.
What developers have could be, for the sake of being brief, just three options:
1) Raise prices of games so that those who are faithful PC gamers pay more for their entertainment and make up lost company revenue from piracy.
2) Lower prices so that consumers are less likely to resort to piracy but have the company take a risk in not making a decent profit in return.
3) Invest tons of money into anti-piracy methods that may or may not work.
Games, on the other hand, can be pirated somewhat more easily due to the fact that it's primarily digital information and not something that is large, unweilding, and difficult to move easily.
What developers have could be, for the sake of being brief, just three options:
1) Raise prices of games so that those who are faithful PC gamers pay more for their entertainment and make up lost company revenue from piracy.
2) Lower prices so that consumers are less likely to resort to piracy but have the company take a risk in not making a decent profit in return.
3) Invest tons of money into anti-piracy methods that may or may not work.
No. Why should it? I already shelled out my extra $2000 (I'll never do that again, I'm building it myself in the future), I don't give a damn who got it.allinwonder said:
Consoles are standard platform. You don't need to worry about driver compatibility.zehydra said:
Testing in software development costs at least as much as, if not more, actual code-writing.
OT: This is absurd. PC gaming is not "THE PREMIUM EXPERIENCE", it's the natural experience of gaming, or the original experience of gaming. Console gaming is supposed to be "THE PREMIUM EXPERIENCE" of gaming. Whether or not you decide to make your PC gaming experience "THE PREMIUM EXPERIENCE" is entirely up to you, and how much money you're willing to spend on a nice computer. It is NOT determined by the companies that make games.
Huh, there was me thinking it was going to be an tongue in cheek thread taking the mickey out of the PC gamers with the answer to the OP question being something ironic like "a bullet to the brain".
Instead its a serious thread. So allow me to reiterate what every console gamer has said since the dawn of the console era. You have your favourite way of playing games, I have mine.
From what I have seen (anecdotal evidence-shocker!) It is nearly always PC gamers starting these types of threads and they just end up in a flame war. Or in the case of the Escapist a more civil pistols at dawn type affair. They never end well.
Instead its a serious thread. So allow me to reiterate what every console gamer has said since the dawn of the console era. You have your favourite way of playing games, I have mine.
From what I have seen (anecdotal evidence-shocker!) It is nearly always PC gamers starting these types of threads and they just end up in a flame war. Or in the case of the Escapist a more civil pistols at dawn type affair. They never end well.
Or, making games for consoles. So now we are going back to whether piracy hurts pc games or not.Atticus89 said:
This is also a weakness, though, as it's really freaking hard to optimize any piece of PC software. This is why the PS3 can do incredible things with a Geforce 7000 series card, about equal to what most PCs with a Geforce 9000 series card can do.Trolldor said:
And by the way... Since you claim so many PC gamers declare their gaming experience "premium", but I've heard a WHOLE FREAKING TON of console players say exactly the same thing. Why not impose a premium "tax" on them as well, if they're so sure of it?
Oh man, I touched your sensitive nerve system by mentioning "premium".lacktheknack said:
I said:
PC gamers all advocate that gaming on PC is a premium experience (relative to console). So let's charge premium price for a premium experience. Charge more for high quality PC exclusives. Like BMW and Mercedes charge more for their cars than Toyota and Honda's.
which clearly has premises and assumptions, and they are not necessarily true. They are only true if what PC elitist claim is a fact, not just their opinions.
The thing is, if games were cheaper, I probably wouldn't buy more games.
More accurately, the games I happen to play are Blizzard games (they're good!) and free games. Why free? Because I don't like spending my money. I'm a scrooge. Stuff like SC2 will have custom maps that'll last forever and I played D2 for 8 years before I started finally quit.
I can't wait for D3.
More accurately, the games I happen to play are Blizzard games (they're good!) and free games. Why free? Because I don't like spending my money. I'm a scrooge. Stuff like SC2 will have custom maps that'll last forever and I played D2 for 8 years before I started finally quit.
I can't wait for D3.
Jesus Christ. Did you read my post? "Charge more for high quality PC exclusives"John Marcone said:
Was this topic a trap? Because if so, its hilarious. PC Gamers on this site love to espouse how superior the PC gaming experience is over the console, yet here they are forced to either admit that there is nothing special about PC gaming (thus supporting its lower price) or stick to their guns and accept a higher charge. And they can't even fall back on piracy, due to their love of saying how it "doesn't matter". Really, its all quite delicious.
That said, I don't think any medium is inherently superior to any other, but some games certainly are. I'd have no problem paying $60 on any format for a game that was considered AAA in quality and development costs, but I'd never pay (and never have) the same amount for an objectively inferior game. Just as you wouldn't pay the same price for a Chevy Nova as you would a Porche 911. Some parts of the industry have caught on to this (no indie developer in his right mind would ever charge mainstream costs for his game), but many other aspects of it have yet to catch on. Sales figures should effect the price, its simple supply and demand. If no one is buying your stuff, either make it better or make it cheaper.
Do what the grocery stores do. If you know your game just can't compete with its immediate competition, no matter what you do (say, the newest Medal of Honor vs. CoD: Black Ops), then don't market it as a competitor. Market it as the bargain brand version of the other game. Sure if both cost full price then most people will go for the better game, but if your game is suddenly half price, then you become the much more tempting choice.
That said, I don't think any medium is inherently superior to any other, but some games certainly are. I'd have no problem paying $60 on any format for a game that was considered AAA in quality and development costs, but I'd never pay (and never have) the same amount for an objectively inferior game. Just as you wouldn't pay the same price for a Chevy Nova as you would a Porche 911. Some parts of the industry have caught on to this (no indie developer in his right mind would ever charge mainstream costs for his game), but many other aspects of it have yet to catch on. Sales figures should effect the price, its simple supply and demand. If no one is buying your stuff, either make it better or make it cheaper.
Do what the grocery stores do. If you know your game just can't compete with its immediate competition, no matter what you do (say, the newest Medal of Honor vs. CoD: Black Ops), then don't market it as a competitor. Market it as the bargain brand version of the other game. Sure if both cost full price then most people will go for the better game, but if your game is suddenly half price, then you become the much more tempting choice.