We've all seen the threads here and elsewhere, some of us will have watched the Jimquisition episode covering this topic, and most of us will have considered doing it at some point. Doing what? Boycotting a game or publisher, that's what. Making a statement that we believe that a product or publisher is way out of line. I know I'm currently doing exactly that with any and all Ubisoft products mainly because I honestly believe always on DRM to be one of the worst acts of modern games publishers. I'm close to doing the same for EA, Origin being one of a long list of things they've done to show they couldn't care less about me or any other consumer, only the money in my wallet.
But these studios and publishers still pump out some quality titles and buying them on the console just to avoid buying them on the PC is hardly an effective boycott of a product. It's half-arsed at best, utterly pointless at worst. I want to avoid giving Ubisoft even a penny of my cash. They should be getting nothing from me. So they get nothing from me. I don't buy new copies of Assassin's Creed games, or any other title they publish. I wait until they hit the used section of my local games store. I don't buy DLC for their games, I just play them as they come out of the box and leave it at that. Oh I'd like the DLC packs and I'd like to play the game on release day, but can I really be said to be making any kind of statement if I cave in just because a game looks good?
My problem is not with the games, but with the business practices they uphold. This sense that we'll buy anything however they treat us. Well I won't. Used games are an effective way of playing the game you want to and giving the finger to the company you dislike. We know big publishers despise the used market. They'd properly brand it theft and make it illegal if they could. But the simple fact is that used game sales give no money to the publisher and that is what I am trying to achieve.
Yeah I don't get to play the DLC stuff, and I won't even go for project ten dollar style things. I give the cash to the retail outlet. If eventually retail outlets start giving money to publishers with every used sale (it's not impossible) then I'll stop buying Ubisoft games altogether.
To add a little discussion to this, was originally meant to be a discussion piece after all, are you attempting a boycott of anything at this time and how is it going?
But these studios and publishers still pump out some quality titles and buying them on the console just to avoid buying them on the PC is hardly an effective boycott of a product. It's half-arsed at best, utterly pointless at worst. I want to avoid giving Ubisoft even a penny of my cash. They should be getting nothing from me. So they get nothing from me. I don't buy new copies of Assassin's Creed games, or any other title they publish. I wait until they hit the used section of my local games store. I don't buy DLC for their games, I just play them as they come out of the box and leave it at that. Oh I'd like the DLC packs and I'd like to play the game on release day, but can I really be said to be making any kind of statement if I cave in just because a game looks good?
My problem is not with the games, but with the business practices they uphold. This sense that we'll buy anything however they treat us. Well I won't. Used games are an effective way of playing the game you want to and giving the finger to the company you dislike. We know big publishers despise the used market. They'd properly brand it theft and make it illegal if they could. But the simple fact is that used game sales give no money to the publisher and that is what I am trying to achieve.
Yeah I don't get to play the DLC stuff, and I won't even go for project ten dollar style things. I give the cash to the retail outlet. If eventually retail outlets start giving money to publishers with every used sale (it's not impossible) then I'll stop buying Ubisoft games altogether.
To add a little discussion to this, was originally meant to be a discussion piece after all, are you attempting a boycott of anything at this time and how is it going?
