Why are people buying Skyrim?

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Now before anyone gets mad or assumes this is some sort of anti-Skyrim thread, it's not. I'm not bashing the game, the developer or anyone who is interested in it.

But let's look at Oblivion and Fallout 3. Both of those games were eventually given expansion packs, and then re-released as a game that contained the original game plus all of the expansion packs. Sometimes these were cheaper than the original game.

So assuming that's going to happen with Skyrim, why buy it now? Is it just a matter of impatience? Do people want to support Bethesda by possibly buying the game twice?

Is there anyone reading this who does just plan on buying it once the Game of the Year edition comes out?

Just curious.

There are people (like me) who would rather play the game when it comes out and purchase the xpacs when they come out on DLC. I'm not necessarily impatient, I do wait for some games to go down in price or come out with GOTY editions. There's another part of me that likes to collect first edition games, like books. I have FF7 in the original black case, not the Greatest Hits version as well as FF8. If I could find FF9 and Chrono Cross as well I'd have those.

 

[ElPatron]

Im not so sure, im just one consumer so I have very little influence over what publishers and devs do or where the industry goes.

I'm talking about the hivemind that controls consumers to tag each others as "casuals" for playing X or as "not-real-gaeeeymuhrrs" for saying Y, not the actual industry.

 

[Ickorus]

You could say the same about any game in existence, they'll all eventually go on sale and be much cheaper than they are right now, it basically comes down to whether you're a fan or not, for instance there are several games on my lists at the moment that I don't think are worth my money right now but I plan on buying later the same as there are games im planning on getting right away (Skyrim included) because I think it is currently worth my money.

 

[TheScientificIssole]

Why would they make expansions if no one bought it? They need the money.

 

[Evil Top Hat]

Impatience and a lack of anything better to play.

I usually never buy games on release, but the Elder Scrolls is my favourite game franchise of all time, and I refuse to wait, evn if it costs me an extra £20 in the long run to not wait for the GOTY edition.

 

[easternflame]

Impatience, I guess, I just want to get my hands on it ASAP, besides, CE cuantities are extremely limited so yeah, now or never.

 

[Beryl77]

I could also wait a year or two for every game until it gets cheaper but I pay more and I get to play it much earlier. Also, it doesn't bother me paying more for a good game. Skyrim is one of the few full price games I've bought this year. Oh and I am impatient.

 

[kouriichi]

Because its not worth waiting 6 months to a year for all the DLC to come out, and then get packaged in with the game.

I am going to wait on other games though. Like MW3, and BF3. Mostly because i dont see them as 60$ games anymore. ((Im not saying they arnt good, theyre just getting really repetitive to me.))

And it has a little to do with inpatients. Mostly being that we COULD wait 6 months to a year for a package deal, and then find out you hate the game. Great, now youve waited a year for a game you ended up hating, but wanting the entire time.

I'll take my Skyrim at the midnight release thank you. And i'll be playing it until my body withers from lack of sleep, water, food, and not enough time in the day for more skyrim.

 

[TerribleAssassin]

Why not say the same thing about Dragon Age Origins?

Or LA Noire

Or GTA: IV

Seriously, a lot of games do the same thing.

We buy those games now because they are *good* and we want to play them now, not later.

This guy has it. Some people can wait, others can't. Either way your going to end up with it.

 

[Dagda Mor]

Because getting it now is totally worth the extra $20 or so.

 

[killer_kurt006]

well if im honest i dont see the big 'woopty doo' towards it i mean i 'kinda' want it but at the end of the day i didnt like oblivion, morrowind, dagger or arena so why i want it is confusing why do you guys want it

 

[Altorin]

if noone buys the game they wont make those expansions

 

[Ophiuchus]

Spoiler: spoiler'd for space

Now before anyone gets mad or assumes this is some sort of anti-Skyrim thread, it's not. I'm not bashing the game, the developer or anyone who is interested in it.

But let's look at Oblivion and Fallout 3. Both of those games were eventually given expansion packs, and then re-released as a game that contained the original game plus all of the expansion packs. Sometimes these were cheaper than the original game.

So assuming that's going to happen with Skyrim, why buy it now? Is it just a matter of impatience? Do people want to support Bethesda by possibly buying the game twice?

Is there anyone reading this who does just plan on buying it once the Game of the Year edition comes out?

Just curious.

Look, man, you have valid points...except for the fact that you're disregarding dates. Look at Fallout: New Vegas. Released October of 2010. The most recent DLC came out not so long ago, and the GOTY Edition (the Ultimate Edition) is going to be out in February...of 2012. So yes, in theory, you could just wait for the GOTY edition, but how much money would you save? And is it enough to merit waiting nearly a year and a half to buy a game you want? And for the rest of us, to merit waiting nearly a year and a half to buy a game you really, really want?

Also, you're forgetting that this is an Obsidian game, so it's got a heavy emphasis on story, more so than most games. Ever heard of "Late Arrival Spoilers"? It's the stuff in a story that gets revealed inevitably to series newcomers simply because you can't avoid not revealing it. If you're catching up on the DVDs of a TV show that a friend recommended for you, you might catch a preview on TV of their latest season...and see that the villain of the season you're still watching is now one of the protagonists.

Congratulations: you were late to the party and now you've lost something from the overall experience.

Another possible example, though it's more of a Citizen Kane "spoiler" than anything else: Bioshock. You can't bring it up without the phrase "Would you kindly" being brought up at least once, and one of the things that made its twist so great is that no one saw it coming. If people keep saying that, and you hear Atlas saying it during your playthrough, you might think something's up long before the reveal.

And you don't get to complain about it, either. You're the one who waited over a year after release date to buy the game. In the gaming sphere, Bioshock may as well be The Usual Suspects: it's practically assumed that you know the twist, and you're treated with largely justified contempt if you protest people talking about it.

So...yeah. I'm buying Skryim on release day. Hell, I might even go nuts and hit the midnight release. Because I've really wanted this game for a while now, and I'm not waiting over a year so I can save a few bucks at the cost of too many things that can't be bought back with those savings.

I bow down to your spectacular "expressing my points in a more eloquent way than I would've managed" skills.

Also, there's the value for money thing. I don't smoke or do drugs, not because of any health-related or moral objection but because it doesn't represent good value to me: for the cost of a week's supply of cigarettes (based on roughly 20-a-day), I could buy a game that promises hundreds of hours of entertainment over the next however many years. It's not a difficult choice.

 

[Strain42]

I just got off work and read through the 9 people or so who quoted my original post and gave their replies to.

I just want to thank everyone for being quite civil about it and no one assuming that I was just trying to say "Don't buy Skyrim when it's gonna be better"

I actually read some valid points.

So thank you for indulging my curiosity with respect.

 

[Risingblade]

Because I want it, why would I wait when I can have it right now?

 

[everythingbeeps]

Because I don't want to wait a fucking year to play it? Is that not a good enough reason for you TC?

I'll buy the DLC as it comes out. GOTY versions can go fuck themselves, I have no use for them.

Because getting it now is totally worth the extra $20 or so.

That's the most succinct way of putting it. Waiting a year to save $20 is completely asinine. If you're that broke you shouldn't be buying video games anyway.

 

[Kyber]

because i love the elder scrolls series, and im more than happy to support bethesda, hell, id buy skyrim 5 times, i actually am buying it twice and the DLCs twice because im buying it for the xbox 360 and ps3 and i dont mind, i freakin' loved oblivion, and i freakin loved fallout 3, and i freakin loved Fallout NV. i <3 bethesda

 

[wurrble182]

im sure it's been said but, if EVERYBODY only paid 10 quid/dollars w/e for the game, it would be horribly unprofitable and there wouldn't BE another elder scrolls game period.

 

[superdevildude85]

Because I think honestly if I have to wait any longer for it, My face will melt off.

I WANNNNNNNIT!

 

[Techsmart07]

Well, you can say something similar about almost any game. If you bought something the day it comes out, its 60 dollars. If you wait for 2-3 months, its not. There are very few games that break that rule, and even when they do, its just a longer wait period. The reason people buy it the day it comes out is impatience, as you said. so the question is do you buy any games the day they come out? They are all going to follow the pattern for price drop sooner or later (starcraft 2 is taking the much later route).