Why do people pre-order games?

[yamy]

It's a question that has been bugging me for a long while now but it seems all the more relevant right now with the whole controversy over Aliens:Colonial Marines.

The question is: Why do people pre-order games?

I never understood the logic behind it: You put down money paying the full price for a game based on some trailers or maybe a demo without the guidance of reviews from people who have played the whole thing. It may or may not resemble the trailer or (in the case of A:CM) even closely resemble the demo. You also loses the chance to wait for the price of the game to inevitably go down a few months down the line after it is released.

I can sort of understand how pre-ordering ensures that you get a copy of the game even if stocks are low, but this no longer applies on digital distributing platforms like Steam where pre-ordering still exits. I can also sort of understand why when there are pre-order bonuses involved(though they are rarely worth paying game at full-price)but there are people who pre-orders games when there aren't any bonuses for doing so. As far as I tell, there just aren't any reasons for pre-ordering a game rather than buying it the first day it comes out.

So, fellow escapists, why do you pre-ordering games? Are there any obvious reasons to do it that I'm not seeing?

 

[Orange12345]

To support a company they like is probably a good reason (I mean why do people kickstart games?)
Some people are lucky enough that money isn't really an issue so price drops are meaningless
to ensure they get a copy on launch and because they want to play it on launch for online which may not exist a few months down the road

As for digital distribution with no added benefits maybe they want to preload or something? other then that I see no reason to pre-purchase digitally

 

[AndrewF022]

On PC (steam).. the ability to preload. Once that clock strikes 12 I am ready to go. Also with steam, often you get a nice 10% discount when preordering. Which in Australia where a game might cost $80-90.. wiping almost $10 off that is never a bad thing.

On Console.. Can't say I've ever preordered anything but sometimes the bonuses are nice, free DLC, artbook or whatever. usually for the same price as just the regular game if you buy it after release.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

You answered your own question. Pre-order bonuses and a guaranteed copy of the game the day it comes out. Sometimes it's even discounted if you pre-order early enough.

What's so hard to understand about that? I get a game I want and I know I'm going to like as soon as possible, usually with some extra goodies.

this, especially for the discounted price. between green man gaming, gog, gamersgate, steam, (even origin), amazon, newegg

I got deals on deals coming out the wazoo, why spend an extra 10-15 bucks more for less than what you get?

 

[Maeshone]

Where do you people live that you have to pay the entire price of the game if you preorder? Where I live preorders are free, and you only pay if you actually want the game by release. Well, I had to pay 5 bucks for the ACIII Collectors Edition preorder, but that was because of the limited stock. Other than that I've never ever paid for a preorder, and I preorder a lot of games.

As for why, because I get extra goodies, physical and digital (mostly digital) and a game that I am most probably interested enough in to shell out full price. So, why wouldn't I?

 

[SSJBlastoise]

You answered your own question. Pre-order bonuses and a guaranteed copy of the game the day it comes out. Sometimes it's even discounted if you pre-order early enough.

What's so hard to understand about that? I get a game I want and I know I'm going to like as soon as possible, usually with some extra goodies.

Pretty much this, also, I'm not sure if I read the OP correctly but you don't have to pay for the whole game upfront, only on steam, I have put down $20 for Bioshock Infinite because I have loved the first two games and I can get some cool extras with it. I've also read other people are able to get their money back if they cancel their pre order if some news comes out stating a change in the game they don't like.

 

[OpticalJunction]

Preordering is a way to invest in a game as soon as possible. It's kind of like a donation, in practice, a way to say you support the game and the company that makes it. Chances are you've already been sold on the premise, and any further reviews, trailers, etc. aren't going to change your mind about buying it. And this way you'll get it as soon as possible. By contrast, if you don't preorder, something unexpected could happen on release day, like they run out of stock or something, which would mean you'd have to wait longer. And of course, there's the preorder bonuses, as you already mentioned.

 

[AD-Stu]

I only do it (with games, or anything else come to think of it) when it's something that I really, REALLY want to get hold of on Day One and I've got reason to worry that the vendor might run out if I don't preorder. That's pretty much it.

Preorder bonuses don't do as much for me, because unless the game meets the criteria above then I'm probably weighing preorder bonuses against a price drop in a few months time, and the price drop (or even better, potential for buying the game even further down the line and getting the DLC thrown in or something) pretty much always outweighs the preorder bonus.

 

[krazykidd]

I don't know. I have never preordered a game in my life , and i have about 300 console games ( iv'e played more ). Sure i know i will by every final fantasy game , but still i woouldn't preorder one . I think preordering is a pretty dumb thing to do , UNLESSS you know you are a fan and will buy a game on day1 regardless. Even then i don't preorder.

 

[Full]

It's not totally harmless, not lying about that, not to mention it's pretty much the reason why hype exists (I'm never pre-ordering again after losing my 5 bucks down a few times).

But some little meaningless extras for a game you like, even if you think the game's bad, really doesn't hurt anything. The ability to get the first DLC early or free or whatever is just as harmless. As long as the developers couldn't fit the content into the disk, or it just gave the art department something to do.

If the pre-order stuff is "on-disk", though, I guess that's another story.

So my reason is hype. Consumers want the game and want it to be good, especially when it comes to sequels, so anything with the name on it is an "Oooh, shiny!" moment. I've been caught in this, and it's the reason why marketing people are employed, so in my eyes it's not all bad. I even bonded with a few people while talking about being hyped for a game.

However, I'm sure they're people who are more inclined to like it and dismiss some it's smaller faults if they already spent money on it. Whether or not that's bad is subjective. I don't have an opinion on that.

But, also, and here's the big-ass but, it's fake security. All you get are pointless things that may or may not have been taken out of the disk and we give a few suits money boners and marketing people get a raise. We're suckers for buying into this stuff, honestly.

Overall, it's harmless in my opinion, but if it were to change anything, it would be for the wrong reasons.

 

[Auron]

To support a company they like is probably a good reason (I mean why do people kickstart games?)
Some people are lucky enough that money isn't really an issue so price drops are meaningless
to ensure they get a copy on launch and because they want to play it on launch for online which may not exist a few months down the road

As for digital distribution with no added benefits maybe they want to preload or something? other then that I see no reason to pre-purchase digitally

While kickstarting games is a kind of pre-order it's also making the game happen it's quite a bit different. I've pre-ordered games I'm sure I'm going to enjoy and see nothing wrong with it, but it's not that often.

Lately I've bought games mostly on Green Man Gaming and got a nice discount for games before release which is a good plus.

 

[mohit9206]

pre-order is not my thing. i never pre-order. i prefer to wait and check out critic and user reviews and then decide if the game is worth it or not.
pre-order bonuses dont mean shit if the game itself aint any good.
and as for supporting a developer i dont support unless the game is good. in my opinion the only game thats actually worth pre-ordering is gta 5 as its pretty much guaranteed to be great

 

[karma9308]

I think I've only pre-ordered 3 games. Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, and Mass Effect 3. All three were the physical retail product and amazon gave me credit towards next purchase as well as free release date delivery. That was a good deal to me on games I was planning to day 1 buy anyway. (Of course I pre ordered Mass Effect 3 a year in advance, so the rest of the deal was just icing on the cake to me.) I recently preordered dragonborn because I wanted it to start downloading before I even woke up since I was going to download it anyway. Though with dragonborn, I had the benefit of reviews already being out.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Because I buy games exclusively online now, because leaving the house is horrible and dangerous without proper protective equipment. So it's sort of easy to do without really thinking about it.

Well I say "preorder" but I preorder it usually the day before it comes out so that barely counts. That's the one positive of EU releases being behind all the time. You can determine the level of shitness before you preorder XD

Case in point: the new Aliens game. Christ. I was never into the Alien films but even i'm shocked by how shite that game is.

I haven't bought a AAA game for a while now actually except the new DMC I suppose. I've just gone off them for no reason it looks like. What with Dead Space 3 being all over the place review-wise and lack of anything interesting coming out.

I guess I don't get hyped about anything at all now. I think the only game i'm definitely buying on launch is Bioshock Infinite.

I'll just keep bouncing between LoL, BlazBlue and UMVC3 for the time being. I actually won one online with Makoto today! Nobody was more surprised than myself, considering all those people online going around being good and everything. At least you can fall back on your comeback character in UMVC3 if your opponent is stylin' on you. In BB you can only just sort of stumble around being confused and impressed in equal measure by whatever the fuck the other guy is doing to your face.

 

[Starik20X6]

Mostly because I want to ensure I'll be able to get a copy on launch day, especially if it's a high-profile game or one that I'm particularly excited about. Also, for the occasional pre-order bonus, because I'm a sucker for that sort of stuff.

 

[Wolf In A Bear Suit]

I normally pre-order games for bonuses, and even a small discount. I'm not doing it again though, as literally all of my local game shops have shut down.

 

[AgentLampshade]

I only pre-order occasionally, and it's always to ensure I get a copy of the game. Example, I shall preorder GTAV because I'm damn sure it'll sell out quickly.

Also, to hell with going downtown to buy a copy, employee discount be damned.