Took the words right out of my mouth. I thought that gamerscore would allow you to earn fun stuff by playing their games.dosp5 said:Funny story, when i originally bought a Xbox I thought use could use the gamer points to buy stuff.
Took the words right out of my mouth. I thought that gamerscore would allow you to earn fun stuff by playing their games.dosp5 said:Funny story, when i originally bought a Xbox I thought use could use the gamer points to buy stuff.
This still all makes no god damn sense.NinjaDeathSlap said:I'm hoping that Microsoft would make more money (or at least a similar amount) through increased Xbox sales ans Live subscriptions by people who were put off by having to pay for more stuff than the PS3 makes you pay for, as well as an increase in game sales as people try to mine more and more games for their Gamerscore which would now serve a useful purpose.Moriarty said:I fail to see how Microsoft would profit from this. Hell even the entire microsoft point system is just in place so people have to pay 2$ more everytime they purchase something.
Uhm.....no. Game developers only make money when users buy a new game, and when they pay for DLC. Getting free points by simply playing the games they already bought would not give the developers a cent. And consider stores like Gamestop that sell used games. Players would buy the game used, with all of that money going to the store and not the developers, and then they get even more free stuff by simply just playing the game. (Watch "Extra Credits: Project Ten Dollar" to know a little more. In fact, just watch "Extra Credits" period.)NinjaDeathSlap said:- Despite not making money through MS points anymore I think it would actually earn a bigger profit for Microsoft and the entire industry. The fairer system would persuade more gamers to buy Xbox's which helps Microsoft, and the idea of using Gamerscore earned from achievements to buy DLC will encourage gamers to buy more Xbox games to get their Gamerscore. This not only helps Microsoft, but the Dev's, Publishers, and Game Retailers too.
Might not be convenient? It's so far from convenient its retarded, playing through a shitty game for 10 hours to get 1000 gamer score that will buy about half a games worth of DLC or buy it with money get my DLC right away for the game I want without playing games I don't.Slash12 said:I'm pretty sure a ton of people thought of this when Xbox 360 was announced so you are nowhere close to being the first person with this idea. Like many people have said, it won't work at all because its not profitable for the companies and it might not even be convenient for the customer (The inability to instantly get more points if you use them all). Also, currently you can just easily give yourself 1000gs in all the games ever and all you need is a transfer cable to do it.
You sir, are brilliant. Thank you for making my day.Jamash said:I can just imagine the Indie Developers going to the bank and trying to pay off their business loan they used to set up their studio with Gamerscore...
"Hi, I'd like to make a deposit of 100,000 Gamerscore please, and I'd also like to pay off my mortgage in full with 500,000 hopes & dreams and this sack of children's letters to Father Christmas".
Because even after 5 years on live I would only have enough for $120 worth of DLC.Con Carne said:It makes sense. Your gamerscore is even represented as a "G" with a circle around it. Isn't that how money was represented in a lot of games? I hadn't really had much experience with the 360 until recently and I thought you could use your Gamerscore as currency too. When I was told the disappointing truth, I had the same thought "Why don't they let us buy crap from XBL with our Gamerscores?"
That sounds like a good system. It wasn't like I'd been planning this theory for ages and I was completely set on it, it was just an idea that's been at the back of my mind for a while so I thought a good way to test the water would be to introduce it to a gaming community who tend to be very knowledgeable. I can see now that my theory has flaws in it that no amount of tweaking can really solve so I guess it's back to the drawing board. See, the problem I personally have with MS points is that I don't have my own credit card. I really should but my family is stingy like that, so while I can buy games myself if I want to get MS points online I essentially have to do it with my parent money and with their permission, which can get frustrating as they not the most clued up people when it comes to games. Also the set prices to get MS points online are stupid, and they don't let you just manually set a specific amount that you want. There must be SOME way of making this better without hurting anyones profits.Reishadowen said:Uhm.....no. Game developers only make money when user buy a new game, and when they pay for DLC. Getting free points by simply playing the games they already bought would not give the developers a cent. And consider stores like Gamestop that sell used games. Players would buy the game used, with all of that money going to the store and not the developers, and then they get even more free stuff by simply just playing the game. (Watch "Extra Credits: Project Ten Dollar" to know a little more. In fact, just watch "Extra Credits" period.)NinjaDeathSlap said:- Despite not making money through MS points anymore I think it would actually earn a bigger profit for Microsoft and the entire industry. The fairer system would persuade more gamers to buy Xbox's which helps Microsoft, and the idea of using Gamerscore earned from achievements to buy DLC will encourage gamers to buy more Xbox games to get their Gamerscore. This not only helps Microsoft, but the Dev's, Publishers, and Game Retailers too.
I can see what you're saying, by giving something to actually do with the gamer-score, and I'm not exactly fond of paying regular fees for XBLA, but let's be reasonable. XBOX Live needs money to keep it maintained and running. Maybe they could install some sort of, "The more gamer points you have, the bigger a discount you get on DLC?" I mean it's a good indicator of just how much you like and play XBOX games, why not make a "frequent flyer miles" of the XBOX?
Sony skimped on their security front to make up the loss of offering free online service. Not to mention that the service isn't as fluid as Xbox Live. You get what you pay for.NinjaDeathSlap said:What if, for the next console generation, Microsoft got rid of MS points and let us use Gamerscore as currency?
The problems I have with the current system are twofold:
- I think that it is unfair that we should have to pay for downloads AND for a full Xbox Live membership, when on the PS3 you only have to pay for downloads.
It serves enough of a purpose in enough players eyes for it to have spawned a metagame, and to provoke copycats in almost every gaming installation. Sony, Apple and Newgrounds are the immediate ones to come through.- Although it is satisfying to get achievements, the Gamerscore that comes with them doesn't really serve any useful purpose.
You are never the only one, and certainly not by a long short in this idea.Whereas I think using my idea (at least I hope it's my idea and nobody's already thought of it) would have three significant benefits.
You don't have to fork out for anything. Like any service, you opt in and therefore pay the entry fee. Sky or Virgin don't give you free subscriptions for watching certain of television.- The system would be fairer because we would only have to fork out money for one thing, just like the PS3.
Once you've bought the game, Microsoft nor the developers nor the publishers care about what you think about it - or if they do for future customer retention; I'm sure your opinion on numbers is the least of their concerns. If you are inclined to achievement hunt in the first instance you always will, and if you weren't then you never will. Insignificant rewards will not change this mindset of someone.- Getting achievement would be even more rewarding if the Gamerscore had a useful purpose, and gamers would be more inclined to try for the more obscure/harder/more interesting achievement that usually come with the biggest payouts.
I'd like to know where your experience outweighs that of entire legions of marketing strategists. You seem to forget that your idea is circular, and that people will not only get free games/DLC by completing other free games/DLC claimed by the programme, but also that the entire retail market will collapse in on itself because people will no longer have a reason to purchase instead of visiting Blockbusters or becoming patrons of Lovefilm/Gamefly.- Despite not making money through MS points anymore I think it would actually earn a bigger profit for Microsoft and the entire industry. The fairer system would persuade more gamers to buy Xbox's which helps Microsoft, and the idea of using Gamerscore earned from achievements to buy DLC will encourage gamers to buy more Xbox games to get their Gamerscore. This not only helps Microsoft, but the Dev's, Publishers, and Game Retailers too.
Categorically no. What would be more sensible is a prize draw system similar to what many mobile operators do with pay as you go contracts, to encourage people to spend more money on phone credit than they need.So That's my manifesto. Discussion value: Can this idea work? If so do you have anything of your own to add and would you be prepared to support this idea if it were presented to Microsoft? If this idea wouldn't work for some reason, can you please explain so I can correct/alter it.
I actually went to the marketplace and tried to spend them. Heh. This thread takes me back to a more innocent time.dosp5 said:Funny story, when i originally bought a Xbox I thought use could use the gamer points to buy stuff.