Hello Malstrom, I know you’re on vacation but I hope you find some time to read through this on your spare time.
I’m really frustrated and angry with developers and publishers this generation. Specially these last two years. I don’t know how people keep putting up with all the crap they throw at customers. Things like “Online Passes” that are basically codes the customer must input in order to be able to play online or unlock content form the game. And if you buyed the game used, well you have to dish out 10 bucks or so in order to get that content unlocked. I’m really angry at how developers and publishers don’t try to solve the real problem (read: BAD GAMES). Instead they keep fucking up the customer more and more with this crap.
You can check how wrong it is:
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/13/catwoman-unlocked-in-batman-arkham-city-through-online-pass/
So now I *need* an internet connection in order to play part of the game.
And then gaming journalist state:
But what’s funny is that gamestop actually found a way around it. Well they had to, otherwise it would not be good bussiness for them since most of that store chain’s profits are from used game sales.
But wait, there’s more. Apparently they got issues with the codes; as soon as the game was released.
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/18/arkham-city-buyers-encounter-numerous-dlc-code-issues/
And this game is just one example. EA obviously has boarded the online pass bandwagon since Sony started it back in 2010 with some PSP game (and that code was a 20 dollar one).
Get these publishers/developers:
I will NOT put up with your crap, give me the game WHOLE, don’t lock out stuff that’s already on the disc. Not everyone has an internet connection and not everyone is willing to put up wit that crap. You’ll notice it sooner than later and I hope your bussiness comes down because of it so you learn your lesson. I now vow to not buy any game that comes with any kind of these codes in order for me to play it. 10-15 years ago I payed for my game and it was MY game. Games are for PEOPLE not for publishers, you want to make good profit? Fine! MAKE GOOD GAMES FOR GOD’S SAKE I’m willing to bet 10 to 1 that’ll make you good money.
I’m sorry, I just needed to vent and I know you have to say something on this and I wanna hear it.
Have a nice vacation.
This is the ‘Game Industry’ at work. You have these marketers and other ‘business smarts’ who think this is all a good idea.
If there is any way to describe the widening chasm between the gamers and the Game Industry, it would be ‘lack of integrity’. Gaming has a standard of integrity that the market expects from it. The Game Industry thinks this ‘integrity’ is “expensive” and should be scaled back somehow. I suspect a big reason why gamers recoil at these moves, as you did, is because you know this harms the integrity. The Game Industry is playing a losing game here.
There has been much written about the Atari Crash, but everyone gets the cause wrong. The actual cause of the Atari Crash were the gamers. Atari thought they could get away with putting out crap and the gamers destroyed Atari.
Or a more recent example, look what happened with the PlayStation 3. Sony thought it could get away with crap. Gamers told Sony to shove it. Analysts are still ‘shocked’ at the demise of the PlayStation brand. Gamers aren’t shocked though.
I have to laugh at everything written about the ‘Video Game Business’ as if the gamers do not have a role to play. They are depicted as a lifeless environment that ‘reacts’ or ‘doesn’t react’ to whatever a game company does. The business is the hand and the gamers are the ‘clay’ that is moved around. But the reality is that the gamers are the hand, they are the movers and shakers. The business just reacts to whatever the gamers want or don’t want.
It is actually very easy to succeed in the gaming market if you follow this golden rule: if you wish to prosper, allow the gamer to prosper. All these ‘restrictions’ these businesses put in do not allow the gamer to prosper.
Every successful game company has one thing in common: they rejoice in allowing the gamers to prosper. And this prospering allows gamers to sell the game if they choose or have more than one save file. If you wish to prosper, your customers must prosper. It doesn’t happen the other way around.