We have asked and answered “Why Pre-Order?” but it’s also
important to ask “Why Not Pre-Order?” This
article will be the first in a series of posts that will attempt to answer the question “Why Not Pre-Order?”
In
my previous three-part
series, I addressed the most common reasons why people
pre-order games and why each reason either does or does not have merit. In this
installment, I’ll be giving you the reasons that have turned me off of
pre-ordering games. Additionally, I’ll
also be addressing ad business practices within the video game industry in general, since
the two issues are so closely related. As with the previous series, I’d like to make it clear that I’m not
saying “people are not allowed to pre-order games.” I’m stating that it’s a bad
idea to pre-order games most of the time. I’m not telling people what to do with their money. You're capable of exercising rational judgement: use your
money wisely, or don’t, it’s your choice.
[Please note: these articles are not meant to address
pre-ordering with regards to Nintendo games.
I consider pre-ordering Nintendo games a separate topic and discussion
for another time since Nintento's business practices are so very different from that of the rest of the industry. These articles are aimed at non-Nintendo video game developers.]
Why Not
Pre-Order? Bad Games
There’s one main reason why gamers play games:
entertainment. We want to enjoy ourselves and not be bored. We spend so much money and many hours on
this passion of ours. It’s the same reason why people watch TV,
watch movies, read books, and listen to
music. We do all of this because we enjoy it. However, not every game is going to be entertaining, just as not every
movie, book, TV show, or song is going to be compelling. Sometimes in the medium that we enjoy, there
are entries which are poorly created. Those items can end up being lackluster.
When purchasing a game, how is a gamer to know if they are
going to enjoy their experience? As with
pretty much every other item available for purchase, this can be accomplished by
reading reviews prior to purchasing the item. Game reviewers often are able to give us first impressions
before a game releases. Impressions from
beta testers and people who demoed that game at a convention can also help form
early impressions of the game without having consumer feedback. What would you say about a person who
purchased a brand-new car without having researched how well the car was made
or designed? There
are many readily available free resources for
discovering the quality and
reception of items for purchase before purchasing them. A consumer just needs to wait for a product
to be released in order to discover the product’s quality without risking their
own money. Reviews are typically released at least the same day as the item, or, on occasion, several days before release of the item.
Information is the most powerful tool for consumers. It informs us as to the value and quality of
potential purchases. It can save us from
wasting money that could have otherwise been spent on a
better product. If every single purchaser of Sim City 2013
knew ahead of time that the game would be literally
unplayable for weeks after release (editor's note: read here to find out why) then very few, if any, people would have
purchased the game at release. They
would have at least waited until it was playable. The only way to discover information like
that, as to whether a game is playable, is to either wait for reviews (just a single day after release) or to buy the game themselves. Why spend $60 to get the information when it
can be obtained for free?
Remember the reception of Superman 64? It was one
of the worst games ever made. I have
never heard a person speak positively about it, nor any fanaticism defending
the game. If you were the type of person
to blindly pre-order a game without waiting for review information on its
quality, you risk getting a game like Superman 64: a horrible un-fun experience
that is nothing more than a waste of money. If you care about spending your money on fun
experiences that entertain you, then what reason could you have for not doing
your research first? Would you research
a car? Would you research a computer? Then why not research a game?
No comments :
Post a Comment