Gamer Rage - Paying for a game you've already bought

JohnTomorrow

Green Thumbed Gamer
Jan 11, 2010
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I just read CAD owner Tim's latest rant about gamers who whinge about paying for a game after the initial retail price - i.e. subscription fee, DLC fees, or in the current case-in-point advertisement-free VOIP in the new APB game. There are people who claim to boycott games, unplug speakers to avoid listening to advertisement, and go nuts about a price-tag on an item they want. I know a few people who do complain like this, and i have to ask...

Why? What gives you the right to complain about something like this? Are you so conceited with your gaming habit that you must complain about it when something doesn't agree with it? If you dont like they idea of paying for addition items or a subscription fee, or having to sit through a few seconds of advertisement before getting back into a game, then stiff shit! Take your medicine like a human being and get over it!

Think of it this way - consider a loading screen. Typically they are filled with concept art or renders of the game - imagine if they were filled with ads instead. Imagine every time you loaded up TF2, instead of a cool picture in the background, there was an ad for Coke or Pepsi. Could you imagine the venom from the people who have been playing the games since conception? I'll bet there would be people up in arms about a decision like that, and i dare you to disagree.

Or the whole 'advertisement in games' thing. Like a billboard in a game featuring ads that change per level cycle (i think they wanted to introduce this into a FPS a few years ago). People went nuts over it, but what is the problem? How does it affect your gameplay? How does that affect your game at all?

I'm sick and tired of people bitching about stuff like this. Its like a kid who whinges when his parents tell him to get a job coz they're tired of paying for his dumb ass to sit around and soak up their retirement, the little mongrel. Do people expect stuff for free these days? We all sit around, playing on game consoles that each cost several hundred dollars each, PLUS additional peripherals, PLUS games, yet people bicker when they are ASKED to spend an additional ten or twenty dollars for something 'you might like'.

Here's the kicker, here's why people get pissed off - i think its because, deep down, they know that if they spend money on a DLC or subscription fee for a game, that they are spending hard earned dollars on something that is ethereal, and therefore not real. I think people would ***** a hell of a lot less if that spectral horse or souped up humvee had to come in a thumb drive that you could use over and over - and they would spend the ten or twenty bucks, because they could hold that item in their hands and say 'hey, i own this now.' And then they could physically see the DLC in store, probably shrinkwrapped in plastic, and make the decision that they wouldn't want it, instead of being tempted by the easier solution of downloading it. Because people want a quick fix, and not doing anything in order to get something you've been tempted with is a very guilty act.
 

Ironic Pirate

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May 21, 2009
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I don't mind in game ads, or DLC as long as it's quality. I don't like subscription fees, because I don't play one game enough to justify it. I also only express that opinion if asked, and if that's the case with the people you're complaining about then, well I'll be rather saddend.

Someone once posted a thread asking people's opinions on JRPGs and then got all pissed when it was revealed that some people said they didn't like JRPGs in a thread asking their opinion on JRPGs. Motherfucking gasp.

If you're angry because someone was randomly bitching about it, then yes, it's annoying. But to restate what I said earlier, if it was a thread asking people's opinion on DLC/ads/subscription fees be prepared to see an opinion other than your own.
 

Nmil-ek

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Dec 16, 2008
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No other industry takes it like this why should we be the exception? Imagine watching Terminator 2 and at the hour and a half mark being asked to pay an additional $5 to see the ending. Or buying a new DVD player then being asked to connect to the internet before you can watch anything. Or needing to install third party periphirals onto your stero to listen to music, then being told you can only install the mp3 files onto 5 devices.

It's fucking bullshit whats my right to complain? My right as a fucking paying customer as someone who has been gaming for over half his lifespan and has spent likley more than thousands into the industry, new gamer generations have no damned spine take it bent over if you like I'll voice my discressions.
 

loremazd

New member
Dec 20, 2008
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Nmil-ek said:
No other industry takes it like this why should we be the exception? Imagine watching Terminator 2 and at the hour and a half mark being asked to pay an additional $5 to see the ending. Or buying a new DVD player then being asked to connect to the internet before you can watch anything. Or needing to install third party periphirals onto your stero to listen to music, then being told you can only install the mp3 files onto 5 devices.

It's fucking bullshit whats my right to complain? My right as a fucking paying customer as someone who has been gaming for over half his lifespan and has spent likley more than thousands into the industry, new gamer generations have no damned spine take it bent over if you like I'll voice my discressions.
Terminator 2 isn't being continually made while you watch it, that's why.
 
Mar 18, 2010
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loremazd said:
Nmil-ek said:
No other industry takes it like this why should we be the exception? Imagine watching Terminator 2 and at the hour and a half mark being asked to pay an additional $5 to see the ending. Or buying a new DVD player then being asked to connect to the internet before you can watch anything. Or needing to install third party periphirals onto your stero to listen to music, then being told you can only install the mp3 files onto 5 devices.

It's fucking bullshit whats my right to complain? My right as a fucking paying customer as someone who has been gaming for over half his lifespan and has spent likley more than thousands into the industry, new gamer generations have no damned spine take it bent over if you like I'll voice my discressions.
Terminator 2 isn't being continually made while you watch it, that's why.
Off-topic: Just got the image of actors and film crews acting behind the movie screen in a theater.

OT: The videogames industry is still feeling around, with a lot of new innovations like internet now available on consoles, for the best way to distribute games and content for them. The big thing used to be expansion packs, now it's DLC. Maybe soon there will be a new method. The videogames industry is ever changing, so. Who knows.
 

Bigsmith

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Mar 16, 2009
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Personal I don't mind Monthly subscription fees/ dlc, and here's why.

Subscription fees, you always no that something new for the game is going to come out as you near what you think to be the end game content. The only problem I have is that this content needs to come out faster so I never get to hit said end game content.

D.l.c, A one off payment that allows you to play a game for another hour or more (depending on the dlc) or allows you to replay said game with different equipment/ players.
 

Ken Sapp

Cat Herder
Apr 1, 2010
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I don't have a problem with the concept of DLC, some of it is not worth the asking price and there should be a way to easily back it up anywhere it is offered. Advertisements are always going to be an issue. If there is a subscription fee to play the game there should be no ads, on the other hand if the game is free you have little to complain about as the game must be funded somehow. It costs money to run servers for MMOs and other online experiences so either pay for the service or expect to see ads. No one expects over the air broadcast television to be ad free partly because it is free but when they purchase the premium movie channels they are paying for an ad free experience.
 

Amnestic

High Priest of Haruhi
Aug 22, 2008
8,946
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Nmil-ek said:
No other industry takes it like this why should we be the exception? Imagine watching Terminator 2 and at the hour and a half mark being asked to pay an additional $5 to see the ending.
That's a shitty analogy.

A better one would be "Imagine watching Terminator 2. They've released two versions on DVD. One with your bog standard film, complete for all intents and purposes. Exactly the same product you can consume in the cinema. The second version is a Special Edition with various addons and little bits and bobs. Backstory, maybe some cut content, blooper rolls, cast/staff interviews etc. You have the choice to buy basic film for a tenner, or you can pay an extra few quid to buy the Special Edition which is entirely optional and does not in anyway add anything necessary to enjoy the film."

Unless I've missed a game where you have to pay to buy DLC to see the end of it. Care to point one out?
 

Delusibeta

Reachin' out...
Mar 7, 2010
2,594
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Amnestic said:
Unless I've missed a game where you have to pay to buy DLC to see the end of it. Care to point one out?
If j-e-f-f-e-r-s is correct, Assassin's Creed 2, which skips chapters 12 and 13, presumably to make people buy them at a later date.
 

octafish

New member
Apr 23, 2010
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I remember being a bit startled to see obvious product placement for the first time. It was Sam Fisher chewing Airwave gum.

I don't have a problem paying, or not paying, for DLC. If I was asked to pay for a patch I would scream bloody murder, but a new character, equipment or a mission? I'll buy it or I won't, depends if I think it will add to the game or not. In-game ads? I don't mind billboards advertising stuff in an urban open game world, just keep it out of fantasy RPGs and it'll be fine. Can you imagine a sports game without ad banners? Speaking of which, Nederland V Slovakia has kicked off, gotta go.
 

Feraele

New member
Mar 31, 2010
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JohnTomorrow said:
I just read CAD owner Tim's latest rant about gamers who whinge about paying for a game after the initial retail price - i.e. subscription fee, DLC fees, or in the current case-in-point advertisement-free VOIP in the new APB game. There are people who claim to boycott games, unplug speakers to avoid listening to advertisement, and go nuts about a price-tag on an item they want. I know a few people who do complain like this, and i have to ask...

Why? What gives you the right to complain about something like this? Are you so conceited with your gaming habit that you must complain about it when something doesn't agree with it? If you dont like they idea of paying for addition items or a subscription fee, or having to sit through a few seconds of advertisement before getting back into a game, then stiff shit! Take your medicine like a human being and get over it!

Think of it this way - consider a loading screen. Typically they are filled with concept art or renders of the game - imagine if they were filled with ads instead. Imagine every time you loaded up TF2, instead of a cool picture in the background, there was an ad for Coke or Pepsi. Could you imagine the venom from the people who have been playing the games since conception? I'll bet there would be people up in arms about a decision like that, and i dare you to disagree.

Or the whole 'advertisement in games' thing. Like a billboard in a game featuring ads that change per level cycle (i think they wanted to introduce this into a FPS a few years ago). People went nuts over it, but what is the problem? How does it affect your gameplay? How does that affect your game at all?

I'm sick and tired of people bitching about stuff like this. Its like a kid who whinges when his parents tell him to get a job coz they're tired of paying for his dumb ass to sit around and soak up their retirement, the little mongrel. Do people expect stuff for free these days? We all sit around, playing on game consoles that each cost several hundred dollars each, PLUS additional peripherals, PLUS games, yet people bicker when they are ASKED to spend an additional ten or twenty dollars for something 'you might like'.

Here's the kicker, here's why people get pissed off - i think its because, deep down, they know that if they spend money on a DLC or subscription fee for a game, that they are spending hard earned dollars on something that is ethereal, and therefore not real. I think people would ***** a hell of a lot less if that spectral horse or souped up humvee had to come in a thumb drive that you could use over and over - and they would spend the ten or twenty bucks, because they could hold that item in their hands and say 'hey, i own this now.' And then they could physically see the DLC in store, probably shrinkwrapped in plastic, and make the decision that they wouldn't want it, instead of being tempted by the easier solution of downloading it. Because people want a quick fix, and not doing anything in order to get something you've been tempted with is a very guilty act.

Loading screens have advertising in them, if they contain the names/titles of Publisher and Developper, thats advertising in a way. :)

Most times I let them load, but if I don't feel like waiting I hit escape. Nothing to get fussed about, or whatever. Some folks don't like reading quests or dialogue and escape through all that as well.

I don't think it's anything to get all worked up about, but these days, just watch the forums for a game you're playing.

The amount of people that post and literally come off as foaming at the mouth, is incredible.

I keep getting this picture in my head of all these frustrated, mad at life people walking around..looking for a place to vent. :p hehe
 

ProfessorLayton

Elite Member
Nov 6, 2008
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I don't understand... are you being sarcastic or not?

I really hate it when people get upset about DLC that you have to pay for, because it's almost like a mini expansion pack, yet people will go out and buy those without a problem. You watch advertisements in movies and on TV, on the radio or even when you buy comics and some books. Is there anything about a game that makes it worse, just because in the background it says "go buy this product"? If they're like advertisements that get in the way of the game, I would understand. But games like Prototype just have big billboards with stores on it. And personally, I think it would raise the immersion a bit if a game that took place in the mall had actual mall stores.

Nmil-ek said:
No other industry takes it like this why should we be the exception? Imagine watching Terminator 2 and at the hour and a half mark being asked to pay an additional $5 to see the ending. Or buying a new DVD player then being asked to connect to the internet before you can watch anything. Or needing to install third party periphirals onto your stero to listen to music, then being told you can only install the mp3 files onto 5 devices.

It's fucking bullshit whats my right to complain? My right as a fucking paying customer as someone who has been gaming for over half his lifespan and has spent likley more than thousands into the industry, new gamer generations have no damned spine take it bent over if you like I'll voice my discressions.
As a person who has also spend thousands of dollars on this hobby, I still don't understand your point. It's not like if they charged you 5 bucks to watch the ending, it's like if they charged you 5 bucks for bonus features. If you really don't think you'll want them, you can buy the cheaper version that just comes with the movie. Again, what's the difference between this and expansion packs? And what do you think TV is? Unless you have bunny ears which I'm pretty sure don't work anymore, you have to pay Comcast or AT&T to let you have TV or you need to hook it up to a satellite. And those problems you have seem nitpicky to me. You obviously have internet, so why should it matter if Steam or your DVD player needs you to connect?

And you know that there is DRM like that for iTunes. You can only activate your account on like 10 different computers and if you're not logged into your account you can't listen to certain songs you bought on iTunes. DRM is silly to get worked up over. I highly doubt you have 10 computers in your house that you need to install the same game onto. You act like you're entitled to being able to do whatever you want and the second a game has you install third party support you freak out. I'm not completely for the 15 dollar DLC Map Packs for Modern Warfare and crap like that either, but just because you spend a lot of money on their products doesn't automatically let you have whatever you want, especially if your complaints are little things like downloading something that takes 5 minutes tops so you can have the optimal experience.
 

Axolotl

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Feb 17, 2008
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Amnestic said:
That's a shitty analogy.

A better one would be "Imagine watching Terminator 2. They've released two versions on DVD. One with your bog standard film, complete for all intents and purposes. Exactly the same product you can consume in the cinema. The second version is a Special Edition with various addons and little bits and bobs. Backstory, maybe some cut content, blooper rolls, cast/staff interviews etc. You have the choice to buy basic film for a tenner, or you can pay an extra few quid to buy the Special Edition which is entirely optional and does not in anyway add anything necessary to enjoy the film."

Unless I've missed a game where you have to pay to buy DLC to see the end of it. Care to point one out?
While I agree with that metaphor for most games, what about ones like Dragon Age where they try to sell the DLC in the middle of the game? To use your metaphor it'd be like the film pausing for a moment for James Cameron to walk on and say "There's a really cool deleted scene here, but the Director's Cut to see it!" and then the film continueing.
 

RowdyRodimus

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Apr 24, 2010
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I think it really boils down to this, they sign deals with Nike, Coke or Pepsi to put ads in the game as a way to bring costs down. That's all well and good for them, but the lower cost isn't shared with the consumer, all it does is give them a better profit margin.

When they first started putting commercials at the beginning of movies in the theaters, it was said that it was going to make the movie going experience cheaper for the audience. People accepted it if they could save some money, but the theater owners decided that they enjoyed the extra revenue and voila, $10-$15 dollar tickets, $10 popcorn and $7 drinks.

Then like all good businesses, they blame the audience (usually that pirates are costing them money) instead of realizing that they are pricing themselves out of business.

Just my opinion.
 

Kagim

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Aug 26, 2009
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I don't mind DLC. Bit sized little content pack for usually a decent price. Rather then having to run out and buy an expansion for a game for full retail because it has one game mode i like i can pay 10-15 bucks from the comfort of my own home. Yeah there's DLC that is overpriced, but i just don't buy it. Problem solved.

In cases where DLC is preplanned then i think its bad. DLC should be extras after the game is made. Not something removed from the game in order to charge you for it later, Or like Bioshock 2 and there content simply getting locked onto the discs. That was pretty low.

The ability to purchase additional weapons. I don't like this because greed can ruin games. Gunbound had an ingame item shop. Most things could be purchased with credits(Earned in game) or gold(Credit card). I left the game for a year when i moved and coming back the item shop was reworked. The only way to get items you can keep permanently in a realistic amount of time was to buy them. Even the standard marine gear was so outrageously expensive it would honestly take months of non stop playing to get one piece of it permanently.

Ads in games? Sure. Little ad during wait screens. IF it lowers the cost of the game I don't mind an ad placed in a non irritating way.

Rico turns to the camera, "Sev! I could sure use an ice cold pepsi right now!"

If that happens I'm selling my PS3 and giving up on gaming.

Supscription fees!

I don't mind them if i like the game. The games cost a lot to keep and honestly i see it as a bribe paid to keep away the unfriendliness of the free mmos. I have a list of problems with them, but neither the time nor the place.

Finally, who are we to complain.

We are the consumers. Its what we do. Sure some complaints are stupid as hell, some are well thought out. A lot of people are frustrated with the CoD subscription fee. I'm not because i don't play CoD. I can see why people are pissed as the game can clearly run without subscription fees.

The l4d2 boycott? That was stupid. "We were promised new maps!" Yeah? Well they made a brand new game instead. Life sucks get a helmet.

RowdyRodimus said:
When they first started putting commercials at the beginning of movies in the theaters, it was said that it was going to make the movie going experience cheaper for the audience. People accepted it if they could save some money, but the theater owners decided that they enjoyed the extra revenue and voila, $10-$15 dollar tickets, $10 popcorn and $7 drinks.
Umm, just a bit of info.

1)Ticket price is still a loss. Movie theaters do not earn a cent off them.
2)The popcorn and drinks are the only place they earn money. That's why they are so anal about not letting you bring outside food in. Without that bread and butter they are going to lose money.
3) The ads at the beginning of movies pretty much attempts to cover a flop of a movie. Not all movies are blowout best sellers, but they pay the same price to show them.
 

Ranorak

Tamer of the Coffee mug!
Feb 17, 2010
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I love the billboards in [PROTOTYPE] that advertise movies.

But only if they fit in a setting.

Seeing a add for Bill's PC Hardware store in the corners of Azeroth does tick me off slightly.