I Buy Games for The Developers

[jelock]

No. Like everyone else I buy games that I simply want to play, not to just have them sit on my shelf. In saying that though there are certain devs that I will buy games from on the grounds that I know they make games I enjoy e.g R* and Valve.

 

[deathzero021]

i'm sorta down with this but since i have very little income my little bits of support ultimately don't matter in the grand scale of things. I bought all id games just to support them because i'm a huge Doom fan, however i haven't liked any of their games since Quake 2. So... yeah. I can agree with the notion of buying out of support.

I buy some stuff on bandcamp just to support, even though you can listen to all the music for free. As a game developer in training, i know how important it is to receive support and how great it is when it happens.

 

[MrMrAwesom]

I literally just bought Rise of the Triad for this exact reason. Game company supporting mod support? Have my money, as support!
On the flip side of the coin I didn't buy Dead Space 3. DS2 was too action-y as it was, with so few horror elements, I should have demanded a refund for that one! Then 3 was straight up gears of war with not-at-all frightening zombies. I already have almost every other game ever, for non-horror zombies, thank you very much!

EDIT: I won't buy them just because. I buy them to support the devs & to play them about half & half.

 

[Racecarlock]

No, I don't buy games to specifically support the developers. I buy games to play them. Since I liked solar, I got solar 2 and it was a great purchase.

I mean, I wouldn't buy a car specifically to keep ford in business, now would I? It's nonsensical. If I buy a product, I probably want to use the product.

"But the developers work so hard! Shouldn't that be enough?"

I got news for ya. Every developer works hard. Even the ones who make the COD sequels, because you still have to write a new story and upgrade the physics and add new weapons. Even if we're just talking indie guys, I'm probably going to buy from Eric Chahi again because he supplied me with both out of this world/another world and From Dust, which still has some of the best nature physics I've ever seen.

So no, a developer working hard is not reason enough for me to just throw money at them. If I'm paying, I expect a good game. It can be an old game like Galaga or Asteroids, but I still expect a good game.

Besides, if I want to support a developer without buying a game, I could always just send them money in an envelope.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

I'm a bit on both sides on this one.

There are games that I do want to support the developers because I love their mentality on the whole "doing right by the consumer" such as CDProjekt RED and it happens that they also have created the Witcher franchise which I love quite a lot.

On the flip side however, I tend to buy games if I am interested in them and aside from a few exceptions like my previous point (Blizzard being another of those exceptions), I don't seem to buy games with that focus in mind.

 

[Skops]

Indie games? Yeah i do. I own like 50 indie games on steam and I might barely play any of them.

AAA games? Fuck no.

Middle of the road games that are deemed "horrible" by the gaming community? Yes. 'cause chances are it's not really that bad, or it means they're trying something new that just didn't work.

 

[PFCboom]

That's actually kinda true for me. Certain studios and even publishers have earned that kind of loyalty from me, that I would buy their products just because it's made by them. For example, Humblehearts, LLC, the tiny studio that made Dust: An Elsian Tail, has my undying loyalty. I'm pretty sure I would buy literally anything they put out without a second thought.

 

[Tayh]

Example; I just bought 'Dragon Commander' on Steam. I probably wont play it (if I do, it'll be for 10 minutes) but I liked the feel and aesthetic of the Divinity 2 games, and want the company to do well.

Really? Hah.
If you really wanted to support the developers, you would have bought the game directly from Larian Studios instead of giving valve a fat cut of the profits.

I only buy games that I am interested in playing. But then, I mostly purchase games from companies that I respect and appreciate.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Good on you I suppose. Generally when I end up doing that it's because the game is really good by virtue of having good devs who I want to support. Conversely, I'm thinking of not getting the Armored Core after ACVD (which is the next one) if it continues the same generation, even though their developers brought me Dark Souls and all the other Armored Cores, because they're ruining the series for me with their part designs and balancing, and taking out some of the singleplayer aspects (Arena mode, decent storyline, other NPC pilots that would sometimes be able to help, or request help from you) that I really liked about the series. So even though I adore the devs, their design decisions are frustrating me, and I don't subscribe to supporting developers with your wallets enough to overlook an unsatisfying game, in the same way I would probably support a developer I didn't like as a person if they made a game I did like (although publisher marketing decisions like DRM or penny-pinching design decisions are generally enough for me to not buy a game). I know someone who I sympathise with who bought practically every game Atlus published to support them as if they were a whole service, and similarly, I would sympathise with someone buying a certain genre of game because they want to see more of it.

tl;dr: Supporting developers is a factor for me, but not an overriding one.

 

[mrjoe94]

this is the reason I preordered Ni No Kuni and Tales of Xillia. I want to support the JRPG genre in America, and to show that there is an audience for more games within those franchises. I also purchase games from CDProjektRED and Obsidian, even though I am not a WRPG fan, because I like the developers.

No. I reckon that gives off the wrong message. I buy games I believe are good, and hopefully my purchase will inspire more quality titles.

Also, what's the point of buying games to hardly play them?

Both of these. That's like buying a crap movie just because you like the Actor/Director/Producer. Games are far too expensive to take risks on, unless it's during a > 50% discount on Steam for AAA's or maybe 33% off for indies. I admit I sometimes do that but ONLY if know i'll like and play the game. I'm going to get hated for this but I actually regret buying the Witcher 2. I don't care how nice or good the developer is.

 

[WanderingFool]

I wont buy a game just because. If I spend any large amount of money (more than $10) on a game, its because I plan on playing it atleast twice, if not more. I dont buy a game and then leave sit there doing nothing with it. And if i dont plan on playing it more than once, I dont bother buying it, I rent it for a few days, beat it, and think nothing of it ever again.

I dont "feel" the need to support developers buy just buying their games. If I want to sopport a developer, its because their game is something I would enjoy.

 

[thebakedpotato]

I buy games how I buy books, I buy some that I hear are good. Some that look good. And occasionally one or two that I look forward to relentlessly.

I then put them on the self and play WoW.

 

[BarkBarker]

Omnipotent... ...doesn't mean everything happens because he wants to

Actually, that's exactly what it means.

Omnipotent means he is all powerful, that doesn't mean he does everything, it simple states that with unlimited power, he CAN, but doesn't state anything to do with actually doing it, I could be all powerful and still have things happen that I don't want to, you really think god doesn't have a single lazy day, like a day to rest maybe?

 

[Strain42]

I will happily support a developer that I like, but on one condition...they release games that I want.

For instance, I would say that I support Atlus USA. I buy every MegaTen game that comes out, and whenever there is a special edition, I shell out the extra money to get it.

But I'm not going to buy an Atlus USA game that I have absolutely no interest in playing. I didn't pick up Code of Princess, I'm not picking up Dragon's Crown, I didn't get Game of Thrones or Sherlock Holmes. I like Atlus as a developer, and a publisher, and I support what they do, but I'm not going to spend my hard earned money on a game I'm not interested in.

Now if they get around to localizing Touch Detective 3, they'll get my money.

There are occasionally games where I will go "Oh hey, so-n-so is publishing that. Maybe I'll look into it." and if it looks like something I want, I'll get it. So a publisher can sway me into looking further into a game, but in the end it all comes down to if I actually want to get it or not.