Is pre ordering is a terrible idea?

[BloatedGuppy]

My entire point with the preorder thing is that you are getting a product that NO one has properly sampled 100% of yet to give real feedback. Third party feedback. All of these things can be done with your examples. The house can be 100% reviewed. An unreleased game obviously cant because it would ruin it. You can only see a little. You might miss the glaring flaws.

Well, here's the crux of your problem, though. The gaming press is unreliable and has a highly incestuous relationship with the developers. What were people who waited for ME3 to release supposed to divine from the overwhelmingly glowing press reviews of the game? That it was poor, and a pre-order would have been a bad idea? The only alternate form of feedback is from other players...who A) are notorious for not being remotely objective, and B) would've had to buy the game without the benefit of reliable feedback.

Presumably you can take the stance that the smart man waits many months for the truth of a game to float to the surface, but clearly everyone can't be doing this, or as Draech implies, there won't be a gaming industry left to complain about in fairly short order.

 

[distortedreality]

You know, just because you pre-order a game, doesn't mean you have to pay for and pick it up on day one....

Just sayin...

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Since I generally only buy things I'm pretty sure I want I think pre-ordering is alright (I still don't do it but that's because I frankly can't be arsed)

I tend not to let reviews of products change my opinion. I heard Twilight was good (back before it got really famous), I read it and thought it was shit, I have not changed my opinion since based on anyone's reviews. People say the Hunger Games is some hot property, I have to say I think they are at least comparable if not worse than Twilight, and no amount of good reviews are going to change my mind.

Similarly, LEGO Harry Potter 2 was pretty badly received, but I had more fun with it over a weekend than I ever did with titles like Gears of War or Call of Duty, so I think I'll stick with my kid's game thanks.

 

[Sexy Devil]

Never understood the point of pre-ordering. Even with the biggest releases I've never had a problem with waltzing into the store on release day and grabbing a copy. Really doesn't seem like it accomplishes anything other than wasting money on something you may realise you don't want further down the line.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

My entire point with the preorder thing is that you are getting a product that NO one has properly sampled 100% of yet to give real feedback. Third party feedback. All of these things can be done with your examples. The house can be 100% reviewed. An unreleased game obviously cant because it would ruin it. You can only see a little. You might miss the glaring flaws.

Well, here's the crux of your problem, though. The gaming press is unreliable and has a highly incestuous relationship with the developers. What were people who waited for ME3 to release supposed to divine from the overwhelmingly glowing press reviews of the game? That it was poor, and a pre-order would have been a bad idea? The only alternate form of feedback is from other players...who A) are notorious for not being remotely objective, and B) would've had to buy the game without the benefit of reliable feedback.

Presumably you can take the stance that the smart man waits many months for the truth of a game to float to the surface, but clearly everyone can't be doing this, or as Draech implies, there won't be a gaming industry left to complain about in fairly short order.

This is why i favor the escapist. The escapist provides amateur impartial reviews that are basically reviewed as if a friend wrote them. Other sites such as this also help massively. Only a few have to pre order and pay the price to do so, but are rewarded by being payed to review. This is the system by which we can still have a games industry and people can still get a good idea of what they pay for.

I think there is a line between making sure the industry stays afloat and letting it become lazy because pre order money is a certainty and it reduces the need to try at all once a fan base has been created. We saw it with dragon age, call of duty and mass effect. Its a trend.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

This is why i favor the escapist. The escapist provides amateur impartial reviews that are basically reviewed as if a friend wrote them. Other sites such as this also help massively. Only a few have to pre order and pay the price to do so, but are rewarded by being payed to review. This is the system by which we can still have a games industry and people can still get a good idea of what they pay for.

I think there is a line between making sure the industry stays afloat and letting it become lazy because pre order money is a certainty and it reduces the need to try at all once a fan base has been created. We saw it with dragon age, call of duty and mass effect. Its a trend.

While DA2 and ME3 might've made a fair whack of cash on pre-order sales alone, there's no question they're not super happy with the sustained sales of either title. A popularly embraced classic can sell at full price for YEARS and live on in GOTY editions, DLC and high priced expansions. Poorly received flops might surge out of the gate but they fall flat shortly thereafter. There is still pressure in the industry to deliver quality. What constitutes "quality", however, can be subjective, and development costs are high, so corners get cut.

 

[Namehere]

I take my money seriously. Take other people's money seriously to. In generally, I'm no big fan of pre-ordering. That changes however when I see a project that either I'm sure I'll want and have the money for one day but might not the next, or if I see a project I'm fond of that I think might be struggling financially. Yea, it borders on charity ? it isn't as though I'm being handed a pile of shares for it. You've got to ask yourself ? in that context ? how much the game's production is worth to YOU. Same applies to kick starter.

I recently picked up Sins of a Solar Empire's Rebellion on pre-order. I'm a major Stardock fan-boy ? can't help it that company and its staff are just awesome. They're also fairly small though, so I see no problem with the idea that my pre-order is being invested in either the ongoing development of Rebelion while its in beta or perhaps going to something new like a new Galactic Civilizations game. Hell for all I care they can have an office party with it. I'm just glad to help out Stardock. So I'd say pre-ordering has its place.

I find the way media covers pre-orders to be... if not disingenuous then certainly a little over the top... Of course companies love it. It's like voting with your wallet and you watch the polls climb for a game ? all those pre-orders ? and it makes people over confident in buying said game either on day one or as a pre-order. It also invests players personally in the success of a franchise release before its even out, meaning more then your marketing department is talking about the game as gamers go online at the Escapist talking about how excited they are for a download to finish or to head down to the store in a few hours. It rallies the vote/buy. I can't really say any of that's WRONG mind you.

My two cents.

 

[Dryk]

Yes its putting an investment down, but 9 times out of 10 I can watch gameplay videos before a game comes out.

It's not really an investment unless there are preorder bonuses, and even then the devs get more out of being able to use your money early.

 

[Vegosiux]

Personally I'd love to see developers make "day-one" DLC free to preorders and those who buy in the first few days of release, so those who were dedicated enough to buy on launch don't feel like they're having their wallet further assaulted. But for now it is what it is, as publishers ever so slowly get a grip on how they should be treating their customers.

I'm going to call "poor choice of words" here. Dedicated...dedicated to what? May be just that my brand loyalty is and has always been zero, so I don't get that attitude, but why should people be praised for being loyal to a name as opposed to the quality of a product?

 

[LiftYourSkinnyFists]

Ive been thinking about pre ordering. Particularly with the sem-recent mass effect debacle. It all seems to stem from people complaining after pre ordering. I dont want this to descend into an arguement about mass effect so ill summarise my conclusions about pre ordering:

1. Youre getting something based entirely off PR and advertising - two things known to exhaggerate and distort the true quality of an item.

2. You might as well be purchasing a "mystery box" from a stranger on the basis that his last mystery box contained something good.

3. If you then complain that the mystery box contains something terrible, as they tend to do at times, youre entire point is undermined by the fact your PURCHASED the mystery box despite having very limited knowlegde of what was inside it.

4. It seems like an obvious company scheme to say "Let them buy item X before its true quality can be appraised and they realise they might not want it!"

Ive realised now that, other than for those who are very impatiant, pre ordering is a system designed pretty much to screw you over. This is why they offer bonuses if you DO pre order. Because youre taking a huge risk. No other industry would ask you to spend money on a promise of a product you have never seen. Pre ordering actively hurts the industry because it asks that fans feed a company blind to the quality of the product made.

It doesnt apply a strong enough pressure to publishers who dissapoint their fans. Why SHOULD they make the third installment in any series good? At all? Pre order revinue will give them nice earnings no matter what the quality is.

Basically i see no good reason to pre order. What do you think about pre ordering? Do you think as an industry we should scrap it?

I preorder because

#1 I know I'll buy it anyway
#2 I like to have it guaranteed for day of release for me to play
#3 Because I might get bonus goodies for preorders
#4 I'm rarely disappointed
#5 I don't play EA games so I am very unlikely to be upset, ever.

 

[malestrithe]

When it's a game that I know I will like, I preorder it.

That really is the only situation when you should preorder something.

 

[Ragsnstitches]

Ive been thinking about pre ordering. Particularly with the sem-recent mass effect debacle. It all seems to stem from people complaining after pre ordering. I dont want this to descend into an arguement about mass effect so ill summarise my conclusions about pre ordering:

1. Youre getting something based entirely off PR and advertising - two things known to exhaggerate and distort the true quality of an item.

2. You might as well be purchasing a "mystery box" from a stranger on the basis that his last mystery box contained something good.

3. If you then complain that the mystery box contains something terrible, as they tend to do at times, youre entire point is undermined by the fact your PURCHASED the mystery box despite having very limited knowlegde of what was inside it.

4. It seems like an obvious company scheme to say "Let them buy item X before its true quality can be appraised and they realise they might not want it!"

Ive realised now that, other than for those who are very impatiant, pre ordering is a system designed pretty much to screw you over. This is why they offer bonuses if you DO pre order. Because youre taking a huge risk. No other industry would ask you to spend money on a promise of a product you have never seen. Pre ordering actively hurts the industry because it asks that fans feed a company blind to the quality of the product made.

It doesnt apply a strong enough pressure to publishers who dissapoint their fans. Why SHOULD they make the third installment in any series good? At all? Pre order revinue will give them nice earnings no matter what the quality is.

Basically i see no good reason to pre order. What do you think about pre ordering? Do you think as an industry we should scrap it?

Jesus you must absolutely hate kickstarters, considering:

1. The game isn't made, in fact, it's more then likely only just left the pre-production phase. No possible way to gleam any solid info about the finished product from this point.

2. It's promoted by the front man for the studio, ergo the most biased person you will meet within the industry (though likely the most honest in regards to intentions).

3. Their is potential for scams. It has happened with that "Myth" debacle. Fail safes and insightful browsers found this guy out, but it's only a matter of time before someone more dastardly cons a lot of people out of a lot of money:

Spoiler: Like Mr. John Videogames

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

Jesus you must absolutely hate kickstarters, considering:

1. The game isn't made, in fact, it's more then likely only just left the pre-production phase. No possible way to gleam any solid info about the finished product from this point.

2. It's promoted by the front man for the studio, ergo the most biased person you will meet within the industry (though likely the most honest in regards to intentions).

3. Their is potential for scams. It has happened with that "Myth" debacle. Fail safes and insightful browsers found this guy out, but it's only a matter of time before someone more dastardly cons a lot of people out of a lot of money:

Spoiler: Like Mr. John Videogames

I count kickstarter as a different box of chocolates. Kick starter is very open in what you are doing. You are NOT paying for a game. You are funding one. You are investing in a process and a return is promised with the reward system rather than an instant product. You are making an investment not based on how much you will pay for the game (some donate a LOT of money) you are donating because you want to invest in the project so it can become big.

Buying a game is different. You are buying something that is already big and expecting the product in return. An investor is different from a customer. An investor takes risks by default. An investor will pay money to see a project finished rather than to get the end product. I dont want to be treated like a risk taking investor when i buy something. In short i want to get what i pay for.

 

[Lunar Templar]

*shrugs*

i only preorder the very few games i want (which is pretty much EVERY game i buy >.>), but that's only 1-3 a year due to how picky i am about what is worth my dollar

 

[veloper]

Jesus you must absolutely hate kickstarters, considering:

1. The game isn't made, in fact, it's more then likely only just left the pre-production phase. No possible way to gleam any solid info about the finished product from this point.

2. It's promoted by the front man for the studio, ergo the most biased person you will meet within the industry (though likely the most honest in regards to intentions).

3. Their is potential for scams. It has happened with that "Myth" debacle. Fail safes and insightful browsers found this guy out, but it's only a matter of time before someone more dastardly cons a lot of people out of a lot of money:

Spoiler: Like Mr. John Videogames

I count kickstarter as a different box of chocolates. Kick starter is very open in what you are doing. You are NOT paying for a game. You are funding one. You are investing in a process and a return is promised with the reward system rather than an instant product. You are making an investment not based on how much you will pay for the game (some donate a LOT of money) you are donating because you want to invest in the project so it can become big.

Buying a game is different. You are buying something that is already big and expecting the product in return. An investor is different from a customer. An investor takes risks by default. An investor will pay money to see a project finished rather than to get the end product. I dont want to be treated like a risk taking investor when i buy something. In short i want to get what i pay for.

We're not really investing in games with Kickstarter.
What we're doing is paying for the expensive development, opposed to paying for the almost worthless disc as we do normally.
Buying games the traditional way is type of charity or fandom. You get something of little value for your real money, so the developers have a greater chancee to keep their jobs. The game is already been made and paid for, it's their next (unknown)project that hangs in the balance.

In a way, with Kickstarter you have a better idea what your hard earned money is going help to produce, than if you buy a game from a shop. That finished game is already been developed and paid for by the publisher, so now your GIVING money (the copy of the game isn't worth a dollar to produce) back to publisher and you don't really know what project they'll fund with it next.

We Kickstarter people are the nice guys, letting everyone play game X or Y at our expense; coming from that subset of the same useful fools who buy games new. Pirates are the smart ones. Let's not even talk about the ignorant used buyers.

Bottomline: kickstarter is better; boxed games are a thank-you charity, not a real product.

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

That's the risk you take when you buy anything. Maybe wait for a demo before you preorder.

 

[MercurySteam]

Allow me to point out some flaws:

You might as well be purchasing a "mystery box" from a stranger on the basis that his last mystery box contained something good.

Unless you're very stupid, I don't see why you would preorder a game you know nothing about. Preordering exists so you can secure a copy of a game you know you want well in advance. So unless you're very dumb, a mystery box shouldn't have anything to do with it.

If you then complain that the mystery box contains something terrible, as they tend to do at times, youre entire point is undermined by the fact your PURCHASED the mystery box despite having very limited knowlegde of what was inside it.

Again, why the hell would you preorder a game with little to no knowledge about it. The very idea moggles the bind. You can preorder a game up till the day before release so if that's not enough time to learn as much as possible about the game then I don't know what is. Even then, my local games store offers a 7 day return policy for new games so it's never really a gamble for me.

It seems like an obvious company scheme to say "Let them buy item X before its true quality can be appraised and they realise they might not want it!"

Nobody forces you to preorder. It's simply a service provided to people who want to secure a copy early. Nothing more.

Basically i see no good reason to pre order.

If this is the case then you may want to evaluate your knowledge of what preordering is. I have said many times that you only preoder a game you know you want to buy and people that do preorder do so that come launch day, they a guaranteed a copy.

That's all.

 

[Heinrich843]

If the game is an upstart, and only has a publisher's initial investment, I could see people pre-ordering to support the game.

More often than not however, the giant pre-order cash ins are for well established games or series.

I believe pre-ordering only supports the notion that you are a guaranteed customer, and establishes the idea that they don't have to work to appeal to you anymore. With games developers and publishers constantly looking for a new and larger audience, it's difficult to see why people keep pre-ordering. (Other than the free day one DLC and other incentives.)

Is it a terrible idea? That's really up to you, isn't it? If games are becoming better to you, and you like the way the gaming industry is evolving- then yes, by all means support business that benefits both of you.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

Allow me to point out some flaws:

You might as well be purchasing a "mystery box" from a stranger on the basis that his last mystery box contained something good.

Unless you're very stupid, I don't see why you would preorder a game you know nothing about. Preordering exists so you can secure a copy of a game you know you want well in advance. So unless you're very dumb, a mystery box shouldn't have anything to do with it.

Ill concede the box metaphor was not the strongest. However i pointed out earlier in the thread that unlike every other industry (other than film/books) you cant possible see the entire product before you get it since the surprise factor is a feature. Also it isnt released yet. So lets stick with the box. But say youre allowed a peak. At a bit or two. Then you can buy. I personally would rather have people look in the box before me and go "yeah theres a lot of good stuff in here, go for it" before i buy the box.

 

[DigitalAtlas]

No other industry would ask you to spend money on a promise of a product you have never seen.

>CD's, DVD's, Blu-Ray's, movie tickets

Well there went that argument.

As for saying 'it's suuuuuch a risk,' so is buying a title period. You never know if the reviewer had it right for YOU.

I see no harm in pre-ordering. Anyone who can't just watch footage of a game and read some previews to see if they're interested before putting down FIVE WHOLE DOLLARS is being moronic.

And as I said earlier, I like to secure titles I hold an interest in.