Poll: Are We Entitled?

[Plinglebob]

Yes Gamers do have an entitlement problem. In relative terms, game prices have either stayed the same or dropped in the 20 years since I started playing. Hell, I remember Donkey Kong 64 retailing at £50, and buying Pokemon Red for £30. Adjusted for inflation (average 3%/yr)a handheld game like Pokemon would be retailing for £45 and a AAA game would cost over £70.

Personally I think that if I buy a game then the only thing I'm entitled to is whats in the box plus additional tech support in the form of patches for a couple of years to fix any bugs that may have been missed. Anything else is fair game. I've never seen proof of more then a few companys purposely holding back content to then sell as DLC and fully accept the reasons people like Bioware give. I suppose I remember the days of expansion packs which were pretty much DLC on disk and I have to say I prefer it this way.

Finally, there are two issues that people seem to ignore when it comes to games. The first is that like it or not, game makers are not a charity. The second is that they are a luxery item and you not being able to buy a game is not going to kill you.

Hmm, seems that law degree has made rather impartial. Impartiality is a nice thing, makes me feel...

Fair.

Thank whichever deity you prey to you arn't a business accountant. You're trained to be impartial where as I'm trained to be on the companys side.

 

[DioWallachia]

Do we desserve better? Yes, but we have to make clear what is "better" so the developers understand.

The people on top doesnt realize that they just need the right elements on a game to make it work and not better graphics to make a good game. They just need enough. The problem is that the fanbase of any game are too rabid and incoherent to get a global idea of WTF they want. If gamers could at least critize the games they love then the developers could see what works and and what doesn't since the perspective of a consumer is a vital data if only the person could at least act like a human being and not a permanent manchild in his 40 who thinks that he is still a 12 years old. The bad reputation of gamers have reached the ignorant masses and now the developers are using the masses to get the info of what the gamers want, thus creating a confusing scenario. Then again, like i said, the gamers are not making their voices be know in a way that doesnt sound like winning.

People here say that we are rotten for being spoiled so munch and i agree that lots of games are waaaaaaaaay ahead from where they were in the 90's. But keep in mind that the producers of video games are just doing what made money before and make games essentially bigger and bigger simply because they have no clue of what to do next. And the more we demand, the more they "think" we need bigger and better, so logically all this DLC and a bunch of other stuff is to make sure they manage a profit or otherwise they will go out of business for not covering their expenses.
Sure, you may think that companies are nebulous corporation of evil incarnate who actually have lots of money to burn but then again why wouldnt a company want to make that impresion?? I mean, if you say out loud that your company is about to bite the dust then everyone and their mom will try to put a nail in your coffin, but giving the impresion of a impenetrable fortress of evil is, for all good and bad things, necessary to stay in business.

So i will say it again, if we do not voice our opinions toughs someone influential in this critical moment, then you may as well stop paying for games because the image of deluded fanboy will be ingrained in the minds of the producers permanently. Seek help of the Extra Credits guys at the very least.

 

[Beryl77]

Of course, we're entitled, without us the big gaming companies wouldn't exist. When we get something bad, it's perfectly reasonable to complain about it. I surely won't just shut up and accept everything a company does. That's just stupid in my opinion.
Of course I realise that people can overdo it and there are limits to what we deserve but I prefer that over doing nothing.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

Ah yes, as per all the others who use this word and do not know its meaning your statement is wrong.

en·ti·tle
verb /enˈtītl/ 
entitled, past participle; entitled, past tense; entitles, 3rd person singular present; entitling, present participle

Give (someone) a legal right or a just claim to receive or do something

Once I have payed for something I am entitled to it... strange that isn't it...

Oh, it's this argument again. Stop using dictionary definitions as an argument it doesn't strengthen anything, it just makes you look like a condescending ****.

In any case legal right is nothing, it's paper not power. Don't try and change my mind about it, just walk away.

 

[Fappy]

Here's the deal. In the US there are very few laws protecting consumers. This is due to our capitalistic nature, which assuming we as consumers are intelligent usually turns out alright. The problem is that corporations such as EA and Activision can take advantage of consumers/fans/etc. because they know the gaming community is a disorganized clusterfuck and that most people don't even realize they are being fucked over. What's the solution? Vote with your wallet. That's the best you can do. If enough people don't buy into a business practice that business practice will fail. That's the way capitalism works.

Do we deserve better? Yes. Don't these companies NEED to treat us better? Not unless we show them they do.

 

[WoahDan]

We aren't owed anything, but if the developers/publishers are smart they will give us what we want anyway because capitalism.

 

[Mafoobula]

We're entitled to a game that isn't broken. This can include, but is not quite limited to:

Great big glitches that can happen even if you have fore-knowledge. Worse if they're glitches that completely break the game and you have to start over.

Piss-poor control layout (e.g., shooting and turning both done by a thumb on a controller). More commonly, poor character control makes for a game that's harder than it needs to be. And this leads us very nicely to...

Artificial difficulty. Enemies hitting too hard and/or too fast, while you don't have the means to dodge or defend. Maybe I just really suck at Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, but I'm getting knocked around way too much, for way too much damage.
In the same thread of thought, we have artificial stupidity. Getting the AI to behave can't be easy, but when we have allies and enemies running into walls, that's just kinda sad.



Also, we're entitled to not getting fleeced.

I'm going to completely ignore the Mass Effect 3 shtick going on for just a moment. Instead, I'm going to point out a racing game from just a few years ago. The game in question shipped with the absolute bare minimum of content, with virtually everything else being available via micro-transfer DLC. The problem being that the total cost of this DLC was over $1,000. Classy.

Let's get back to ME3. Okay, the From Ashes content was completed after the rest of the game was certified. I guess it was too late to get it on the disc. Why are we still paying for it? From Ashes is content that is so steeped in Mass Effect lore, to NOT have it alongside the game kinda takes away from Bioware's good reputation for superb story-telling.
But that's a sentimental argument, isn't it? Let's try something a little more pragmatic. I just double-checked, From Ashes is going to be available separate from the collector's edition for $10. Just a little much for my liking, given all the swag the CE has beside From Ashes, but I'll let it slide. However, the price, coupled with the sentimentality, and EA's tendency for actions that generally annoy gamers, and suddenly the fandom's entitlement outrage becomes a little more rational.

 

[Epona]

Yes. Yes we are.

See: The "Give Moar Updates" Minecraft DDOS. See also: Piracy. See also: human nature.

to be fair; piracy is about convenience not entitlement. No one thinks they deserve a game free. Atleast the majority don't.

EVERY SINGLE PIRATE I know in real life does.

"Hell no, I'm not paying for that. I'm gonna download it, that's free."

Entitlement at its finest.

Every and single is redundant. Use one or the other, not both. Unless you know a few double pirates?

So how many pirates do you know?

 

[lacktheknack]

Yes. Yes we are.

See: The "Give Moar Updates" Minecraft DDOS. See also: Piracy. See also: human nature.

to be fair; piracy is about convenience not entitlement. No one thinks they deserve a game free. Atleast the majority don't.

EVERY SINGLE PIRATE I know in real life does.

"Hell no, I'm not paying for that. I'm gonna download it, that's free."

Entitlement at its finest.

Every and single is redundant. Use one or the other, not both. Unless you know a few double pirates?

So how many pirates do you know?

Maybe I was talking about pirates with no boy/girlfriend.

I know eight or nine. They make me sad.

 

[lacktheknack]

I'm going to point out a racing game from just a few years ago. The game in question shipped with the absolute bare minimum of content, with virtually everything else being available via micro-transfer DLC. The problem being that the total cost of this DLC was over $1,000. Classy.

Still not as amazing as this. Open the DLC tab and weep.

 

[Epona]

Yes. Yes we are.

See: The "Give Moar Updates" Minecraft DDOS. See also: Piracy. See also: human nature.

to be fair; piracy is about convenience not entitlement. No one thinks they deserve a game free. Atleast the majority don't.

EVERY SINGLE PIRATE I know in real life does.

"Hell no, I'm not paying for that. I'm gonna download it, that's free."

Entitlement at its finest.

Every and single is redundant. Use one or the other, not both. Unless you know a few double pirates?

So how many pirates do you know?

Maybe I was talking about pirates with no boy/girlfriend.

I know eight or nine. They make me sad.

Oh, so do you know any married/engaged/spoken for pirates?

 

[Epona]

I'm going to point out a racing game from just a few years ago. The game in question shipped with the absolute bare minimum of content, with virtually everything else being available via micro-transfer DLC. The problem being that the total cost of this DLC was over $1,000. Classy.

Still not as amazing as this. Open the DLC tab and weep.

That's worse than a Sims game.

 

[lacktheknack]

Oh, so do you know any married/engaged/spoken for pirates?

Yes, which kinda wrecks my first defense, doesn't it?

Still not as amazing as this. Open the DLC tab and weep.

That's worse than a Sims game.

It's even worse when you realize that it's exactly what you think it is... you drive trains. That is all.

 

[Epona]

Oh, so do you know any married/engaged/spoken for pirates?

Yes, which kinda wrecks my first defense, doesn't it?

Still not as amazing as this. Open the DLC tab and weep.

That's worse than a Sims game.

It's even worse when you realize that it's exactly what you think it is... you drive trains. That is all.

Things like this give DLC the bad name that it has. I hope no one spent $1700 to drive trains.

 

[n00beffect]

I do realize that developers and publishers alike, are all money-hungry, ruthless, utterly-depraved-of-standards... HUMAN BEINGS. Yes, exactly, they're human beings, just like you, and me, and your mom.

Yet some publishers are acting less screwy while some more. So, that somehow tells me they're human beings...DIFFERENT human beings.

We're no different...

Yes, we are. We're different human beings.

and YOU wouldn't do anything different if you were in their position.

And you do not know that.

No, but I can fathom a bloody guess. What makes you think you are, or indeed, would be that different? Do you have some inherant hatered towards money and success? I don't think so... Just because now you're on the recieving end of the transaction, is that what makes you so enlightened? Actually, yes; however, if you weren't, then you probably wouldn't think twice before releasing d1DLC.

And don't get me wrong, I am not saying you would do everything exactly the same way, all I am saying is it'll probably be within the same constraints, as in trying to squeeze as much money, without actually putting too much into it.

 

[Thoric485]

I can't fathom why people rush to the defence of a studio-destroyer like EA.

 

[Vegosiux]

-snip-

This is the point where I politely request that you do not make assumptions about how I would or would not act in a given situation. I believe myself to be better qualified to make that judgement than someone whose entire position depends on whether or not they're right about what they think about what I'd do.

 

[SajuukKhar]

 

[Erttheking]

I can't fathom why people rush to the defence of a studio-destroyer like EA.

Because, news flash, not everyone thinks that they are the devil incarnate.

 

[Nudu]

As far as I am concerned I see why people pirate games we deserve better, companies do not deserve or earn our money it is a trade of goods and sometimes the goods aren't worth the price.

If you think the game is bad, why would you be so interested in playing it that you would pirate it?

Just to make it clear, I think the industry needs to improve, and I won't be buying Mass Effect 3. But that's the extent of my rights. It's their product, and they can charge whatever they like, and unless I pay what they ask I'm not entitled to their product. It sucks that I won't be able to see the conclusion to a series I love, but I have principles.