Poll: Preorders... Why?

[BRex21]

I preorder games i know im going to buy on day 1. If im not honestly waiting for its release day i could care less. Usually i go to a brick and mortar store, pay for the game and just go pick it up when its in. Its nice to get the call as a reminder, although usually i know, and i know they will have a copy for me, especially if im going for the collectors edition.

 

[putowtin]

I pre-order once in a blue moon, but the difference being here in jolly old England that preorders from Game carry double reward points giving me more points to spend on future games!
(Note I only preorder from Game if it's cheaper that anyone elses price and on line so I get it day of release delivered to my door for free!)

 

[kommando367]

I pre order games that I'm already willing to but at full price and that have a pre-order bonus.

Example: I pre-ordered SR3 for the Genki stuff, but Skyrim doesn't have a pre-order bonus I like (I don't care about the map), so imma pick it it up at walmart on Nov. 11.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

I preorder once in a great while, too. It just depends on whether or not I'm so enthused about a given game I want to make absolutely sure I'll get a copy on launch day. If that's not the case and said game still leaves me somewhat interested, I'll wait for a price drop or a used sale, instead.

When I used to have a thicker cash flow, I sometimes entertained lofty ideas about buying collector's editions, but I honestly don't anymore. As much of a proud nerd as I am, I'm not sure I need a resin-moulded sculpture of Alduin with my Skyrim fix. Not that I'm not proud of the few CEs I was able to nab, though. That useless mounted Batarang from Arkham Asylum's Collector's Edition is gracing my desk and my eyeballs every single day, and it still is fucking awesome. I wouldn't trade my Assassin's Creed II Ezio figure for anything in the world. Same for my Vault-Tec bobblehead.

The one problem is that the folks don't see the appeal of these plastic doodads. I see them as art or nice little placeholders, all they see is their 28 year-old son squeeing when he gets another plastic thingamabob in with his newest pressed silicon disc.

I wouldn't be surprised if some developer known for its sense of humour decided to riff on the fairly ridiculous concept of Collector's Editions, someday. I'd love it.

"For just just twenty bucks more than the initial asking price of 45$, your game comes WITH ITS OWN JEWEL CASE! You'll be the talk of the town and the envy of all your friends!"

 

[willsham45]

Sometimes you want a game as soon as you can get it.
I have preordered a few times, Game does not take deposits but if you do get a game preordered you get double points on your club card.

 

[DesiPrinceX09]

I only ever pre-order a game when I know I will like it or if I really really want it. The first game I ever pre-ordered was AC2. Now for 2011, all the awesome games I want are coming out soon and because I got a bunch of money from Eid Al-Fitr (Basically Muslim Christmas) I went ahead and pre-purchased all 3 of my 2011 games so I can just go to gamestop and pick them up on release day or during the midnight launch.

 

[Liquid Paradox]

I per-ordered Skyrim because I know I'm going to buy it anyway (yeah, sorry boycotters. I am a selfish gamer XD). I did this from Game Stop (aka EB Games in the Great White North) and I know that they won't sell my reserved copy. How do I know? because if they did, I would sue the ever-living shit out of them. Also, because I have learned to trust my branch.

EB (and, I would assume, it's Game Stop counter part) has a 24 hour reservation before they are aloud to sell your copy, and they tell you this up front. Or, at least, they told me this upfront. So I make sure I am there in time to get my game. I get to skip the silly midnight launch and I am still guaranteed a copy because I per-ordered.

P.S. wtf? my Captcha was: also Chernobyl. Not as cool as Darkness Redefined, but still interesting.

 

[spartan231490]

I was in gamestop the other day because I happened to be in the mall and needed to kill some time. I saw they had the Ico Shadow of the Colossus Collection on the shelf, which I had planned on buying at KMart when it was released the next day (I had $20 of credit there). A salesman asked if I needed any help, and I just asked if the game was already available to buy, seeing if I could somehow manage to get it early. Of course, he gave me the correct release date, but than asked if I wanted to preorder it, putting $5 down or paying for the whole game outright and pick it up tomorrow morning. I kept my snarky comment to myself, but why the hell would I want to do that? Why pay any amount of money on something that I don't get to have? There's never a situation where gamestop will give me a free game and then expect me to pay for it a week later.

I've worked in retail long enough to know that there are absolutely no guarantees. I also know from our good friend The Internet as well as a few other personal anecdotes I've heard directly from people that gamestop will happily sell your "reserved" game out from under you at the drop of a hat. This is probably because real money in the immediate present is worth more than hypothetical money in the future (especially when it's the same amount). This is referred to from my painfully obvious business classes as the "time value of money." So why does gamestop have common money sense, but it assumes (often correctly) that it's customers do not. I have a much higher likelihood of getting a popular game on release day by NOT preordering, so I can go track it down at another retailer, rather than wait for another shipment to my local store (by which time the price will probably have dropped from what I originally paid). And then again, it's not going to break my heart if I can't play a game in its first few days of release. It's not a major problem psychologically and I certainly wouldn't risk my hard earned cash on it.

It's not just gamestop either. Target currently has a promotion where if you buy a 12 pack of Dr. Pepper, you get a free $1 preorder for Battlefield 3. There is no way in hell Target can possibly be honoring every preorder sticker that comes attached to a case of a common soft drink, as well as every other person who wants a copy and didn't preorder. It's utter nonsense. Even preorder bonuses are fairly easily to obtain even if you don't preorder, either by picking it up in the first week or by ebaying a code or two. Besides, I've yet to see any preorder bonus that caused me to think twice about my stance on the matter (except maybe LA Noire, which all preorder bonuses became available a few months later at a reasonable price). Ooo, a secret gun! Extra bullets! Fancy armor! Really, you'd do that for me?

90% of retail assumes that you're stupid, from marketing to the product itself. Why are you so surprised by this. Also, I preorder on Amazon, because I get cool editions that come with things like an awesome roll-up map for skyrim.

 

[Amberella]

Indeed I do. Although it simply depends on how much I want the game and if it's going to have some awesome add ons for preordering. :3

 

[Vrach]

1) Reservation
2) Pre-order bonuses
3) Being sure about the game and wanting to put the money (you have at the time) down to know you'll get it on release date

 

[Manchubot]

Sometimes it's not about pre ordering for something fancy it's more about pre ordering because you have to if you want it. Perfect example I pre ordered Disgaea 4 at gamestop and when I went to pick it up only 3 people preordered it and the gamestop only recieved 3 copies. I did the same with Atlier Totori except I preordered it and was the only person to do so and the gamestop only recieved 1 copy to fill in my pre order. Now if I didn't pre order I wouldn't have gotten to make my purchase. Huge mainstream titles I can understand not caring about pre ordering because you don't care about incentives, but in a niche market it is kind of mandetory to do so if you want your copy unless you order crap online.

 

[Plinglebob]

If its a game I know want for release date, I pre-order. Often the price isn't any different, you don't have to put any money down if its a normal version of the game and I work 2 minutes from the shop and I've an understanding boss who doesn't mind me nipping out for 5 mins just before 9am to pick it up when the shop opens. Most recent thing I've pre-ordered is Skyward Sword because I want the collectors edition.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Besides, I've yet to see any preorder bonus that caused me to think twice about my stance on the matter (except maybe LA Noire, which all preorder bonuses became available a few months later at a reasonable price). Ooo, a secret gun! Extra bullets! Fancy armor! Really, you'd do that for me?

I actually thought the LA Noir thing was really sleazy: slicing off game content to auction off to different retailers as preorder "bonuses." Outfits, guns, & other items are okay but once they make gameplay content a part of some code I have to punch in, they've lost me. Also, no matter where you bought the game, there was content you were missing out on even though you paid your $60.

I don't pre-order games but I pre order other products. But I've never been asked for a deposit when pre-ordering a book or dvd. Because it's unreasonable and no other group of consumers would put up with that.

Gamers are the only consumers who can be bullied into paying money (some pay the entire $60) months before they get anything in return. Gamestop has managed to convince too many gamers that if they don't pay for some of their game before they get it, that they wont be able to buy it when it comes out. It's a brilliant business scheme and is one of the reasons for Gamestop's amazing profits but I also think it's one of those things that's painted the average gamer as a poor consumer and has only encouraged publishers, platform devs, and other retailers to try all sorts of weird schemes to try and squeeze more money out of us.

 

[teisjm]

The only things i pre-order, are things that have a reasonable chance, of beeing sold out at the time they are avalible, like concert tickets.

I don't see why, i should preorder a game, unless they included some crazy bonus features, the stores/publishers wants to sell as man y copies as possible, so they're not gonna produce/order a limited ammount smaller than the demand for it.

Most preorders are just hype made to get people to put their money down as early as possible, so they don't change their mind, and they're giving a false impression of scarcity, trying to make people think, that they have to get it ASAP or it's gonna be sold out, but in the end, if theres a demand, they will just print more copies, unlike concerts/sports events, where there's only room for a limited amount of participants.

 

[Arina Love]

yeah i preorder some but not much, as there is no preorder bonuses where i live. Right now i have 1 game preordered it's Atelier Totori ~The Adventurer of Arland~