Why do people pre-order games?

[Elijin]

For a start...because its my money and why the hell do I have to justify how I spend it to you, whether it makes sense or not?

But moving on from being a snarky jerk, these are my most common reasons:

Free stuff (Pre-order incentives, digital only - I hate clutter.)

Discount/Financial incentive (Such as certain retailers offering credit at their store for pre-ordering certain titles)

On rare occasion, to make sure I get a collectors editions (Games that actually end up having stock issues with the collectors editions, ie Halo games, Diablo 3, etc.)

Pre-loading (digital copies)

Timely arrival. Now this one needs explanation...its not a 'I need it on day 1' its more of a 'I'd like this as close to release as possible.' Since as an Australian I often purchase from grey importers, and they can be anywhere from 2 or 3 days to 2 weeks in the mail, so a pre-order is cheaper than my retail stores AND actually sent out the soonest possible from that distributor.

 

[Rariow]

I personally preorder only when I'm completely and utterly sure I'll play no matter what to guarantee I can have my copy as early as possible. I've only preordered two games: Skyrim, because I'm a huge Elder Scrolls fan and would have picked it up even if it was unplayable just to see where the lore went from Oblivion, and Mass Effect 3, because I'd gotten so emotionally invested in the series by that point that even if it sucked I needed more of these characters, and a proper conclusion (Even if the ending is as horrible as it is, I can't help but feel it's better to have an ending that not have one).

However, as pre-order bonuses seem to be getting better and better those seem to be rather encouraging. I'm thinking about pre-ordering BioShock Infinite, because you seem to get quite a bit of the DLC for free that way, and if I had been interested enough in Borderlands 2 to pay full price for it (Currently waiting for a Steam sale on it to happen, or to find a good deal for it on amazon), I would've surely picked that up in a preorder for the season pass.

That said, most bonuses seem pretty ridiculous. C'mon, BioWare, I gave you my money before you gave me Mass Effect 3 and you give me basically cheat-code guns? You used to give out Zaeed Massani and a bunch of other DLC just for buying first hand!

 

[Urh]

It annoys me when, well, anything comes up, I say my opinion on it (why I preorder games), and then some guy comes along to tell me (and multiple other people) that we are wrong because of a video he watched. If you can't even post your view on it and all you can do it post a link to youtube, then you shouldn't have a right to say anything in the discussion. Those are other peoples views, not your own, and by just posting a video you are saying that you are a sheep and can't think for yourself. So, if the guy can't think for himself and just listens to some guy with a youtube account, why should I even bother wasting the time to watch a video and discuss it with this guy who won't change his opinion anyway, because he never had an opinion to begin with?

For fuck's sake, agreeing with somebody doesn't automatically mean you can't think for yourself. It is acceptance without any critical thought which is the mark of the sheep. While it is lazy to just dump a youtube link on somebody with no added, but it is not necessarily a sign that somebody is a mindless sheep (it's possible, but by no means 100% true). Furthermore, laziness on the other person's part doesn't give you a free ride to be equally lazy.

 

[theevilgenius60]

I use preorder the way my mom used layaway when I was a kid. I preorder the games I think I'll want a good ways in advance and pay them off a little at a time. This way, I get a lot more games new than if I had to cough up the full amount when it comes out.

 

[Goofguy]

I preorder when a game really interests me. There tends to be preorder goodies that come with it and the fact that it's waiting for me as soon as I get home from work on the release day is pretty damn cool.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

It annoys me when, well, anything comes up, I say my opinion on it (why I preorder games), and then some guy comes along to tell me (and multiple other people) that we are wrong because of a video he watched. If you can't even post your view on it and all you can do it post a link to youtube, then you shouldn't have a right to say anything in the discussion. Those are other peoples views, not your own, and by just posting a video you are saying that you are a sheep and can't think for yourself. So, if the guy can't think for himself and just listens to some guy with a youtube account, why should I even bother wasting the time to watch a video and discuss it with this guy who won't change his opinion anyway, because he never had an opinion to begin with?

For fuck's sake, agreeing with somebody doesn't automatically mean you can't think for yourself. It is acceptance without any critical thought which is the mark of the sheep. While it is lazy to just dump a youtube link on somebody with no added, but it is not necessarily a sign that somebody is a mindless sheep (it's possible, but by no means 100% true). Furthermore, laziness on the other person's part doesn't give you a free ride to be equally lazy.

Can you make a reply without putting the word "fuck" in it? Just curious. It doesn't help anything you say. More makes me think a 14 year old is arguing with me (which also discredits anything you say). Plus, if you read my previous posts, I've already made it a point that what TB had to say meant nothing (just as I figured it would, which is why I didn't bother watching the video), and yet I'm still somehow wrong in my opinion?