Not all games are like Little Big Planet
There was a time when I used to buy around 2-3 games a month. This was back in high school when I still relied on my trusty old Playstation (yep, the gray thingamajig that changed gaming forever). Aside from having the free time to play as much as I wanted, the games were just so damn cheap. Piracy just allowed middle class kids like me to purchase games on a monthly basis. And I didn’t even play or finish all of them.
Almost 10 years later, and I find myself in a different situation. Time no longer permits daily gaming sessions. One thing I’ve learned to value over the years however, is the amount of creativity, imagination, and work that goes into creating a videogame.
This is precisely the reason why:
- I no longer treat all videogames as racing games – In my first weekend with my first Playstation, I played Resident Evil for 10 straight hours. If the game normally takes 5 hours to finish, make sure you play it for 10. Treat every game that you play with the mindset that it’ll take a few years before anything like it comes out again.
- I now buy original games - Not that pirated software isn’t available for the Playstation 3. I chose this console because it had the exclusives I wanted to play. God of War 3 and the long delayed Gran Turismo 5 are on top of this list.
It is also because of these reasons that I am quite disturbed at some game publishers’ efforts to discourage reselling videogames.
Having successfully introduced one-time codes that can be redeemed for DLC with Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age, Electronic Arts is extending the concept to its line of sports games.Electronic Arts announced today that new copies of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will feature an “Online Pass,” which can be redeemed for title-specific features. Additional passes will be available for $10.00, and EA will be offering seven day trials for the service.
What’s wrong with reselling a game you’ve already finished? It’s only a clear indication that the replay value, nor the downloadable content isn’t enough to keep the gamer interested. Unless you’re talking about MMORPGs or socially driven games such as Little Big Planet or Modnation Racers, selling “one playthrough” games is obviously the next step if you plan to keep your gaming hobby alive.
I completely get the coupon strategy that most publishers are now employing, and I experienced this first hand with God of War Collection. The game came with a redeemable coupon that allowed users to download a demo of God of War 3. I bought the game because I wanted to play through God of War 1 and 2 and try out God of War 3. What if I had only wanted to play through God of War 1 and 2, and not care about the coupon for the demo?
My bottom line is reselling videogames do not diminish anything from these gaming companies’ bottom lines. We’re not exactly talking about a dying industry here. These DRM issues do nothing but punish consumers who pay good money for their videogames.