Why do people buy games, and then not play them?

[Giles Habibula]

I like having a large stock of games right here at home to choose from, so whenever I feel the urge to play a certain type of game, I don't have to waste time running to the store (and not finding it there sometimes). Also, sometimes the urge hits at 2:00 am and it's fun to browse my own 'store' and pick whatever I want to play right then and there.

[gellar]

You seem to be particularly motivated by maximising the financial value, while many of us are not. This is illustrated by your several posts about buying a game and then selling it so that it cost you virtually nothing and your father telling you maxims about being careful with money, even collecting with a mind for monetary value.

I can't fault this - it's "logical". However, some of us aren't looking for financial value for our hobbies. I never sell games and I don't go out of my way to buy them cheap - I think they (generally) represent brilliant value for money for all the hours and I am happy to pay what I consider a fair price in support of the devs/industry. My point is just the different motivations we all have.

I buy a game because I am interested in it - almost always because I have been following and anticipating it. Sometimes when I get it home, I find it's not what I am in the mood for at that moment. Perhaps I need more time than anticipated to read the manual, learn the ropes and get past that slow opening sequences - so I put it aside for when there's more time.

Damn. Really well said, dude.

gellar

[Hrothgar]

Dude, its ok. They WILL survive without your $50 bucks.

Really? That's what the Tribes community thought. Some of them were just waiting for the patch for Vengeance. Poor sales meant that VU wouldn't even spend the time and money on a patch.

Sure, you could always argue that any one sale is inconsequential, but it's just like voting. If your base doesn't show up because they all don't think their vote matters, you lose.

[Orgull]

I think it boils down to this...

Most activities are more fun to anticipate than to actually participate in.

So, people buy games as a climax to the anticipation cycle and so playing them becomes anti-climactic.

Not all activites are this way, but most visceral activites produce more pleasure via anticipation than by the actual act.

[Captain Caveman]

I think it boils down to this...

Most activities are more fun to anticipate than to actually participate in.

So, people buy games as a climax to the anticipation cycle and so playing them becomes anti-climactic.

Not all activites are this way, but most visceral activites produce more pleasure via anticipation than by the actual act.

And that's why Duke Nukem Forever is the greatest game of all-time.

[Giles Habibula]

I think it boils down to this...

Most activities are more fun to anticipate than to actually participate in.

So, people buy games as a climax to the anticipation cycle and so playing them becomes anti-climactic.

Not all activites are this way, but most visceral activites produce more pleasure via anticipation than by the actual act.

And that's why Duke Nukem Forever is the greatest game of all-time.

I thought it sucked.

[Kobra]

Most activities are more fun to anticipate than to actually participate in.

Exactly! Hence the smoking thing and opening the pack and smelling the tobacco.. Kinda like how someone is creaming for that new car, then a few weeks after they have it, the payment book arrives, and they are thinking "Wow, this sucks".

I guess as I get older, my anticipation of much of anything is almost nill, and when something good happens, it is a pleasant and nice surprise. That way i'm totally immune to an impulse purchase. I'm bulletproof to the hype the media generates, and I can't be suckered into the anticipation. Actually, having been in sales in the past, sales schools call it "Creating ownership.". They teach you to take an item, place it in the persons hand, then help them visualize themselves using it, and how much better it will make their lives. (thus, feeding off their anticipation and using it for the weakness it is to benefit their bottom line).

Watching people buy cars cracks me up, car salesmen are master tacticians at exploiting peoples weaknesses. By the time the car deal is done the buyers act like the car salesmen is doing them a huge favor or something for letting them take home this 30,000$ hunk of junk and paying them $500 a month for the next 7 years.

You are all being manipulated.

[Kobra]

Dude, its ok. They WILL survive without your $50 bucks.

Really? That's what the Tribes community thought. Some of them were just waiting for the patch for Vengeance. Poor sales meant that VU wouldn't even spend the time and money on a patch.

For the record, I enjoy weekly games of Tribes Vengeance, and play online frequently. Anyway, there is more to this than just simple sales figures. VU has been in financial trouble for a couple years, IG was willing to patch it up for nearly nothing in cost, but VU wouldn't spend a dime to do it and wanted to funnel the money/dev time on the next project asap. I'm sure if it had sold 20 billion copies they'd have done better with the patches, but honestly, it didn't sell as bad as people think. Robb Waters at IG is a good friend of mine btw.

[lorax]

Most activities are more fun to anticipate than to actually participate in.

You are all being manipulated.

"Don't you know about the new fashion honey?
All you need are looks and a whole lotta money"

CeeKay, do you know if the octopuses know the definition of "spendthrift"? Do you?

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

Most activities are more fun to anticipate than to actually participate in.

You are all being manipulated.

"Don't you know about the new fashion honey?
All you need are looks and a whole lotta money"

CeeKay, do you know if the octopuses know the definition of "spendthrift"? Do you?

Do you know if loraxes can communicate like normal human beings? Do you? I repeat, do you?

[rrmorton]

I'm bulletproof to the hype the media generates, and I can't be suckered into the anticipation.

You're bragging about it, but to me it just sounds like a huge part of the fun of this hobby has shriveled up inside of you until your heart is nothing more than a petrified olive pit of despair.

[Buatha]

The only time I ever would do that is if it's a limited edition that contains something damn cool, say all of the previous releases in a franchise. Otherwise, you're just pissing away money as the price will fall by the time you get around to playing it.

Personally, I never buy a game when it's new since there is that whole sliding retail pricing thing (especially at Target). Plus, I'm a snail gamer and it's not worth paying the premium price for a game since it's most likely going to take me months to finish it. Why not wait a few more months before getting it since I'm usually playing another game anyway?

For the most part, the most I'll ever pay for a new game is $30 since I have a tendency to wait a bit for patches (it's a sad state of the industry) and I don't normally see good games drop below $20 anyway. If it's more than that, I wait until it's:

1) On sale for a significant savings.
2) In the "bin".
3) Nearing its end of life in any retail form.

The only recent exceptions this year outside of my normal ones, was BF2 due to work friends playing it ($35) and Space Rangers 2 ($40) because it's an import title and probably won't be available at a lower price. Otherwise, I've never payed more than $30 in the last few years.

[Victoria Raverna]

This was brought up in the Psychonauts thread, where it seemed like a good amount of people that bought it - never played it.

I'm curious as to what the logic is for paying full retail price for a piece of software when it is released, and then not playing it - but eventually planning on getting around to playing it?

Wouldn't it make more sense to WAIT and purchase it when you are ready to play it - which at that point the game itself might be half the cost? Seems to me that would be the smart way to do it?

I must confess, I purchased SH3 on release, but still haven't played it. But my reasons for purchasing was I got it for $24 on release day - which is a bargin bin price for a new title. I figure I can easily resell it for more than that if I decide not to play it.

I'm just wondering what the logic is in continuously buying titles you never get around to playing.

For some people(including me), the rush of purchasing a new game as soon as possible can be as entertaining as playing games. I do the same thing with books and DVDs.

[SlapBone]

I read a report years ago that said 50% of the addiction to smoking is the thrill of buying a new pack, unwrapping it, and smelling the fresh tobacco.

50% of that report was BS.

I read a report that stated that 87.6% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

[edosan]

I read a report that stated that 87.6% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

I hear it was more like 78.8%.

[Kraken]

I rememeber gaming in the old days. You'd buy a couple titles a YEAR and play the hell out of them endlessly. Sure there were tons of games released, but you bought what was the best for you, and played them hard, and had a great time doing it.

Back then it was a matter of necessity. They cost the same then ($50) as they do now, but today I make eight times more money than I did in the late 80's, so that $50 represented a major investment. Today, $50 is a trivial purchase, and I don't lose sleep thinking about games I bought but never played.

$50 is still a lot of money to me. I only buy games about once a year, when I "need" a new one because I am tired of all my old ones, and then I am likely to look for something cheap. Once every other year or so, a real must-have game (like a new iteration of Civilization) compels me to buy at full price. I might get one more game per year if somebody gives me a gift card to Best Buy. I research my purchases carefully so that I can expect many months of play out of the two or three games that do come my way.

I've never really gotten into collecting, even during my brief prosperous periods. I don't fault those who enjoy hoarding, though. It seems like a pretty basic human trait.

[IceBear]

Is there any other product that routinely lowers its price like PC games? I can see an occassional sale or opening day blowout price, but since every expects the price of a PC game to drop in a month or two, and thus causing many people to wait a month or two to buy it (resulting in less money for the development team and/or that development team folds). Just wondering if this expectation is part of the "PC gaming is dying" thing.

[rrmorton]

It goes hand in hand with the release-now/patch-later mentality and there's no doubt it hurts PC game sales.

[IceBear]

Yeah, it would serve them better to release the "finished" game and price it reasonably and keep the price the same.

[gellar]

Most activities are more fun to anticipate than to actually participate in.

Exactly! Hence the smoking thing and opening the pack and smelling the tobacco.. Kinda like how someone is creaming for that new car, then a few weeks after they have it, the payment book arrives, and they are thinking "Wow, this sucks".

I guess as I get older, my anticipation of much of anything is almost nill, and when something good happens, it is a pleasant and nice surprise. That way i'm totally immune to an impulse purchase. I'm bulletproof to the hype the media generates, and I can't be suckered into the anticipation. Actually, having been in sales in the past, sales schools call it "Creating ownership.". They teach you to take an item, place it in the persons hand, then help them visualize themselves using it, and how much better it will make their lives. (thus, feeding off their anticipation and using it for the weakness it is to benefit their bottom line).

Watching people buy cars cracks me up, car salesmen are master tacticians at exploiting peoples weaknesses. By the time the car deal is done the buyers act like the car salesmen is doing them a huge favor or something for letting them take home this 30,000$ hunk of junk and paying them $500 a month for the next 7 years.

You are all being manipulated.

I dunno... I find great enjoyment in the things I spend my money on, and I find great enjoyment in spending my money. Manipulated or not, I'm not going to be burried with whatever cash I have in reserve and I live a pretty damn comfortable lifestyle, so I'm going to enjoy what I have, while I have it.

Value is perception. I value a lot of things you don't, you value a lot of things I don't. Neither one of us is wrong, as we both seem to be pretty happy with ourselves, no?

gellar

[SuperHiro]

Meanwhile at gellar's mom's house

*RING RING*

gellar's mom: Who could be calling at this time of day?

*RING RING*

gellar's mom picks up phone

gellar's mom: hello?

SH (on other line): WERD 2 U!!!!!!

[Kobra]

I dunno... I find great enjoyment in the things I spend my money on, and I find great enjoyment in spending my money. Manipulated or not, I'm not going to be burried with whatever cash I have in reserve and I live a pretty damn comfortable lifestyle, so I'm going to enjoy what I have, while I have it. gellar

Careful, its lifestyes like that which make a few friends of mine live check to check when times are tough and they live in dumpy apartments instead of nice houses with equity. Fact is, most people are clueless about finances and money management. Oh well, their loss.

[IceBear]

Go write a guide to financial success book and make money off your knowledge.

[Tareeq]

Careful, its lifestyes like that which make a few friends of mine live check to check when times are tough and they live in dumpy apartments instead of nice houses with equity. Fact is, most people are clueless about finances and money management. Oh well, their loss.

gellar has many problems, but that is not one of them.

[jg93]

I dunno... I find great enjoyment in the things I spend my money on, and I find great enjoyment in spending my money. Manipulated or not, I'm not going to be burried with whatever cash I have in reserve and I live a pretty damn comfortable lifestyle, so I'm going to enjoy what I have, while I have it. gellar

Careful, its lifestyes like that which make a few friends of mine live check to check when times are tough and they live in dumpy apartments instead of nice houses with equity. Fact is, most people are clueless about finances and money management. Oh well, their loss.

You know, you talk about being 'immune to hype' and yet you were totally suckered into buying a $500 vacuum cleaner. LOL - suuuuure. Not only that, but you proceed to rationalize your purchase publicly in your blog. HAHAHA!

Sorry, for me, buying games is a vote for games. If I get 5 hours of enjoyment out of it, it's money well spent. I can't think of the last game I purchased I played for less the five hours. To each his own. Enjoy that vacuum, it sounds great

[gellar]

Careful, its lifestyes like that which make a few friends of mine live check to check when times are tough and they live in dumpy apartments instead of nice houses with equity. Fact is, most people are clueless about finances and money management. Oh well, their loss.

gellar has many problems, but that is not one of them.

Werd. And even prior to that event, I'm doing just fine money wise.

Though I don't own a house. Buying one in this market is just stupid, even if I could afford it. I have quite a bit of equity in other investments and do fairly well money management wise. I have zero debt other than my car (which I could pay off, but the interest is so ridiculously low I have no desire to). I have a fair amount of money in 401k and IRA funds, but neither are actually doing "well" for me at the moment.

My point simply is, some people like blowing a considerable amount of money on games. To me, waiting 3 months to get a game for $25-35 off just doesn't seem to be worth it. That amount is worth forgoing in order for me to have the game now.

It's real easy (and quite common in the US) to judge people's finances cause they don't do things the traditional way, but ultimately it's just another way to make ourselves feel better about our own lives. Personally, I'd rather not worry about what you (or anyone else) does with their money and enjoy spending time being me. I like me. I rule.

gellar

[gellar]

You know, you talk about being 'immune to hype' and yet you were totally suckered into buying a $500 vacuum cleaner. LOL - suuuuure. Not only that, but you proceed to rationalize your purchase publicly in your blog. HAHAHA!

While I agree about the spirit of your post, don't fuckin diss the Dyson. Only those who have not tried do not understand its power.

gellar

[Kobra]

While I agree about the spirit of your post, don't fuckin diss the Dyson. Only those who have not tried do not understand its power.
gellar

Thats more true than anyone knows.

[Rincewind]

What I want to know is whether you are actually asking this question, or simply looking for an opportunity to laud your own "superior" instincts, judgment, lifestyle, etc. Because frankly, after reading this entire thread, it seems like that is all you are trying to prove.

[lorax]

I live a pretty damn comfortable lifestyle, so I'm going to enjoy what I have, while I have it.

Careful, its lifestyes like that which make a few friends of mine live check to check when times are tough and they live in dumpy apartments instead of nice houses with equity.

Fortunately, wikipedia defines spendthrift: "someone who spends money prodigally and is extravagant and recklessly wasteful". The word "prodigal(ly)" is a religious reference to a time thousands of years ago. Therefore, the octopuses should be aware that a spendthrift is not a new concept. It's an old concept. Did you even know this?

Wikipedia discusses the outcome of the spendthrift. We have ears - let us hear.

[Bad Demographic]

I live a pretty damn comfortable lifestyle, so I'm going to enjoy what I have, while I have it.

Careful, its lifestyes like that which make a few friends of mine live check to check when times are tough and they live in dumpy apartments instead of nice houses with equity.

Fortunately, wikipedia defines spendthrift: "someone who spends money prodigally and is extravagant and recklessly wasteful". The word "prodigal(ly)" is a religious reference to a time thousands of years ago. Therefore, the octopuses should be aware that a spendthrift is not a new concept. It's an old concept. Did you even know this?

Wikipedia discusses the outcome of the spendthrift. We have ears - let us hear.

Are you suggesting that somebody here is spending money prodigally?

[rrmorton]

What I want to know is whether you are actually asking this question, or simply looking for an opportunity to laud your own "superior" instincts, judgment, lifestyle, etc. Because frankly, after reading this entire thread, it seems like that is all you are trying to prove.

HALLELUJAH! SOMEONE FINALLY SAID IT! Socially inept.

He still hasn't answered me about whether or not he's read all the books he owns.

[Kobra]

What I want to know is whether you are actually asking this question, or simply looking for an opportunity to laud your own "superior" instincts, judgment, lifestyle, etc. Because frankly, after reading this entire thread, it seems like that is all you are trying to prove.

HALLELUJAH! SOMEONE FINALLY SAID IT! Socially inept.

He still hasn't answered me about whether or not he's read all the books he owns.

I don't own any books. Sorry. =) They take up too much space.

[baron calamity]

I play every game, but I have an annoying habit of only dabbling and never getting serious. Its like tonight, I got LOTR Battle For Middle Earth. I played 15 minutes of it, decided I rather spend time playing the Sims and attempt to get my 3rd generation through college. Chances are, I may never play Battle for Middle Earth again

Now dvds on the other hand. I have a bunch I haven't watched yet. What is really bad is TV series on DVD. I've got like 90 hours of shows still wrapped. I'm almost hoping for a prolong illness just so I can stay at home for a few months and watch them.

[swissmtndog]

Kobra has no need for books. He gets far more enjoyment out of re-reading his own blog. And not only because it is cheaper.

[Tareeq]

I live a pretty damn comfortable lifestyle, so I'm going to enjoy what I have, while I have it.

Careful, its lifestyes like that which make a few friends of mine live check to check when times are tough and they live in dumpy apartments instead of nice houses with equity.

Fortunately, wikipedia defines spendthrift: "someone who spends money prodigally and is extravagant and recklessly wasteful". The word "prodigal(ly)" is a religious reference to a time thousands of years ago. Therefore, the octopuses should be aware that a spendthrift is not a new concept. It's an old concept. Did you even know this?

Wikipedia discusses the outcome of the spendthrift. We have ears - let us hear.

A visit from the Legendary U2K would make this thread complete.

[Bad Demographic]

Hey guys, I thought the original question was reasonble and interesting. If you don't like what you feel is Kobra's attitude, that's okay, but let's not get into a tussle over it. If you don't like his responses, you're free to ignore them. Heck, you can even privately seethe over them - although I doubt any of you are - but please let's keep this a civil (or even better, a *fun*) conversation.

[Hrnac]

To answer Kobras original question, I will purchase a game if I know that I want to play it down the road and it is being offered at a great price. I like to scout the bargain bins for good deals so from time to time I will pick up a title that will sit for a few months until I get around to playing it.

-Hrnac

[Freezer-TPF-]

Now dvds on the other hand. I have a bunch I haven't watched yet. What is really bad is TV series on DVD. I've got like 90 hours of shows still wrapped. I'm almost hoping for a prolong illness just so I can stay at home for a few months and watch them.

TV series on DVD are the perfect stay-at-home snow day activity. Last year or so, I picked up one of the Angel seasons, and a few days later we had a massive snowstorm. Perfect timing.