Complaining With Your Wallet
I just read an article that said we shouldn’t use the excuse that Game Companies are there to make money in regards to their exploitative game practices. The article pointed out that when a consumer, who feels ripped off complains about the company who ripped them off they should not be stifled by someone saying, “game companies are there to make money.”
I disagree with this, but there are caveats. I feel that if a consumer feels that they have been ripped off they have every right to complain about it, and give that company bad reviews, talk bad about that company, etcetera. The problem in the gaming community is that many of these consumers will complain about something, but continue to participate in what they are complaining about.
Case in point, Bioware is notorious for releasing day 1 DLC. I’ve never complained about Day 1 DLC. At one time I found Bioware to be a quality game company who put out intriguing games. I never minded paying a little extra for Bioware games. I thought that they worth the 70 bucks I would pay instead of 50
One specific compliant about Dragon Age:Origins was that Bioware put “The Warden’s Keep” as DLC, and many felt that it should have been in the game. The Warden’s Keep basically gives you a chest of infinite holding to hold your stuff. Other than that, you have a limited number of slots. 180 I think, but it could be more, could be less. I think that is a valid gripe, but other than that I disagree that Day 1 DLC is a bad thing.
The argument boils down to this. You don’t have to buy the game. That’s it. That’s all the argument you need. This isn’t health care, or shelter, or taxes. No one is putting a gun to your head and making you buy Marvel vs Capcom 3. You want the game. You think the game is worth xx.xx amount of dollars. If a company goes overboard, and you think they are price gouging you, well, you don’t have to buy from them. If you do buy from a company that you think is gouging you, or unfairly treating you, then you are to blame, not the company. If you dislike a company’s practices and you are supporting those practices, than you have no one to blame but yourself. Companies are going to try to get every nickel out of you that they can, and they don’t care if you complain about it, as long as you are still buying. Trust me, people are still buying these games. Gamers are buying their favorite games by the bucket loads. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry. Millions of copies of Marvel vs Capcom sold, as well as millions of copies of both Dragon Age games, and all three Mass Effect games in their multiple iterations. Almost all of the preceding games, except for Mass Effect 1, had Day 1 DLC. So, if this is so bad then why are companies still doing it? Because the people who are crying about it are still supporting the companies.
So, what is the alternative? It’s simple, vote with your wallet. This goes for any media or luxury item. Videogames are a luxury item. You don’t like how a company is treating you, don’t support them. It’s a simple argument, but it is effective.
Going back to Bioware, I was incredibly disappointed with both Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3. Now, keep in mind that I have brought every Bioware game from Baldurs Gate all the way up to Mass Effect 3. That included the Sonic game on the DS and Jade Empire. (I did not buy the ios game, because I never had anything that could run it.) I was incredibly disappointed with both Mass Effect 3 and Dragon age 2. I happily paid for the collector’s editions of both games, and the Day 1 DLC. I will not be supporting anymore Bioware releases in the future, however. Anything that Bioware puts out from here on out will have to get extremely high reviews, and I will have to spend some time with the game before I would consider a purchase. I’ve feel as though Bioware burned me by putting out a shoddy product. I do not like their products anymore, so I will not be purchasing from them again. If you feel that a company burned you, why would you support them? Vote with your wallet. Don’t buy games from someone if you don’t like their business practices. Why the hell would you?
http://www.wilfredrrobinson.com/?p=113
I disagree with this, but there are caveats. I feel that if a consumer feels that they have been ripped off they have every right to complain about it, and give that company bad reviews, talk bad about that company, etcetera. The problem in the gaming community is that many of these consumers will complain about something, but continue to participate in what they are complaining about.
Case in point, Bioware is notorious for releasing day 1 DLC. I’ve never complained about Day 1 DLC. At one time I found Bioware to be a quality game company who put out intriguing games. I never minded paying a little extra for Bioware games. I thought that they worth the 70 bucks I would pay instead of 50
One specific compliant about Dragon Age:Origins was that Bioware put “The Warden’s Keep” as DLC, and many felt that it should have been in the game. The Warden’s Keep basically gives you a chest of infinite holding to hold your stuff. Other than that, you have a limited number of slots. 180 I think, but it could be more, could be less. I think that is a valid gripe, but other than that I disagree that Day 1 DLC is a bad thing.
The argument boils down to this. You don’t have to buy the game. That’s it. That’s all the argument you need. This isn’t health care, or shelter, or taxes. No one is putting a gun to your head and making you buy Marvel vs Capcom 3. You want the game. You think the game is worth xx.xx amount of dollars. If a company goes overboard, and you think they are price gouging you, well, you don’t have to buy from them. If you do buy from a company that you think is gouging you, or unfairly treating you, then you are to blame, not the company. If you dislike a company’s practices and you are supporting those practices, than you have no one to blame but yourself. Companies are going to try to get every nickel out of you that they can, and they don’t care if you complain about it, as long as you are still buying. Trust me, people are still buying these games. Gamers are buying their favorite games by the bucket loads. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry. Millions of copies of Marvel vs Capcom sold, as well as millions of copies of both Dragon Age games, and all three Mass Effect games in their multiple iterations. Almost all of the preceding games, except for Mass Effect 1, had Day 1 DLC. So, if this is so bad then why are companies still doing it? Because the people who are crying about it are still supporting the companies.
So, what is the alternative? It’s simple, vote with your wallet. This goes for any media or luxury item. Videogames are a luxury item. You don’t like how a company is treating you, don’t support them. It’s a simple argument, but it is effective.
Going back to Bioware, I was incredibly disappointed with both Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3. Now, keep in mind that I have brought every Bioware game from Baldurs Gate all the way up to Mass Effect 3. That included the Sonic game on the DS and Jade Empire. (I did not buy the ios game, because I never had anything that could run it.) I was incredibly disappointed with both Mass Effect 3 and Dragon age 2. I happily paid for the collector’s editions of both games, and the Day 1 DLC. I will not be supporting anymore Bioware releases in the future, however. Anything that Bioware puts out from here on out will have to get extremely high reviews, and I will have to spend some time with the game before I would consider a purchase. I’ve feel as though Bioware burned me by putting out a shoddy product. I do not like their products anymore, so I will not be purchasing from them again. If you feel that a company burned you, why would you support them? Vote with your wallet. Don’t buy games from someone if you don’t like their business practices. Why the hell would you?
http://www.wilfredrrobinson.com/?p=113