Should All Video Games Be Free To Play?

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Gameguru Mania News - May,02 2014 -

Should All Video Games Be Free To Play? - briefly
(hx) 10:03 PM CEST - May,02 2014 - Post a comment / read (5)
Games are an EXPEN$IVE hobby. Besides the games themselves, there's the consoles, high def TV, plus handhelds, smartphones, and a variety of other potential equipment. A player can easily spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars, and that's just not an option for most people. Is gaming becoming an elitist hobby (akin to golf)? Are we stuck on a path where more and more people will be only able to experience a game through Let's Play videos? Or, like Candy Crush & League of Legends, should all games be FREE?

last 10 comments:

Csimbi

(11:01 PM CEST - May,02 2014 )

Free games are counterproductive because there's no need to please the gamers - so gamers become haters. Been there, done that. I won't even try any of that free crap ever again.

I don't mind paying a reasonable price for a good game.
Game makers were always greedy, but nowadays they are going to the extreme.
Also, lately, very few games even hit the "ok" mark.

Here's my idea for a reasonable price (a price no student or parent should have reason to say no to):
- 20$ for premium titles like Skyrim, HMM6 or Assassin's Creed. Only 5$ when it comes as a download (i.e. no physical media such as disk, manual, map, etc.)
- 1$ for "I have 5mins I want to play something" games like Minecraft/Angry birds/most platformers/etc. These always come as a download.
- Prices should be 50% after three months, 80% after six months and 99% after one year, free after three years with source code released.
- DLCs should never be content ripped from the game; DLCs should be significant extensions to the game, e.g. a min. 33% extra playtime should be required to call something a DLC.
- For each patch that needs to be applied until the game becomes bug-free, I get 10% store credit. (i.e. 10 patches: free game, 20 patches: they pay me for testing)
- Used games can be traded freely (but any associated store credit that have not been used would be lost).
- 48 hours money-back guarantee (full refund) with no questions asked; the 48 hours would not start ticking until I will have started the game the first time (i.e. delivery, delivery delays, download, install, etc. times are all discounted).

Here's my idea for a good game:
- designed for the PC (not just a port from another platform),
- fully playable in offline mode (and not cutting you off from your goodies when you want to play on a plane/ship/train/bus),
- modding tools are available from day one (so if the game sucks, fans can fix it instead of just trashing it),
- good, compelling story that's not a just poor mimic of another game and keeps me busy rather than leave me bored,
- multiple paths and outcomes (for a great replay value),
- great variety of all elements (e.g. maps/monsters/items to avoid repetition)
- humor (a lot of it in case if it fits the game's theme)
- scalable graphics engine (so I can tailor it to lesser hardware and I can still play it 10 years later with HD mods),
- can change FOV setting in-game (so I can actually see the result before accepting it),
- customizable effects (so I can turn off stupid depth of field and other eye-ruining effects),
- no 10 mins. of logo videos on startup,
- no hit spc/esc/enter to start game kind of crap,
- intuitive, very functional yet minimalistic user interface,
- possibly, customizable user interface (e.g. I can hide, drag and resize ui objects and they stay that way persistently),
- proper subtitles (you would not believe how many games get this wrong),
- support for changing font and size of any text, including subtitles via the game's own menu (rather than hacking INI files or modding archives),
- intelligent memory use and background loads (so no stuttering and no need to wait for level loads),
- challenging AI that learns from, adapts to and counters player style/tricks, without cheating,
- fully customizable controls
- support for joys/wheels (even older ones >5 years),
- good voice-acting (so it fits the game's style perfectly),
- audio immersion (full 3D positional audio; 7.1 or better),
- good music,
- adaptive music transitions (so that the tune played matches environment and game pace) with proper fade-out and fade-in.

Needless to say that I don't expect all of these to be delivered, there are a few must-haves that are deal-breakers.

Tom

(03:37 AM CEST - May,03 2014 )

Period, game prices just need to be more realistic.

For single player, no multiplayer. Wolfenstein @ $60?, is that realistic?

quote:
Elders Online

$79.99

Digital download
Product Details

30 days of game time included
Subscription and account for The Elder Scrolls Online required
A persistent internet connection is required to play

They say, oh we will release content all the time. I don't care, that's not worth $80 and $15 a month. A persistent internet connection. Well...

I'm sorry you buy into that model, you are beyond hope and need a life desperately. Seek help.

Take a look at what Bethesda has done over the last couple of years $$$. Now take a lot at EA, UBISOFT. Bethesda started dying as soon as they took over iD. I suspect Carmack wanted to leave iD/Bethesda for a long time and made lots of money in the process of staying. Guy is so rich now, f he has no worries. But now that he's gone they want to sue him for stolen tech. Uh huh Ya. I'm sure Carmack stole stuff. It's more like a company whose butthole is sore and probably is gonna get a lot more sore.

I don't think Elders Online is going to last as a pay to play and I don't think Bethesda is going to go anywhere without a change at the top and new vision. They make 1 game for hell sake everything else is junk.

NakedFaerie

(05:55 AM CEST - May,03 2014 )

I think what needs to happen is the STOP of Day 1 and on disc DLC. If its made alongside the game it should be IN THE GAME. AND DLC should be FREE as a thanks for buying the game in the first place.
And FINISH THE GAME BEFORE RELEASE. Nobody wants to buy a beta version of a game but thats what we are doing. Day1 patches are proof of that.

So, they can charge for games if DLC was free and NO of those BS Premium packs either. ALL DLC FREE. If its made with the game or part of the game then it should be with the game and made available for all.
Its really stupid when you buy a game for $70(AUD) then have to pay another $90 for the premium pack. So the DLC is worth more than the game itself? WTF PEOPLE! You are paying for that crap! STOP IT! FORCE them to drop it. DONT BUY IT and DONT encourage them. DEMAND it become free.

WE the gamers are the ones that can change it. DONT BUY IT is the first stand. Next is total boycott of their games if they keep doing it. I WONT be getting the next Battlefield if they are going to keep releasing half the game as DLC and premium edition. Either release it full, final for everyone or be the first to be boycotted by all. Tell EVERYONE to boycott it if they do it again. You can play any other Battlefield game till they drop that crap, no need to keep paying them for their BS.

Csimbi

(12:56 PM CEST - May,03 2014 )

I keep thinking that there should be a software quality grade scale for games.
The grade would be indicated per feature before purchase and there would be legal consequences if the game does not meet the claims of the software maker.
Here's an example for a grading system:
<Grade>[Scope limit][Recovery]

Grades would indicate the nature of problems/bugs to expect:
A: Zero problems/bugs guaranteed.
B0: A few minor, non-gameplay-related bugs may occur.
B1: A few minor gameplay-related bugs may occur.
C0: Minor non-gameplay-related bugs to be expected.
C1: Minor gameplay-related bugs to be expected.
D0: A few major, non-gameplay-related bugs may occur.
D1: A few major gameplay-related bugs may occur.
E0: Major non-gameplay-related bugs to be expected.
E1: Major gameplay-related bugs to be expected.
F: The feature is incomplete and critical bugs are to be expected (i.e. alpha, beta, release candidates all fall under this grade).
Non-gameplay-related bugs are those that does not have an impact on game progression (e.g. graphics glitches, missing audio, etc.)
Gameplay-related related bugs are those that prevent you from completing a specific goal/objective (e.g. a door cannot be opened, broken quest script, etc.).
Minor bugs are those that you can work around (e.g. save and reload to reset area, leave area and come back to reset area, access a room through another door, etc.)
Major bugs are those that you cannot work around (e.g. you cannot complete an objective - making a side-quest impossible to complete - and you'd need to start a new game to reset the erroneous object/area/quest, etc.)

Scope limits would indicate the playtest coverage:
M: Testing was limited to main features, with no deviation. E.g. playtested through the main storyline through all main story paths using the standard means.
S: Testing was limited to main and optional features, with no deviation. E.g. playtested through the main storyline as well as all alternate- and side-story lines using the standard means.

Recovery would indicate how the software is capable of handling a bug:
--: game cannot recover from bug (e.g. crashes) and data loss is expected (e.g. corrupt save system)
-: game cannot recover from bug (e.g. crashes) and minor data loss is expected (e.g. corrupt last auto-save)
<when indicator missing>: game cannot recover, but last save/checkpoint will be usable.
+: game can recover from bug, but expect data loss since last save/checkpoint.
++: game can recover from bug without losing any data

Now. For example, for Skyrim, the quality grade would look like this:
AI: B0S <= Works for the most part as long as you don't do something non-standard stuff that the AI was not prepared for.
Game logic: C1S+ <= Main and side-quest scripts are ok, but there might be minor bugs, especially when you approach problems with non-standard methods (e.g. exploit some situation that devs did not think was possible).
Graphics: B0+ <= Engine might crash under some conditions, but last save will be fine.
Storyline: D1S <= Main and side-quest scripts are ok as long as you play by our rules (e.g. progress through the quests as instructed in the journal rather than).
Music: B0+++ <= There might be some fade-in/fade-out glitches, but it has no impact on gameplay.
Voiceovers: B0+++ <= There might be some lipsync issues, but it has no impact on gameplay.
Controls: C0++ <= Controls are ok, but there is a constant input lag.
Immersion: D0+++ <= Quite a few positional audio will play from the wrong direction.

Subject to change :-)

th4t1guy	(05:46 PM CEST - May,03 2014 )
idiotic video title = guaranteed discussion

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