New games at low prices... what is "the deal" for Dev's?

I like to buy things at the best value possible... cheaper is one way to phrase it.

The same goes for games - if i can get it cheaper, I will. However I am keen to see developers get the money they deserve... hence, I will only buy a used game if I cannot get it brand new anywhere at a sensible price. However, a lot of my games have been acquired through being quick to get a game on sale from retailers (Uncharted 1 & 2, God of War 3, Bioshock 1& 2 - each under £20 brand new and sealed).

I have a dilemma that floats around my brain however - what effect does this lowered price have on developers? Unlike used games, which give 100% of their profit to the seller (eBay user, GAME, Gamestation, HMV), I would assume that the company selling this game at reduced price is sucking up any "loss" between unit price and consumer price.

I want to fund development by purchasing new games... I just want to do it cheaply.

Games Withdrawal

Today begins a long and torturous period of 1 month where games will take a back seat to education.

I have an exam coming up on 20th October and do not want to fail it (or do poorly due to lack of revision). As such I declare that from this day forward I will not play games until after 2-3 hours of solid revision! Which means around 9:30 - 10:00 PM... Which still gives me a few hours to enjoy some multi-player madness.

Cold turkey never seemed so hard!!!

Looking forward...

This month is a big month on the games calender... lots of games coming out, as well as a few other treats ahead of the primary gifting period (that's Xmas to people not familiar with Bill Bailey). Here is what I have to look forward to over the "holidays" once my study is finished...

October 4th
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Beta opens


October 15th
Medal of Honor: Tier 1 Edition

November 19th
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Of course it wouldn't be Christmas if I didn't have a wishlist of other games that I can hope for...

Enslaved: Journey to the West
Littlebigplanet 2
Gran Turismo 5
Fallout New Vegas
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2
Heavy Rain: Move Edition
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Limited Edition

Online Deadlines... reprise (+)

I said recently that online deadlines (play a game online before the community dries up) are a pain in the bum...

One game however that I have latched onto recently seems to have a very strong following online despite its age and sequal... I speak of Battlefield: Bad Company. The only thing that has been of annoyance is when some clever sod decides to jump in a chopper and hammer the hell out of the spawn area. I would say play fair... but I guess war is never fair.

This high level of players online is a good sign for many a developer. If a game has good online support then clearly you have done something right.

Well done EA and DICE. I salute you... now if you wil excuse me I'm off to destroy and defend some gold crates.

On your marks... Headset... No???

Been playing a fair bit of Battlefield: Bad Company the last couple of days and feel oddly compelled to ask... where are all the headset users?

In a game that demands tactics (like the many "realistic shooters"), people are running around without tactical support and collaboration. With the PS3 being bluetooth enabled, any headset will do, so why are so many people not taking advantage.

Copy - over.

It is in the post...

Just got emails from play.com and hmv.com about my PS3 Move bits...

They are on the move (pun intended).

Shopped around for price sake and my starter pack is on the way from hmv.com (still waiting to hear about the second controller), and my navigation is coming from play.com (silicon covers not yet sent). Now it is a race to see which provider comes first... will I be stuck waiting with a Navi, or will my glowing ping-pong stick arrive on time?

I'm so excited... just a shame that I have to revise every night for an exam in October.

Beta! Beta! Beta!

Yay!

Got my Beta sign up code today for Assassins Creed: Brotherhood. Now just got to wait until 4th October in order to actually take part!!!


Way-blooming-hay!

Games and the integration of life

It IS possible to be addicted to games!!!

I'm not saying that I am addicted, but I am starting to see how easy it is to become addicted and the effects it can have. Put simply...

a) It is a sense of gaining status and achievement that drives gamers, much like gamblers.
b) It can easily swallow up sums of money, which YOU feel are justified.
c) It can ruin relationships if you try to sink too much time/ effort/ money into it.

I will probably always have a games deficit (more games to play than time to play them in), but I owe that to knowing that the disc-world will always be accessible and repeatable... life isn't, and you only get one life with no checkpoints to retry from (kind of like Demon's Souls.)