gooberking: While we probably all could do a little less of that sort of bargain buying, I will say it has had some value to me in that I really don't know what I will get sucked into until I start playing. I've logged a lot of time on "bargain" games I didn't expect to, and I have a number of highly respected titles I expected to like, but didn't or just haven't gotten around to even though I thought I would.
Buying buckets of games sounds like a waste on paper, but I've come to think there is more to it that I once gave it credit for. It is quite rare that I look at a game and
know it is something I will play it, that it will be worth spending real money on. Those cases are usually limited to one specific genre, and even are repeat buys where I already know what I'm getting. Everything else is a crap shoot. Buying lots of titles just gives you options to appeal to later - whatever your mood. I'm sure one can take it too far by spending way more on junk than they would just buying what they really want, but it's not like when we buy truck loads of useless crap we have to find physical room for. Anyway, I guess I do think it is a viable game buying strategy that has been known to pay off for me.
The problem I see is, if most people only buy games at heavy discounts, regardless of the quality of those games, then what motivation do developers have for going that extra mile, and creating a truly remarkable game and potential future classic? If it's going to end up in cheap bundles with all the other quick cash-grabs, then putting in any serious effort seems like a waste of resources.
On the other hand, of course many games aren't realistically priced to begin with, since the publishers know they'll soon put it on sale at 50% off or more ( looking at you, Telltale ). Personally I'd rather see realistic, reasonable base prices, instead of all this discount madness. I think games like Stardew Valley, Shovel Knight, or Legend of Grimrock ( 1 & 2 ) are a step in the right direction, since they all offer polished, quality game experiences at reasonable base prices, regardless of possible future discounts.
If people turn to churning out cheap crap looking for buyers that will pay $2 for anything, I don't think it's going to work on me. I don't tend to buy garbage just because it's cheap, I just expect games to be something I can wait for and get a good bang for buck on.
I guess I'm more in the "games aren't realistically priced" camp. At least, games as a rule aren't worth $60 to me under any but the rarest of circumstance. Shovel Knight and other indi scene games rolling in around $10-$15 seems perfectly fine all on their own provided they appear to be the sort of game one might enjoy. I'm personally a little iffy on most platformers and I see SK as one of those games I probably wouldn't ever play if it ended up in my catalog. I would be fine with being proven wrong, but I don't see paying $7+ to find out.
Since I'm not quite the target demographic I would probably need more enticement since there is a greater element of risk involved when it comes to the likelihood that I will get use out of the purchase vs someone that habitually finds platformers a good time. Knowing it's a well liked title I probably would have taken that gamble for something in the 3-4 dollar range, but if they are content not selling it for that I'm perfectly content not buying it.
I know it relates to an earlier point, but I can say I don't need the game to be on sale for 3-4 bucks to feel it only has that much value. But then I don't know how much of that perceived value is based off of the fact that lots of similar games are price in that range and how much is just it being my personal scale when evaluating what I'm willing to invest in something that may never see use. I do tend to think entertainment is often overpriced, and avoid buying much in other entertainment areas that don't see the significant reductions in pricing we see in games. If you see a low price in movies or music it's often just garbage someone is trying to dump and that I have no interest in. Those entertainment types do have service models we don't have that allow for inexpensive consumption though which is something we lack.
Anyway, I think there is a good chance my mind is mush and I'm just rambling nonsense now.
