May 20, 2013

While making curious analogies...


20 comments:

  1. What games is he playing?

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    1. The Guy Game?

      Not that I'd know. *cough* *clicks anonymous profile*

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  2. Makes you wonder what he does with his videogames.

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  3. I don't think he understands what a "used" video game is.

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  4. Related, albeit not directly, I'm perpetually baffled by the game industry's attitude that reselling games is "practically stealing". The right of first sale was settled in 1908, it's crazy to me that anybody actually looks at used game stores and honestly thinks, "ugh this is what's killing the video game industry." Yeah dipshit, just like how used book stores destroyed publishing, video rentals destroyed film, and Goodwill destroyed fashion. Not that the GameStop model isn't shitty as fuck (brand new game? We'll give you 49¢ trade-in credit!), but if your industry can't survive the first sale doctrine, you have a shitty business model that relies on strangling consumer rights.

    Honestly though, I pretty much exclusively play PCDL now, so that shit doesn't affect me.

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    1. I suppose preferring downloads, which were never protected with first sale doctrine, is a teensy bit hypocritical of me, but I also haven't payed full retail for a game in about five years, and I make a point to put my money where I think it's deserved, like through the Humble store.

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    2. It's not hypocritical, just foolish.

      You are paying full retail: full download retail. And because it's a download you have no choice but to pay full download retail. There's no resale option for downloads.

      I prefer to get my cheap games at the local independent reseller. It costs about the same as the DL, but I get the game on physical media. I never have to worry about the game maker telling me I can't replay something I own, bought and paid for. If I want to go back and play Portal2 ($14.99) in 10 years long after I've replaced my current hardware, I can.

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    3. You're kind of talking out your ass because none of that is applicable. I don't give a shit about my local independent game retailers, because where I live there aren't any. 90% of my purchases are directly from independent developers, many through the humble store, almost all DRM-free, and if not, always drastically on sale (it is a rare, rare exception that I'll buy a game on steam for more than $5). So far I had nothing but excellent customer service and technical support, and I've never run into compatibility issues.

      Contrast that with my experience with consoles: Cartridges get lost or never returned by friends, discs get scratched, internal save batteries die, and always, always, always, the consoles themselves fail, years after the last one has been manufactured. Once my old controllers wear out and console can't read anymore, it's over, unless I want to spend the rest of time scrounging for aging parts.

      But I don't play console games. Like I said, I play PC downloadable titles, buying directly from independent developers whom I care about, and I've never had a hardware manufacturer turn their back and tell me they won't support the old hardware anymore. Will Portal 2 still run in 10 years? Maybe Steam will be defunct in 2023. But if it's not, there's a near-100% chance that my computer will still be able to play every single game in my library, just like my computer today can play every game I owned in 2003, and that could play every game from 1993.

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    4. > so far
      Keep hoping and dreaming, sunshine.

      > consoles
      Who said anything about consoles?

      > Cartridges get lost or never returned by friends, discs get scratched
      And whose fault is that?

      Keeping your media safe and clean is something you can control (even though you're apparently very bad at it). Publisher support for a game you bought 10 years ago is something you cannot.

      Hard drives fail, backups get lost, publishers file chapter 11, or change their EULA behind your back…

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    5. Given that there isn't a version of Portal 2 for PC that doesn't run on Steam, I assumed you must have been talking about consoles. My 15+ years of keeping good digital archives, playing mainly independent download-only games, buying DRM-free, and not being an overprotective butthole with video games seems to really bother you, so I suppose there isn't anything else to say on that point.

      If you want to share, buy discs and cartridges. If you want to preserve, keep digital copies and make regular backups.

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    6. Um, you don't have to be on steam to get portal on your PC. Just buy it at best buy or wherever or get it used at game stop. That's what I did.

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  5. I guess we know what HE does while he plays video games.

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  6. What's wrong with buying used porno? Sure, a few pages might be stuck together, but it's so much better for the planet and less strain on the environment. We've got to reduce, reuse and recycle, people! Sheesh...

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    1. What's wrong is that it's always the best pages that are stuck together.

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  7. Nobody tell this guy, but all the porno on the internets is also "used".

    In fact for any given internet porn dozens to thousands of other people are using it at the same time as you.

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    1. That is so hot.

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    2. Oh man, that's disgusting. How could anybody do that? It'd be like playing a videogame on splitscreen.

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    3. *fap fap fap* HEY! Stop screen-watching dude!

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  8. What does he use video games as a euphemism for?

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  9. well... maybe a used SNES RPG of sorts.. Already having all those dirty 'saves' on it!

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