Gaming and Internet Service (Ranting)

[MrN1ce9uy]

Why do some PC games require you to download their ridiculously large files via your internet connection?

Like Star Wars Battlefront. The game can only be obtained from a download. The game is 40+ Gigabytes. I have not bought the game because of that.

I bought The Elder Scrolls Online and had the discs shipped to me to avoid having to download the 60+ Gigabytes of game files. Turns out only 30 of those gigabytes come on the discs, and the other 30 must be downloaded. I ordered the game a week ago so I could have it to play when it arrived. Now I must wait another week for the 30GB download just to play the game.

I would pay for a higher internet connection, but there is but one internet service provider and the highest connection speed is 6Mbps. I pay the same for 6Mbps as most people pay for 80Mbps.

That's not even the worst part. More and more PC games now require an internet connection not only to install and validate the game, but to play the game at all. If I'm not connected to the internet, the game must be modded and potentially corrupted just to play the game.

It's really starting to piss me off. I pay $60 for a game, but then i have to pay for an internet connection and bandwidth just to obtain the game? W-T-F!? That's paying for a product and then paying additional fees just to get the actual copy of the game. In my case with The Elder Scrolls, I paid for the discs, I paid for the shipping of the discs, now I'm paying for the bandwidth that is required for the additional files equal in size to the game on the discs! Also, there are additional memberships that can be purchased, so after all that I'm still not getting the full experience the game has to offer.

If the game is not provided in a full copy, and if a game must be downloaded, then a full price should not be required. In fact, I would vote to pass a law prohibiting having to pay full price (the same price as a physical copy) for a digital copy that must be downloaded via an outside service which requires additional costs to the end-user.

I didn't even mention that when I want to re-install my OS the download process must be repeated. Sure I can backup the game files, but that requires additional costs. Plus the user initiated backups don't always work.

How much does it cost to make a disc and package vs. providing a digital download? I'm sure there is a difference in price. So why isn't there a difference in price to the end-user when it comes to PC games?

 

[joshyboy82]

Because disk software is easy to crack. So if they put an entire game on a disk, it'll be torrented in an hour. If they lock the game code behind their servers, people cant steal the game, you only access the game, you're never in control of the entire file.

 

[USAFRet]

It's not 'make *a* disk', it is rather make a dozen or so. And then mail them to you. Or take up shelf space at your local store.
Big fancy graphics take space. A LOT of space.

You have the ultimate veto power of this....don't buy the game.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

Because disk software is easy to crack. So if they put an entire game on a disk, it'll be torrented in an hour. If they lock the game code behind their servers, people cant steal the game, you only access the game, you're never in control of the entire file.

But the software requires the key to play. So it doesn't matter if you have the software without the key.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

Because disk software is easy to crack. So if they put an entire game on a disk, it'll be torrented in an hour. If they lock the game code behind their servers, people cant steal the game, you only access the game, you're never in control of the entire file.

But the software requires the key to play. So it doesn't matter if you have the software without the key. Well, as far as online games are concerned.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

It's not 'make *a* disk', it is rather make a dozen or so. And then mail them to you. Or take up shelf space at your local store.
Big fancy graphics take space. A LOT of space.

You have the ultimate veto power of this....don't buy the game.

You're right. That's why I haven't bought some games. Most of them attempt to hide the fact that an enormous amount of bandwidth is required just to obtain and install the game.

 

[huvik]

So by your logic I should not have to pay for food, because I have to pay for the electricity and the oven to cook the food? Or I shouldn't have to pay for my truck because I have to pay for the gas to use it??

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

So by your logic I should not have to pay for food, because I have to pay for the electricity and the oven to cook the food? Or I shouldn't have to pay for my truck because I have to pay for the gas to use it??

No. I'm saying that food you have to cook yourself is cheaper than food that is already cooked. But why is that no so with video games?

 

[USAFRet]

It's not 'make *a* disk', it is rather make a dozen or so. And then mail them to you. Or take up shelf space at your local store.
Big fancy graphics take space. A LOT of space.

You have the ultimate veto power of this....don't buy the game.

You're right. That's why I haven't bought some games. Most of them attempt to hide the fact that an enormous amount of bandwidth is required just to obtain and install the game.

The bean counters at the game publishers have run the numbers, and you personally, do not count. Not trying to be insulting, but there it is.
If it were more profitable to generate a whole big pile of DVD's and deliver it that way, they would do that.
Their bottom line is what counts, not your individual internet connection.

Heck...a lot of people don't even have a DVD drive in their system.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

It's not 'make *a* disk', it is rather make a dozen or so. And then mail them to you. Or take up shelf space at your local store.
Big fancy graphics take space. A LOT of space.

You have the ultimate veto power of this....don't buy the game.

You're right. That's why I haven't bought some games. Most of them attempt to hide the fact that an enormous amount of bandwidth is required just to obtain and install the game.

The bean counters at the game publishers have run the numbers, and you personally, do not count. Not trying to be insulting, but there it is.
If it were more profitable to generate a whole big pile of DVD's and deliver it that way, they would do that.
Their bottom line is what counts, not your individual internet connection.

Heck...a lot of people don't even have a DVD drive in their system.

You're right. Capitalism FTW. Supply and demand must get them their profits. It's a bit frustrating to see physical games becoming a thing of the past. Long gone are the days of obtaining my copy of the newest games and playing them in the same day on my PC. The mediums are not even for all at this point in time.

 

[USAFRet]

You're right. Capitalism FTW. Supply and demand must get them their profits. It's a bit frustrating to see physical games becoming a thing of the past. Long gone are the days of obtaining my copy of the newest games and playing them in the same day on my PC. The mediums are not even for all at this point in time.

Same with music. When was the last time you bought a physical CD?
Movies. Bought many DVD's lately?

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

You're right. Capitalism FTW. Supply and demand must get them their profits. It's a bit frustrating to see physical games becoming a thing of the past. Long gone are the days of obtaining my copy of the newest games and playing them in the same day on my PC. The mediums are not even for all at this point in time.

Same with music. When was the last time you bought a physical CD?
Movies. Bought many DVD's lately?

Now that you've mentioned those, I will add e-books as well, All of which are cheaper if you choose to download them.

 

[USAFRet]

You're right. Capitalism FTW. Supply and demand must get them their profits. It's a bit frustrating to see physical games becoming a thing of the past. Long gone are the days of obtaining my copy of the newest games and playing them in the same day on my PC. The mediums are not even for all at this point in time.

Same with music. When was the last time you bought a physical CD?
Movies. Bought many DVD's lately?

Now that you've mentioned those, I will add e-books as well, All of which are cheaper if you choose to download them.

I was going to mention those, but many people really, really don't like it.
I have a Kindle and love it.
But the ebooks are not always cheaper.