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"Christmas Time- Let's cash in!"

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Tue 25/12/01 at 22:56
Regular
Posts: 787
Christmas... A time when publishers sell more games than at any other part of the year. Not only is it a moral obligation to buy presents for others (I still haven't got my best friend's present!), but people also spend more on themselves.

So, you can imagine the mad dash as developers and publishers try to get their game realy for the December deadline. Often the coders sleep in their offices, live on pizza, and lose all sense of time. And at the end of it, they have made a great game they can be proud of.

There are also those developers who just miss the deadline... but all is not lost! You often find a large number of developers releasing games just after Christmas... they missed the big rush, but they still ahve the custom of new console owners :)

There is, however, one more type of developer/publisher. The type that will happily put out an incomplete, badly made, or just plain poor game just before Christmas in the hope that it will be bought either as a Christmas present, or by unknowing new console owners.

Selling the games by means of fancy covers (has anyone noticed how games that have clearly had lots of work put into their covers need more time spent on the game itself?!), shop promotions (which are all paid for by the publisher), and unoriginal ideas.

These developers and publishers should be ashamed- putting games on the market that are clearly poor quality, just so they can make a quick buck.

All it means in the long term is that gamers are less likely to trust games companies to making quality titles, thus pushing them towards piracy. More obviously, gamers feel hard done by having spent £40 (a hell of a lot of money in my book!), for something that could have made their day.

So, what do you think? Are publishers right to cash in on games when they have the chance, or is it immoral? Is it the gamers' faults for not reading up on games, or should game store staff refuse to promote poor games- however much they're paid?

Sonic
Tue 25/12/01 at 22:56
Regular
"---SOULJACKER---"
Posts: 5,448
Christmas... A time when publishers sell more games than at any other part of the year. Not only is it a moral obligation to buy presents for others (I still haven't got my best friend's present!), but people also spend more on themselves.

So, you can imagine the mad dash as developers and publishers try to get their game realy for the December deadline. Often the coders sleep in their offices, live on pizza, and lose all sense of time. And at the end of it, they have made a great game they can be proud of.

There are also those developers who just miss the deadline... but all is not lost! You often find a large number of developers releasing games just after Christmas... they missed the big rush, but they still ahve the custom of new console owners :)

There is, however, one more type of developer/publisher. The type that will happily put out an incomplete, badly made, or just plain poor game just before Christmas in the hope that it will be bought either as a Christmas present, or by unknowing new console owners.

Selling the games by means of fancy covers (has anyone noticed how games that have clearly had lots of work put into their covers need more time spent on the game itself?!), shop promotions (which are all paid for by the publisher), and unoriginal ideas.

These developers and publishers should be ashamed- putting games on the market that are clearly poor quality, just so they can make a quick buck.

All it means in the long term is that gamers are less likely to trust games companies to making quality titles, thus pushing them towards piracy. More obviously, gamers feel hard done by having spent £40 (a hell of a lot of money in my book!), for something that could have made their day.

So, what do you think? Are publishers right to cash in on games when they have the chance, or is it immoral? Is it the gamers' faults for not reading up on games, or should game store staff refuse to promote poor games- however much they're paid?

Sonic
Wed 26/12/01 at 00:00
Regular
Posts: 18,185
One thing about Christmas in the fact developers that try hard to get a good game out on time oftern get overshadowed by games with big advertisement campaigns. Turok 2 and Zelda were so hyped they sold like anything over christmas, meanwhile poor old Silicon Valley and Body Harvest suffered and can be bought for a measly fiver these days, Body Harvest and Silicon Valley were better than Turok easily (lets ignore Zelda thats different). I was lucky all the Turok and Zelda hype i missed i joined the war on that very christmas and the one mag i got N64 pro had silicon Valley as their big game and i thought that was the best, didn't take long before i chose Zelda over it though...

Rocket Robot on Wheels suffered a similar fate i don't look into PS2 that much (there isn't enough N64 games to talk about any being underated) but i will see what games didn't get the recognition they deserved.

Dringy...
Wed 26/12/01 at 00:49
Regular
"Peace Respect Punk"
Posts: 8,069
Yeah, some developers just release shameless cash in titles, which is very bad, but some developers put in tons of hard work, and the shameless cash in titles just take sales away from games that really deserve them. This means developers are rewarded for promotion more than for making a good game...

Therefore it is very bad. The end.
Wed 26/12/01 at 00:57
Regular
"---SOULJACKER---"
Posts: 5,448
Even more annoying is bad games that sell on licencing: South Park and The Simpsons are cheif suspects!

Why do Commedy central allow this to happen (odd how these cartoons are owned by the same people!)

Sonic
Wed 26/12/01 at 10:46
Regular
Posts: 1,037
Not only is it cash in from the game industry but also from banks, have noticed how many (new) credit cards get advertised during this season, loads.
Wed 26/12/01 at 19:59
Regular
"---SOULJACKER---"
Posts: 5,448
Code: 144 Complete wrote:
> Not only is it cash in from the game industry but also from banks, have noticed
> how many (new) credit cards get advertised during this season, loads.

Please explain how banks have cashed in on poor quality products that they have rushed and got gamers to buy?

Sonic
Thu 03/11/11 at 12:18
Regular
Posts: 20
Plan is to do the North face trail with an extra loop in the Coniston Walna scar area.Meet at 9.00am at the High Cross car park Hawkshead Hill.
If weather looks iffy then could do 2 laps of North face trail as track surface is OK in wet conditions.If weather is really bad then will save for a better day and do a local ride instead.
Will post confirmation/directions for meet on Saturday.
If you want details of route look at my post in the facebook section
Thu 03/11/11 at 16:19
Posts: 208
Sunday

Partly cloudy in the morning, then clear. High of 12°C with a windchill of -3°C. Winds from the NNE at 20 km/h

:D
Fri 04/11/11 at 18:45
Regular
Posts: 114
Me and pete are in
Sat 05/11/11 at 06:24
Regular
Posts: 20
Weather looks good for Sunday so Grizedale ride is going ahead meet at High Cross cark park at Hawkshead Hill at 9.00am. Directions- A591 to Ambleside then A5095/A593 signed for Coniston take B5286 for Hawkshead then look out for B5285 on right for Hawkshead Hill -this climbs uphill and High Cross cark park is on the left as you reach the top of the climb.The North face trail is just a short forest track ride from this car park. See you there

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