5 ms·

It seems like every time there's a new game I need a new goddamned computer. And then the game is like 90 bucks!? Where's the fun in that? They are games, not g

by cairo_x 10y ago

It seems like every time there's a new game I need a new goddamned computer. And then the game is like 90 bucks!? Where's the fun in that? They are games, not god damned niche specialty hobbies. Imagine if films, or music, or books were like that? It's ludicrous. I guess it's a different thing, but damn. Computing has managed to become affordable, while gaming has become a hobby for the middle-classes, like skiing, or yacht racing, or formula one. It's like a vomitorium of the senses, and a lot of it is not particularly inspiring.

Kristine1975 10y ago
>It seems like every time there's a new game I need a new goddamned computer That's what consoles are for :-) Edit: This isn't supposed to be a snarky "console masterrace" comment, but merely the observation that consoles have fixed specs and a life-cycle of five or more years where you can play current games without having to buy new hardware. (I don't even own any consoles, unless you count emulators.)
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- Nadya 10y ago
  Or future-proofing your PC by not buying low/mid end parts. Spending an extra $400 when building so you can keep the PC for 4-6+ years instead of 1-2 years. If you don't mind playing games on "low/mid" console-equivalent graphics this isn't even necessary except for the most poorly optimized games. Unless you want to be playing the newest games on max/ultra settings and expect 60+fps at all times you will not need to buy new hardware or even the highest-end hardware at anywhere near that rate. Unless you're buying a $350 Facebook-browsing machine to game on the lowest settings - you will not need to upgrade every 1-2 years to run games. You lack the option to play the newest games at max/ultra settings at 60+ fps on consoles. Because the options simply don't exist and you can't update the hardware to allow for it. You get 30fps and med/med-high graphics at best.
  - cairo_x 10y ago
    waves a regal hand Why don't you simply buy a better machine? So... Let them eat cake? This is not an argument, it's obvious. Many of us are living on the edge as it is, and there are plenty of great games we can play, but games that are not fidelity backwards compatible lock out a class. This is not that big of a deal -- its not like they're uni-text books or anything -- but it's similar territory. It's an excuse to bump up the price with the added insult to injury that you can't even steal the game cause you plebs wouldn't even have the hardware.
    - Nadya 10y ago
      Unlike certain aspects of life where certain "necessities" end up costing more because they need to be purchased every so often and people who can afford to purchase in bulk or purchase higher quality end up spending less over time, entertainment is something which can be done on a budget. Option A: Year 1: Buy $400 machine Year 2: Buy a new $400 machine Year 3: Buy a new $400 machine Total Cost: $1,200 Option B: Year 1: Buy nothing Year 2: Buy nothing Year 3: Buy $1,200 machine that will last the next 4-6 years, effectively saving $1,600-$2,400 in the process. Total Cost: $1,200 I did Option B. Except it took four years - and it would have taken five years if I wasn't fortunate enough to get a better paying job during that time. Catch up on backlog of previous 2 years worth of games over time and, very likely, at a cheaper cost since they are now "dated" (saving even more money) Instant gratification is not necessary - and learning how to avoid it often leads to making better investments.
      - cairo_x 10y ago
        Wow. If only people knew. Just get a better job and save for four years. Goes back to my original point, doesn't it? You are essentially agreeing with me, because these are the exact measures most must go through -- only things don't always work out like that. Your computer breaks. You lose a job. You have to pay for other crap. Trade off after trade off for a game that cost the same as a big budget film. It's ludicrous.
        10y ago
zamalek 10y ago
> a new goddamned computer I haven't touched a single component in ~4 years and AAA games still work great on medium-high settings. Heck, despite tons of warnings from Oculus, the hardware also adequately drives a DK2 in less intensive apps. Are you referring to laptops? > not particularly inspiring I've almost given up on AAA games. I get almost everything off GoG these days because I've found that the price of a game is generally inversely proportional to the quality of the game. Get off the hype train, there are tons of very inspired titles out there (The Witness, Modded Minecraft, Undertale, Factorio, Dungeons 2, etc.). I only consider AAA tiles after they've lived up to critical and fan scrutiny for a least a month or two, additionally, I have to be specifically looking for a title that offers the "same shit, different day." CoD barely changes year-to-year but yet it sells like hotcakes. That's the market that AAA developers service, don't limit yourself to that market if you are finding that it's inadequate.
theandrewbailey 10y ago
> It seems like every time there's a new game I need a new goddamned computer. Shiny new games come out about every other week. A nice computer should play every one of them well for many years. > And then the game is like 90 bucks!? Where's the fun in that? 90 bucks? Do you live in Australia? (fair enough) Do you feel compelled to buy the collector's/deluxe edition of every game? (don't) Ever heard of Steam sales? Or indie games? Or Humble Bundles? Like zamalek said, ignore the hype and marketing. Get games after a year or so when the prices have come down. If said game is actually good, people will still be talking about it. > Imagine if films, or music, or books were like that? It's ludicrous. A good game is enjoyed for over 10 hours. A great one might be at least 50. Imagine listening or watching any other media for that long of a time. You'd likely be bored or insane. You can get ludicrous value per hour gaming very easily. > It's like a vomitorium of the senses, and a lot of it is not particularly inspiring. Indie games are maybe $20 each, and tend not to be your copy-paste $90 shooty-fest.
- Vaskivo 10y ago
  I have to reinforce something you said: > A good game _is enjoyed_ for over 10 hours. A great one might be at least 50. This is not about the game length/duration. It's its lasting appeal. The game I most consistently replay (and that I consider the best game ever) is the original Portal, a 4 hour game.
  - theandrewbailey 10y ago
    Yes, indeed. Portal is great. But when I wrote that, I was thinking more about open worlds and multiplayer games where game length is entirely irrelevant, and you can easily play hundreds of hours without realizing it.
    - Vaskivo 10y ago
      Open world is a mixed bag. Some of my favourite games are open world and I love exploring game worlds. But the current trend of making every single game open-world usually backfires. I'd reather have a carefully designed closed spaced with backtracking (Metal Gear Solid, Metroidvanias) that an open world with a dozen of hand-designed places. The biggest contrast I found was between Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. In the former you are contantly traversing the old places and trying out stuff with your new abilities. On the latter, you just fly in a straight line to your objective. AA is better at gauging your curiosity while in AC, you must actively explore stuff.
zanny 10y ago
The price of games is intentionally inflated. An IMAX ticket for many new releases is also a magnitude more expensive than seeing it at matinee or through rental or even cheaper when its on TV or Netflix later on. Most games go on Steam sale for $5 within 3 years of release. And even that is honestly still really inflated (after all, the real per unit cost of a game is $0, so its all pure profit anyway since people are willing to give away the game for free on torrent sites) but mobile demonstrates the real price floor for video games - the microtransaction whale market where you have to give it away for free and hope you have 1/100 customers actually pay money is fairly "real" in terms of pricing. Even for paid mobile games, if they have a PC port, it will be a third or less the price on Google Play than it was on Steam, not because of development costs but because the Steam userbase "expects" $15 purchases while mobile users won't pay more than $5.

by cairo_x 10y ago

Kristine1975 10y ago

>It seems like every time there's a new game I need a new goddamned computer That's what consoles are for :-) Edit: This isn't supposed to be a snarky "console masterrace" comment, but merely the observation that consoles have fixed specs and a life-cycle of five or more years where you can play current games without having to buy new hardware. (I don't even own any consoles, unless you count emulators.)

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
Nadya 10y ago
Or future-proofing your PC by not buying low/mid end parts. Spending an extra $400 when building so you can keep the PC for 4-6+ years instead of 1-2 years. If you don't mind playing games on "low/mid" console-equivalent graphics this isn't even necessary except for the most poorly optimized games. Unless you want to be playing the newest games on max/ultra settings and expect 60+fps at all times you will not need to buy new hardware or even the highest-end hardware at anywhere near that rate. Unless you're buying a $350 Facebook-browsing machine to game on the lowest settings - you will not need to upgrade every 1-2 years to run games. You lack the option to play the newest games at max/ultra settings at 60+ fps on consoles. Because the options simply don't exist and you can't update the hardware to allow for it. You get 30fps and med/med-high graphics at best.
- cairo_x 10y ago
  waves a regal hand Why don't you simply buy a better machine? So... Let them eat cake? This is not an argument, it's obvious. Many of us are living on the edge as it is, and there are plenty of great games we can play, but games that are not fidelity backwards compatible lock out a class. This is not that big of a deal -- its not like they're uni-text books or anything -- but it's similar territory. It's an excuse to bump up the price with the added insult to injury that you can't even steal the game cause you plebs wouldn't even have the hardware.
  - Nadya 10y ago
    Unlike certain aspects of life where certain "necessities" end up costing more because they need to be purchased every so often and people who can afford to purchase in bulk or purchase higher quality end up spending less over time, entertainment is something which can be done on a budget. Option A: Year 1: Buy $400 machine Year 2: Buy a new $400 machine Year 3: Buy a new $400 machine Total Cost: $1,200 Option B: Year 1: Buy nothing Year 2: Buy nothing Year 3: Buy $1,200 machine that will last the next 4-6 years, effectively saving $1,600-$2,400 in the process. Total Cost: $1,200 I did Option B. Except it took four years - and it would have taken five years if I wasn't fortunate enough to get a better paying job during that time. Catch up on backlog of previous 2 years worth of games over time and, very likely, at a cheaper cost since they are now "dated" (saving even more money) Instant gratification is not necessary - and learning how to avoid it often leads to making better investments.
    - cairo_x 10y ago
      Wow. If only people knew. Just get a better job and save for four years. Goes back to my original point, doesn't it? You are essentially agreeing with me, because these are the exact measures most must go through -- only things don't always work out like that. Your computer breaks. You lose a job. You have to pay for other crap. Trade off after trade off for a game that cost the same as a big budget film. It's ludicrous.
      - 10y ago

zamalek 10y ago

> a new goddamned computer I haven't touched a single component in ~4 years and AAA games still work great on medium-high settings. Heck, despite tons of warnings from Oculus, the hardware also adequately drives a DK2 in less intensive apps. Are you referring to laptops? > not particularly inspiring I've almost given up on AAA games. I get almost everything off GoG these days because I've found that the price of a game is generally inversely proportional to the quality of the game. Get off the hype train, there are tons of very inspired titles out there (The Witness, Modded Minecraft, Undertale, Factorio, Dungeons 2, etc.). I only consider AAA tiles after they've lived up to critical and fan scrutiny for a least a month or two, additionally, I have to be specifically looking for a title that offers the "same shit, different day." CoD barely changes year-to-year but yet it sells like hotcakes. That's the market that AAA developers service, don't limit yourself to that market if you are finding that it's inadequate.

theandrewbailey 10y ago

> It seems like every time there's a new game I need a new goddamned computer. Shiny new games come out about every other week. A nice computer should play every one of them well for many years. > And then the game is like 90 bucks!? Where's the fun in that? 90 bucks? Do you live in Australia? (fair enough) Do you feel compelled to buy the collector's/deluxe edition of every game? (don't) Ever heard of Steam sales? Or indie games? Or Humble Bundles? Like zamalek said, ignore the hype and marketing. Get games after a year or so when the prices have come down. If said game is actually good, people will still be talking about it. > Imagine if films, or music, or books were like that? It's ludicrous. A good game is enjoyed for over 10 hours. A great one might be at least 50. Imagine listening or watching any other media for that long of a time. You'd likely be bored or insane. You can get ludicrous value per hour gaming very easily. > It's like a vomitorium of the senses, and a lot of it is not particularly inspiring. Indie games are maybe $20 each, and tend not to be your copy-paste $90 shooty-fest.

Vaskivo 10y ago
I have to reinforce something you said: > A good game _is enjoyed_ for over 10 hours. A great one might be at least 50. This is not about the game length/duration. It's its lasting appeal. The game I most consistently replay (and that I consider the best game ever) is the original Portal, a 4 hour game.
- theandrewbailey 10y ago
  Yes, indeed. Portal is great. But when I wrote that, I was thinking more about open worlds and multiplayer games where game length is entirely irrelevant, and you can easily play hundreds of hours without realizing it.
  - Vaskivo 10y ago
    Open world is a mixed bag. Some of my favourite games are open world and I love exploring game worlds. But the current trend of making every single game open-world usually backfires. I'd reather have a carefully designed closed spaced with backtracking (Metal Gear Solid, Metroidvanias) that an open world with a dozen of hand-designed places. The biggest contrast I found was between Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. In the former you are contantly traversing the old places and trying out stuff with your new abilities. On the latter, you just fly in a straight line to your objective. AA is better at gauging your curiosity while in AC, you must actively explore stuff.

zanny 10y ago

The price of games is intentionally inflated. An IMAX ticket for many new releases is also a magnitude more expensive than seeing it at matinee or through rental or even cheaper when its on TV or Netflix later on. Most games go on Steam sale for $5 within 3 years of release. And even that is honestly still really inflated (after all, the real per unit cost of a game is $0, so its all pure profit anyway since people are willing to give away the game for free on torrent sites) but mobile demonstrates the real price floor for video games - the microtransaction whale market where you have to give it away for free and hope you have 1/100 customers actually pay money is fairly "real" in terms of pricing. Even for paid mobile games, if they have a PC port, it will be a third or less the price on Google Play than it was on Steam, not because of development costs but because the Steam userbase "expects" $15 purchases while mobile users won't pay more than $5.