Why do we not play new games anymore

[DieGrootHammer]

The recent MyGaming GOTY votes and nominations threads made one thing apparent; there are not a lot of people that play the latest games as they come out anymore. And I wondered, why? Why is that? Why is it that we, the elite members of the gaming world, do not stay up to date with the latest releases, having discussions and plays of the latest games together.

I have a few theories...

Theory 1: New games are too expensive
If you look at the latest games released this year, almost none of them released for less than R900 retail or digital. Most games are well over R1000 actually. And the reality is, that's just too expensive! We just don't have that kind of money to just drop on new games. Our buying power due to the weak Rand has dropped significantly in the recent years. And lets be honest, between Steam sales, Humble bundles, Xbox GWG, PSN games and a whole host of other options, why would we buy games at full retail.

Theory 2: Broken new game PTSD
How many times have you bought a game only to find out that it simply isn't working at launch? Too many I would say. It's almost like we gamers have developed PTSD of too many broken games at launch, and more and more people are just waiting for the game to become more stable. A couple of patches and updates later, the game works better and we decide to go back into it.

Theory 3: New games can be shit
Following on the previous theory, more and more people are waiting for reviews to come out before jumping into new games. And while this year has been one of the best for gaming, there sure has been a fair share of turds being dropped as new games. We just don't trust certain studios (cough EA cough) anymore, so would much rather wait for reviews or even sales.

Theory 4: We have too many games already
Go look at your backlog of games. We all have a gargantuan backlog of games to get through. Games we bought because "one day we will play it", only for it to sit in your library, silently judging you for buying more and more games. Looking at any backlog does take the motivation away from any gamer to buy new games.

So, what's your reason for not buying new games? Can I redirect you to the r/patientgamers subreddit?

 

[Dohc-WP]

Theory 1: New games are too expensive

i normally wait and get the games for alot cheaper a year later, case in point this year i picked up recore and Forza horizon 3 for peanuts compared to their launch prices last year.

 

[czc]

Probably a combination of Theory 1 & Theory 4

With so many games why get more at full price. Its an unending circle.

Added to that I don’t think many games actually add anything new to the pot. So its even less of a motivation to get a new game hot off the compiler. For what extra 10% prettier graphics?

 

[TechThief]

Theory 1 & 2

An example, my friends baught bf4 premium when it launched, for i can't remember how much, meanwhile i waited and got all the dlc for free (i believe it was last year)
It is much better to just wait for the games to become cheaper, and in that time you wait chances are a few bugs will get fixed, in multiplayer some cheater will get banned and servers have a chance to stabilize, just look at diablo 3 few years after release and it is a much better game and cheaper think i got both original game and expansion for like 250-350 or something along those lines.

And it is also good to wait since it allowes you to work on your backlog, and before you know it that "new" game is much more affordable and even a bit better now

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[czc]

An example from the mygames. The only reason 2016 is on there is because I used the official release date of Grim Dawn.

 

[mottamort]

An example from the mygames. The only reason 2016 is on there is because I used the official release date of Grim Dawn.

View attachment 25359

Not entirely sure these statistics are so relevant, since a driving factor for quite some people was "do enough people own this game, or failing that, can grab it easy". The latest AAA title would make for a terrible MyGame

Also your horizontal graph isnt in any particular order o_0

 

[Ser_Bunnylot]

We're spoiled for choice.

For me it's combination of theory 3 and 4. I'm limited by time more than anything and with the huge selection of games available I can afford to be very picky. Just so happens that slightly older games have more polish and less bullsh!t with season passes, dlc's, etc.

 

[bradbear117]

new games are too expensive and I have a massive backlog. Im still playing ps2 and gamecube games that I missed from back in the day.
I actually almost playretro exclusively at this point.

 

[Tjitah]

Theory 1 by a long shot. New games are just ridiculously priced. Add Season Passes, DLC, and all other kinds of gimmickry then it gets absurd. I wait 2 years for the "Game of the Year" version, which includes everything for under R200.

Then theory 4. I have 250 games on Steam. My average game completion time is 2 months. It will take me 42 years to finish what I have and I'm in my 50's. In other words, I will be in my 90's when I've finally finished them all. Do I really need to pay top dollar to add to that?

Then theory 2 and 3 together. Because of all the pre-ordering, developers have lost the incentive to release finished games. Publishing companies are also rushing developers to get products out so they can get more money in quickly. I'm so glad Steam is giving refund option nowadays, so that we at least have some way to show our displeasure where it hurts. I made use of the refund option for the first time ever in Steam's recent autumn sale and it works really well.

 

[DarthMol]

For me it is a combination of reason 1 and 4. I have plenty games in my backlog and the list of games seems to grow faster than I can play them.

Secondly, new game prices are way out of my budget, why pay R800-R1000 now when you know that there will be a special coming along soon. The only new releases that I bought at full price this year was PUBG @ R319. Last year my full price purchases were Factorio @ R220 and Overwatch @ $40. If games were released at a lower price point I would be more likely to get them at release (especially MP games).

The thing is, I've bought games (at a discount) only to not have played it yet when it goes on sale for an even deeper discount. I normally find myself sticking to bundles these days.

 

[ViperGTI]

For me it is theory 4 BECAUSE of theory 1.
I look at the price of a new game I want and think, nah... got too many games already . If the games were cheaper, I might have gotten it and put it on my to-do list or even play it immediately if I felt like it.

Another reason as well would be because the games are "incomplete". If I see a game and a season pass for the game, I'm already out. Then I rather wait until all the DLC has been released or wait for a cheaper goty or complete edition or massive special where I can buy both for around 50% of the original base game's price. It is why I didn't buy the new Wolfenstein during the previous sale.

 

[PsychoFish]

All of the above.

New games are too expensive : BF1 - R949.95; SWBF2 R1,149.95; Halo Wars 2 R999

I just end up waiting for a Steam sale or some other form of discount and then I buy what I want for 80+% less than the launch price.

Broken new game PTSD & New games can be shit :
I'm super weary of a specific big publisher (EA), but the shenanigans doesn't begin and end with them. New titles in established franchises from certain studios/publishers just seem like a huge money grab most of the time. New IP is also a minefield. Plus you can't trust most of the reviewers either, as everything is rated 7-9/10 with "Excellent", "Fantastic" and "Outstanding" as the taglines. I mean even SWBF2 got a "A spectacular, occasionally very fun tour of Star Wars battles" and ME:A gets a "this vast new sci-fi frontier rewards dedicated exploration". WTF, I'm currently playing ME:A (it's on Orgin Access, since I won't pay "one million dollars" for it) and I'm frustrated by the lack of polish in the title. It's Mass Effect minus an epic story, minus Shepard, minus decent acting or voice actors lathered with mediocre everything.

We have too many games already : You can never have enough he says with 27 unplayed titles just in his Steam library. Maybe one day I'll get into Dragon Age (which by the way I just cannot seem to get into at all)

 

[ArchieChoke]

Personally it's all the burns from Ea, ubisoft with their games either half done, not working,buggy or just frustrating to play. When it comes to new multi player,I look to see if there are local servers otherwise I just completely ignore the game.

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[Werfetter]

For me, all of those have an impact on why I decided not to buy a game when it launches. Some games I just don't buy because there is no way I am spending R1000 on "Generic shooter X", or I just wont buy anything by certain publishers (cough EA cough). In other cases I look at a game and my library and look at the amount of similar games I havent played in there and decide to let it go. And then there is purely just time.

One reason I might add is, "Is this just another rehash (read money cow) of the previous version of this game or other similar games?"

That does not mean I won't consider paying R1k for a game if it really has my attention though...

 

[HavocXphere]

On an oldish laptop so can't play the latest and greatest. I'll probably get a new laptop/desktop in time for cyberpunk77.

Theory 1: New games are too expensive

Depends on the target market. Don't think it's a big deal for people already earning.

Theory 2: Broken new game PTSD

Not me, but perhaps I'm not scared because I never bought latest anyway

Theory 3: New games can be shit

Yeah waiting a bit is a no-brainer unless it's a multiplayer game

Theory 4: We have too many games already

True true

 

[FarligOpptreden]

Maybe one day I'll get into Dragon Age (which by the way I just cannot seem to get into at all)

I thought it's just me. I've played around 2-3 hours of Origins and Inquisition and didn't enjoy either of them. I honestly wish I did, because they're apparently great games.

 

[FarligOpptreden]

Depends on the target market. Don't think it's a big deal for people already earning.

Even though I'm earning a fairly decent living, I seldom (if ever) justify buying a game at full price. Maybe it's because I don't play multiplayer games and can afford to wait a couple of months for the release-hype to die down and the game to be available at a discounted price?

Not me, but perhaps I'm not scared because I never bought latest anyway

Same here. Refer to my comment above.

Yeah waiting a bit is a no-brainer unless it's a multiplayer game

That's pretty much why I wait for games - I don't play multiplayer games. Guess I'm stuck in the olden days of singleplayer gaming. When I do get around to playing games with a multiplayer component (like Diablo 3 or Forza Horizon 3) I can do so without it affecting my enjoyment of the title.

 

[HavocXphere]

Even though I'm earning a fairly decent living, I seldom (if ever) justify buying a game at full price.

I guess it's a case of whether one can afford it vs being cost conscious.

Most earning reasonably well *could* buy them at current prices I think even though they don't. That's why I'm saying affordability is probably not the main issue for that demographic.

There is just no real incentive to do so

 

[FarligOpptreden]

I guess it's a case of whether one can afford it vs being cost conscious.

Most earning reasonably well *could* buy them at current prices I think even though they don't. That's why I'm saying affordability is probably not the main issue for that demographic.

There is just no real incentive to do so

I understand where you're coming from. I can afford a lot of things if I really wanted to spend the money, but I don't. My biggest purchase is probably our house (which is still bonded, obviously) and we're planning on doing some extensions on it next year - enough to add a bit more space (and a room or two), but not enough to over-capitalise versus the surrounding houses. I have no issue spending money on the house, but games I find hard to justify...