Buying games just to buy them?

[Perturabo]

Does it happen to you, guys too? I just caught myself on thinking about buying TacOps despite that I didn't even finish all missions in the demo.

[IronManBeta]

Yes, I often buy games just to support the industry.  I look at them in detail but rarely actually play them out.

What a strange thing, but it is my money and my choice so what the heck!

Rob

[Phatguy]

I have bought some Matrix games that are still in the proverbial wrapper, just so I could support them

[JP Falcon the 2nd]

Guilty as charged, though I have cut back quite a bit over the past couple of years as there are at least 6 Matrix titles alone that I have not pulled the trigger on where in the past, I would....

[doomtrader]

Happens to me all the time!

[Lützow]

Happens every now and then to me. I'm already happy to get 1 hour entertainment per buck from a game and even the most thrilling titles can't hold my attention for longer than two weeks.

What still intrigues me into this hobby is figuring out how a game works. Once I discovered it's secrets, I consider the game as beated and lose interest. Other than that I rather spend my leisure time with reading books.

[GaryChildress]

I bought WitP/AE knowing full well it was too complicated for me. But I like being able to say I own it. It's like owning a Mercedes Benz. Plus I do a little modding of the graphics from time to time so it isn't a complete waste.

[Hertston]

Not often these days. I think the last one I bought just to 'support the developer' was Tidalis (from the guy who did AI War) and that was so good I ended up playing it lots anyway. Just bought a couple of indies from GG as they and the devs were giving all the receipts to the Japanese Red Cross.

I've bought a fair few from Matrix I haven't played much, but I think I always intended to play them! Likewise when I tend to go beserk around Steam and GG sale time.. I do MEAN to play them, but there's an awful lot I haven't got around to yet.

[Vasquez]

Yes. Unfortunately there is so less free time for all those games. Ive still not touched WitP:AE and WiTE yet [:(]

[vonRocko]

Yes, I'm guilty also.[:'(] Always searching for the "Holy Grail" of games! A noble quest indeed![:D]

[E]

I've unintentionally become more of a collector than a player. In very few cases did I buy a game just to support the genre.  I have games I bought in the 80's I'm still "going to get to!" (hence my loathing for any games that I can't play after the developers and/or publisher have disappeared)

[Greybriar]

ORIGINAL: E

I've unintentionally become more of a collector than a player. In very few cases did I buy a game just to support the genre.  I have games I bought in the 80's I'm still "going to get to!" (hence my loathing for any games that I can't play after the developers and/or publisher have disappeared)

+1 I can relate to that.

[rhondabrwn]

Me too... but I've cut back a lot lately. Not enough years of life left to even fantasize that I might one day master a beast like WiTE [:D]

[Chris Bisson]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

Me too... but I've cut back a lot lately. Not enough years of life left to even fantasize that I might one day master a beast like WiTE [:D]

Oh, but think of all the fun you will have trying to....[;)]

[SlickWilhelm]

Yep, me too. I believe it's my civic duty to support as many wargame developers as I can afford to support. At least the ones that make really interesting games. I know I won't end up finishing all of them, but I do play all of them to some degree.

Sometimes I'll buy a game just because I like the time period it covers(Revolutions Under Siege) or because it has a really beautiful map or user interface(Decisive Campaigns:WtP).

Typically, I end up buying a game that looks good, and then don't get around to playing it.  Forge of Freedom was a great example. I didn't sit down to learn how to play it until a good two years after its release. Glad I did, though. What an outstanding game that is!

[Perturabo]

I think I'm a collector and a shopping addict - it's like that the idea of not buying games (for example the "why buy it if it's available to download for free crowd") that some people have is completely alien to me. I often buy stuff like games and music when I'm sick of everything and I need to rest somehow.

Generally, there's something magical about original games/music to me. It's not just a question of supporting the devs/musicians, but about having a box, a manual, etc.
When I was a kid, I had Commodore 64. All the original games that were in stores were cheap games without paper boxes - just a cassette in a plastic case with an inlay. Worse, games from more ambitious genres were available only from pirates on compilation cassettes which often had only single missions. The originals that were available were almost exclusively horrible platformers and shooters. There was only one simulator available - Spitfire 40 and only one wargame - Bismarck.

I remember that one of my friends from primary school had original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for C64 which he probably got from family in Germany. It was something extraordinary because it was in a cartboard box instead of a plastic case and had a manual booklet.

One thing that I dislike about the times of digital downloads is that games, especially wargames became much less atractive as collector's items. Soulless plastic cases, tiny manuals or no printed manuals. One thing that made me decide to not buy TacOps was that it would be just a download of a game that I wouldn't play much. My decision would probably be different if it would be like the original games of 80s and 90s which were also attractive collectors items.

Most of money that I spend on gaming nowadays is spent on vintage games not on new games. I think I've spent about 15$ on new games and over 250$ on vintage games during last 2 years.

[Anthropoid]

Not often, but yeah, I've done it with both Matrix, AGEOD and Paradox.

RUS, WITPAE, Distant Worlds, Victoria2, Horse & Musket, Fredrick the Great, Arsenal of Democracy are examples. With exception of RUS I _have_ played all of them for at least a few hours, maybe as much as 10 hours. I figure eventually maybe the itch to really get into any one of them might hit me, and I'll patch them up to the latest version and give 'em a real whirl.

But yeah, compared to the literally HUNDREDS and even in some cases thousands of hours I've spent on other games (Civ3, Oblivion, Forge of Freedom, Crown of Glory, TOAWIII, Victoria, EU3, WITP) some of my most recent purchases do seem to amount to having bought them just to support the publisher.

What happens with Skyrim will more or less be the deciding factor for me as to whether I remain a loyal fan of Bethesda. But with respect to those other publishers, at this point, I'd hate to see any of them go out of business, so I'm happy to spend a hundred bucks or so a year on games that I may not actually play much at all, and do my little part to keep them going.

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: RobertCrandall

Yes, I often buy games just to support the industry ...

Although I'm not that altruistic, I did buy BftB at top dollar as payback for all the enjoyment I got from HttR.

HttR is the end result of what was Red Devils over Arnhem and I'm sure many AA engine players paid the price for the RDoA protoype while I just bought the finished product.

Of course, it didn't hurt that BftB won an award for its AI.