Once in a while, there comes a game that is awesome. The concept is beautiful, the idea is solid, and the overall presentation seems awesome. The day finally comes when the game is supposed to be released, and you log on and find out that the title is blocked in your region. Another situation that dictates this problem is when you buy a game from your local games shop and find out the developer has blocked it. At these times, it sucks to be a budget gamer and with the wave of new consoles coming, unblocked games are restricted to newly bought titles. So here are some of the reasons why developers should stop blocking their own games.
10. It provides more positive press
The thing about this generation of games is that companies are constantly trying to find new ways to make people buy new. Of course, that’s alright because that’s just another feasible method of making money. However, it’s the gamers that suffer, and inversely, the titles that are mediocre never get picked up brand new. Letting gamers pick up used games spread the word about quality.
9. It will marginally lessen piracy
Okay, so while piracy is a huge problem and it won’t be solved in one fell swoop, unblocking games will at least help stem a bit of the tide. In fact, some pirates actually encourage buying new through a little reminder on their programs. If used games were unblocked, more people will be likely to spend a bit more money on your product, making the number of illegal downloads a little lower.
8. It won’t hurt the number of new sales
Contrary to what most big companies believe, new games sales will not suffer just because they opt to let used game buyers play their product. Those massive lines that form with each new major release aren’t likely to dissipate just because people have the option of waiting it out. They already have that option; they just have to wait until a game is cheaper.
7. You make your fan base bigger
While this isn’t strictly about used games, it still somewhat applicable to the whole of the problem. You see, a lot of MMOs are still region locked, and more than a few of them have a lot more potential overseas than developers think. Two great examples are Blade and Soul and Dungeon Fighter online, which are both locked onto their own regions.
6. Blocking games doesn’t prove loyalty to those that buy new
That’s right, when games are blocked, that doesn’t mean that a company is loyal to those that buy brand new. The biggest offenders of blocking are often the companies that peddle out tons of DLC and sadly a lot of that stuff turn buyers off to buying new. After all, why would they buy a new title if it’s inevitably incomplete?
5. Consoles will become much less popular
The great thing about consoles is that they are compact and easier to understand than PCs are. This is why there’s a ton of people who favor these little machines over those hulking machines. Making it impossible for people to share games will surely drop the popularity that consoles have because that’s a part of what makes them such awesome machines.
4. New games should be worth a person’s money
Probably the biggest fear that publishers have when it comes to used games is the possibility that they will lose out on cash. That’s completely understandable because new games are expensive to make, and new games have to match the price. A simple, but unsure solution to this issue is to make sure each game is worth it before they are released. People like to buy stuff that’s worth their money, and the quality shines in a game. The chances are good that new buyers will be willing to spend more money for quality games.
3. Blocking titles won’t get rid of any problems
Remember when you could borrow a friend’s copy of a game like Final Fantasy 7 and just pop it into the console? Those were the days when anyone could enjoy a game just as long as they have the same platform to play on, and it wasn’t stopping anyone from buying new. Even now, gamers still find ways to share their games, one way or the other, and if the console itself blocks used games, they’ll find another way to play your game. In fact, this disadvantage falls deeply into the next one because…
2. This will probably double your number of issues
Pirates are very adaptable people, and if you think otherwise, just check out the sheer number of loopholes they’ve found for every console. At first, people thought that the PS3 was impregnable, but eventually the OS was leaked and all manner of pirates found ways to exploit the console. Fast forward to a few years later, and you find that the problem hasn’t been lessened and almost every title in the PS3’s library has been hacked and distributed.
1. Companies drive away potential buyers
There’s nothing a devoted gamer hates more than a company that treats its fan base like they’re cattle. As if they are expendable numbers and each experiment they come out with is the new thing. Quite frankly, gamers are not dumb and they know what a scam is when they see one. Unfortunately, the sheer number of people willing to buy major games is still staggering. However, that doesn’t mean people won’t wise up to the act.
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