The Pay to Play Initiative

[DDTM Admin]

A pitched battle rages in the video game world with two sides competing for our hard earned cash. It started, to the best of my knowledge, with Mass Effect 2 and the Cerberus Network. It continued first with the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 VIP Network and more recently with the announcement of the EA Sports Online Pass. EA Games have thrown down the gauntlet. All that remains to be seen is when (and how) used game retailers will accept the challenge.

I refer to all the above programs (Cerberus, VIP, Online Pass) as parts of the "Pay to Play" mentality so recently shown by EA Games. Up till now, it's seemed fairly harmless. You buy a brand new game and are rewarded with a code that gives you in-game content for free. Buy it used, and you have to pay for the code yourself ($10.00, usually). If you look at it objectively, it's honestly an ingenious way of convincing gamers to buy new rather than used. The problem lies in the fact that gamers, as a whole, are anything but objective. We get passionately involved in our hobby and take grievous offense to what we view as attempts to squeeze yet more money out of us. That brings me to EA's latest "Pay to Play" scheme which mentioned earlier, the EA Sports Online Pass.

This is the part that I think is going to infuriate so many sports gamers. The EA Sports Online Pass works almost exactly like previous EA initiatives except for one large difference: possession of a code doesn't just entitle you to bonus content; it also allows you access to the online portion of EA sports games. Yeah, you read that right. In the very near future, if you don't buy an EA Sports title new then you're going to have to pay up to play online. These codes are one-use only, so once a game has been purchased and that code entered, the code will not work again. Gamers who choose to purchase an EA Sports game used will have to either pay $10 in the brick-and-mortar store for an Online Pass card or purchase a pass directly from their console.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will be the first game to receive the dubious honor of carrying an EA Sports Online Pass inside it's plastic case. All EA Sports games that come after it will also come with Online Pass code cards. I'm not going to argue that this isn't an effective way to combat used game sales. I am going to argue, however, that this policy is effectively punishing the consumer right along with used game retailers. Is it the fault of the "budget gamer" that they can't or won't pay the $60 price tag attached to most new games? Of course not, and yet it's those gamers who are going to feel the brunt of this. We as gamers realize that companies like EA are losing piles of possible revenue when games are purchased used rather than new. Still, is this the only way to fix the problem?

I'll close with a quote from Andrew Wilson, senior vice president of worldwide development for EA Sports. As you read it, ask yourself if this sounds reasonable to you. Should we be paying EA for use of their online services when some of us are already paying a fee just to take our consoles online?

“In order to continue to enhance the online experiences that are attracting nearly five million connected game sessions a day, again, we think it’s fair to get paid for the services we provide and to reserve these online services for people who pay EA to access them,” *

*credit for the quote goes to the EA Sports website and gameinformer.com .

[Transience8985]

Said the man who's quoted as saying that reviews are bullshit and meaningless.

[Irishbrewed]

Deadly Premonition Review
Horrific.
February 22, 2010
by Erik Brudvig


Deadly Premonition is the definition of a system seller. Once you play it, you'll want to go sell your system. That may seem like a harsh statement, but it's been a long time since I've played any boxed retail game on any system that feels this amateurish.

[Transience8985]

*awaits pistol whipping*

[Transience8985]

Deadly Premonition has no DLC. Deadly Premonition is only $20. Deadly Premonition loves you.

[RED RING]

RAAAAAGRLENARGLERAAAAAAAAAHHHH!

[Irishbrewed]

awaits Nerd Rage....

[RED RING]

I don't matter? But..............

On topic: Meh, whatever. The industry is going down a road of "How much can we get". Ultimately it is up to us to tell them. Much like avatar clothing, I can't force you guys to see how ridiculous it is and make you stop. Therefore there is no end in sight on how much we will pay. Although there will be an end to how much I pay.

[Irishbrewed]

"OOOOOOOOH SHIT! I KNOW THIS NIGGARD AUNT GRAN TRY TA WALK!! DAT CHICKASAW CRIPPLE SON!

Spell checked, first suggested word...

[Irishbrewed]

Toy Soldiers is a damn good tower defense game ass hat, not the DLC i am referring to. I have no problem with downloadable $15 games that are just as enjoyable and long as $60/$10/$10 games.... I think this should be the only form of DLC, I just think as I have said before that paying 60bucks for a game should warrant you the DLC as well....

[Transience8985]

Baaaaaa?