Topic: Oh, GameStop. You do make me laugh.

[Halbred]

http://kotaku.com/5403736/gamestop-to-sell-dlcin-their-stores

BRILLIANT. Let's ADD a step to the process of getting DLC. Do I sense an air of desperation?

[vudu]

There's a lot of kids out there without credit cards.  There are even more out there who don't know the DLC exists unless they see it in a store.

Seems perfectly fine to me.  Just because you're not the target audience doesn't mean one doesn't exist.

Also, your topic title doesn't give a good idea of the contents of the thread.  That's a no-no.

From Zach: Oh, please. It actually made me laugh, Vudu.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I say Nintendo should get in on this too. You know how GS employees are pre-order nazis and try and push a presale down your throat at every possible opportunity? Imagine if they had incentive to push DLC and/or PSN/XBLA/WiiWare/VC games too.

It would only take getting someone on there once or twice for them to discover the store and search it for themselves, but if GS can get them to get on there initially, then it a big win in the long run for all console manufacturers and all the struggling publisher/developers.

My only question is how exactly does it work?
You buy it at GS, they give you a D/L code
you go online and enter it?
or
you buy it from GS, they give you a points card &
then tell you how to find it in the online store
then you go and D/L it yourself?

[broodwars]

I also don't have a problem with this, as it mainly just serves to let kids who don't have credit cards purchase DLC.  For that matter, if I'm guessing right you could also use Gamestop trade-in credit to purchase DLC.  Not a bad option, all things considered.

[vudu]

My only question is how exactly does it work?
You buy it at GS, they give you a D/L code
you go online and enter it?

Probably this one.    GameStop already sells regular points cards for Wii, 360 and PS3.

[rbtr]

This is new

We've doing this at best buy for quite some time now.  Selling the DLC for GTA4 and giving you a DVD case and everything.  It was just a download code.  We are also selling some cards to get games for the PSPgo.  This is gonna happen so you have something to wrap on Christmas.  You can't wrap DLC, but you can if it's physical.  As cool as it is for a friend to send me a gift through steam, I'd much rather have the same friend buy me a physical copy.  It means more effort on their part.

[Plugabugz]

There's a lot of kids out there without credit cards. 

Prepaid debit cards are very easy to get hold of here (and aren't age limited as there's no debt facility) so i don't see how this is even a problem.

[Guitar Smasher]

It's quite clear what the point is:  GameStop gets to sell product that they weren't able to before, and Sony/Microsoft/Publishers get actual salespeople to push the product.

The industry is trying to force DLC onto consumers, as I'm sure Malstrom will comment.

[KDR_11k]

There's a lot of kids out there without credit cards.  There are even more out there who don't know the DLC exists unless they see it in a store.

They sell points cards in stores that you can use instead of a credit card. Sure, most stores overcharge for those but would the situation with DLC really differ?

[that Baby guy]

PSN, Xbox Live, and Nintendo Shopping Channel all use points cards in the store, right?

I'd think a better alternative is to sell "Installable" DLC in the store, perhaps even be able to press the discs as they are ordered.  That way the consumer would actually buy something that isn't available in virtually the same way they're already buying it.  I wouldn't see a problem with an idea like this, but it would mean that GameStop would actually have to provide a useful service.  I know, I know, that only comes along with managers and employees that take a risk and defy the system.

[vudu]

They sell points cards in stores that you can use instead of a credit card. Sure, most stores overcharge for those but would the situation with DLC really differ?

If all I want is a $10 game why should I be forced to spend $20 on a points card?

[vudu]

Here's something I just thought of--I wonder if GameStop is going to sell add-on packs for retail games (e.g. the extra missions for Fallout 3) or just stand-alone games (e.g. Shadow Complex).

Extra content for retail goes against one of GameStop's core principles--used games.  Someone who purchases additional content is less likely to sell the retail game back to GameStop when they're done with it.  Say goodbye to huge margins!

[that Baby guy]

They sell points cards in stores that you can use instead of a credit card. Sure, most stores overcharge for those but would the situation with DLC really differ?

If all I want is a $10 game why should I be forced to spend $20 on a points card?

Isn't this another reason why this makes no financial sense for the industry?  You add in a dose of convenience, while adding in an extra step to allow the consumer to acquire the merchandise, and in the end, you receive lower revenue.

While the idea you're purporting isn't wrong, some consumers just want to pay for what they want and not a penny more, this hurts the bottom line, probably in numerical value just significant enough to balance out the program, making it a relatively worthless venture all together, right?

Like I said, if it eliminated the need for the internet, that would be one thing, but it doesn't.  It just adds in a step.  For what?  So trade-in credit can be used to buy downloadable games?  Couldn't you already spend that money on points cards, anyways?

The best conclusion I can come up with is that this will give the games "shelf-space" for the additional cost of adding a middle-man.  That's something I don't know the value of, but it's the only advantage I find tangible that isn't negated by the service's short-comings.  While you can often give points cards or even gift Wii games to gamers, this actually represents something you can hold and see, like a normal retail game, and even can attract new customers to the product.  I suppose I'll concede that given this concept, it could work out, particularly if the shelf-space given is considerable enough to attract customers to the section of games.  We'll just have to see how the maneuver is executed, but it could definitely help some developers market to the less-informed.

[KDR_11k]

They sell points cards in stores that you can use instead of a credit card. Sure, most stores overcharge for those but would the situation with DLC really differ?

If all I want is a $10 game why should I be forced to spend $20 on a points card?

I don't know about Sony but MS and Nintendo offer a 10€ size (800 and 1000 points respectively), the other sizes are for MS 20 (1600), 25 (2100) and 50 (4200), for Nintendo 20 and 30 (2000 and 3000).

Here's something I just thought of--I wonder if GameStop is going to sell add-on packs for retail games (e.g. the extra missions for Fallout 3) or just stand-alone games (e.g. Shadow Complex).

Extra content for retail goes against one of GameStop's core principles--used games.  Someone who purchases additional content is less likely to sell the retail game back to GameStop when they're done with it.  Say goodbye to huge margins!

Eh, no. they'll burn through that extra content as well and then sell it back. Or maybe even earlier, maybe they don't even buy DLC. People will sell their games when the money is more valuable than continued possession of the game.

[EasyCure]

There's a lot of kids out there without credit cards. 

Prepaid debit cards are very easy to get hold of here (and aren't age limited as there's no debt facility) so i don't see how this is even a problem.

This.

Last time I was at my local Best Buy, they actually had a machine in the middle of the sales floor that spit out a pre-paid debit card. Go thru the menus, select the amount you want on the card, put you cash in and you're done.
A 10 year old can go do it, put his allowance in and get a lil debit card to take home and use to become a member to pr0n sites purchase some dlc without having to beg his parents for their credit card.

Once that money is spent, you can go back, pop your new card in and refill your balance whenever you please. I haven't tried it yet but i'm sure its much easier than otherways to acquire similar pre-paid cards (having to call in to activate and horror stories i've heard of mney missing.. etc).

[smallsharkbigbite]

That Guy.  The best conclusion is this is an ad campaign.  Sure, their revenue/per will be lower, but they are hoping they make it up with the increased sales of those that aren't as informed as the average gamer that visits websites.  Accessibility often = more sales. 

It also makes me think they are using this to get people into DLC.  Then once you have people downloading, they hope that you take advantage of the fact that I can say, boot up my Wii and just buy $10 on the Wii channel versus going to GameSpot and paying $10 for a game.  This is more of a trial period than the way things will always be distributed going forward. 

[TJ Spyke]

Why are people complaining? As others have said, this has been going on for some time already (specifically Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned, and several PSP games like LocoRoco 2). Yes it would make more sense if you were actually getting the content on the disc (so that people without Internet access could get the DLC), but so what?

KDR, the lowest Wii Points you can buy is 1000 Wii Points (and that's if you buy using the Wii Shop Channel). I have 300 points, if I want to buy anthing other than a N64 game or some WiiWare games, I have to buy at least $10 worth of points. If I want to buy a SNES game, I can't buy 500 Wii Points. For people who don't have a credit or debit card, it's even worse since the lowest Wii Points card is 2000. So if that person wants to download a Virtual Console or WiiWare game, they have to buy at least $20 worth of points.

[Morari]

Why are people complaining?

Because DLC is a scam, and then is even worse? I recall when developers released massive, game-altering patches, and huge content packs for free. The only thing that ever justified a price tag post-release were hefty expansion packs. The core concept of DLC is good, but the execution is almost always painfully bad.

[TJ Spyke]

You can't say DLC is a scam, all you can say is that SOME companies do scams (like EA Sports charging money for uniforms in the Madden games). DLC in general is a good idea since it allows for companies to continue expanding a game long after it comes out by doing stuff like adding new multiplayer maps and weapons. I don't want console games to put up with the crap that PC games do (like needing patches the same day the game releases because the developers did a shitty job of testing the game while developing it). You seem to think that most DLC is bad, it's the other way around. The vast majority are good, it's only a few that are bad (the first one that I remember being on consoles was when Bethesda Softworks had the balls to charge $2 for horse armor).

[King of Twitch]

As people demand bigger and bigger hard drives to get new DLC, and as costs and risk rise, aren't developers more likely to push games out as soon as possible?

[KDR_11k]

Why are people complaining? As others have said, this has been going on for some time already (specifically Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned, and several PSP games like LocoRoco 2). Yes it would make more sense if you were actually getting the content on the disc (so that people without Internet access could get the DLC), but so what?

KDR, the lowest Wii Points you can buy is 1000 Wii Points (and that's if you buy using the Wii Shop Channel). I have 300 points, if I want to buy anthing other than a N64 game or some WiiWare games, I have to buy at least $10 worth of points. If I want to buy a SNES game, I can't buy 500 Wii Points. For people who don't have a credit or debit card, it's even worse since the lowest Wii Points card is 2000. So if that person wants to download a Virtual Console or WiiWare game, they have to buy at least $20 worth of points.

They've got 1000 and 3000 cards here. The harder part is finding them without paying more than they're worth. Anyway, I don't thnk overpaying by a few Euros is that severe (and if I'm just 100 points short I'll use the stars catalogue), they're not going to disappear so the next time you'll buy something they're still there.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Solution: Don't buy DLC you don't want.

[KDR_11k]

Solution: Play PC, get free DLC.

[Morari]

I don't want console games to put up with the crap that PC games do (like needing patches the same day the game releases because the developers did a shitty job of testing the game while developing it)

Plenty of your console games receive quick patches as well, which is even sadder when you consider they only have one hardware setup to test for. But I do hate all that crap that I have to put up with on the PC as well. I mean, why can't all developers shoehorn their games into a console-like state? I hate having to take the time to customize my controls and look through free, user-created content years after a game is released.

Seriously though, the majority of DLC is nothing more than developer greed. I think back to games like Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament. Both were supported for years and years after release. They both saw multiple content packs released along with more traditional patches for bugfixes and balancing. This was all released for free, but the developers knew that such longevity would sell more games... they didn't need to make money off of the additional content. Of course, let's not forget the hundreds of pieces of user-created content as well. Everything from maps and characters to full conversion mods. Many of which were of professional quality. I'm sorry, but DLC just doesn't work. If it's large enough and game-altering enough to justify a pricetag, it should be an expansion pack. Otherwise, it should just be a nice bonus included with the latest patch.

I recall reading an interview with the guys from Valve not too long ago. They were speaking of the updating process for Team Fortress 2. Basically, each class has steadily recieved their own update, including new weapons, outfits, skills, maps, etc. These are pretty important, as they totally change the game and add loads of new content. These are released for free, and have been since the game was released. Apparently, every time one of these are released, sales for the game itself spike and the community sees an inlufx of new players. Valve doesn't need to charge for the new content, because people see the value in the original product itself and purchase it. Likewise, if you look back at Unreal Tournament 3, it wasn't very well accepted. Not too long ago however, epic released a rather large addon patch, for free, that was basically the size and scope of an expansion pack. The game began selling better than ever and now, all of a sudden, UT3 has a thriving community. That kind of long term value is what developers should be looking at, not how to nickel and dime fans mere days after release by seeling them **** that was intentionally left out.

[KDR_11k]

Isn't pillage and burn the modus operandi for most of the game industry? Shove the product out with tons of hype, sell a lot within the first week, have it hit the bargain bin within 5 months. For each new idea do that as often as you can until the new idea is too exploited to have any value left, then frantically scramble for the next idea. Very few companies try to have their games sell even long after their release or value their series enough to be responsible with releasing sequels. Activision has already assigned another team to making CoD sequels, how long until that franchise is exhausted? Music games are already hitting exhaustion after being exploited so heavily. Responsible sequelization allows a series to persist over decades, overexploitation often leaves the series dead after one console generation.