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It's been a while since I did my last rants, mainly because we were very busy launching MorrowindDot and I had a load of administration going on. Our efforts to find reliable editors for the main site failed miserably once again *g*, so news posting is stll my favorite pasttime. Sometimes that sucks, especially when you have so little time left to play games. I got myself Might & Magic 9 yesterday, and I was able to spend app. 1 hour to get a taste of what is in there (no official comments from me so far, that would be unfair), and I am still waiting for the preview copy of Morrowind. Dungeon Siege is out today, but certainly not where I live, so this is another waiting game for me. Moriendor is the lucky guy who got the preview copy for RPGDot, but since it only arrived yesterday, you'll have to wait some time before you can read his review.
I am not suprised at all to see how many recations our newsbit about the poor standard of most european game packages received. It is really a shame to see how we get ripped off by some distributors. Now, I fully understand the trend to just do small boxes for games, it is a question of how much space you get in an outlet, but I certainly have no understanding at all for games that come with no handbook at all - not if they are new releases. It's ok for me to get a game in the bargain bin (like Anachronox) with a reduced manual, but if they want me to dish out 60-80$ for a game, I expect to get something for that money. Personally, I think that some distributors have lost the contact to the fans completely. They do not realize that games aren't just CDs, that fans have a kind of relation to the product. It isn't just a thing, it is something we love or hate, we enjoy or we get angy about. Guys, you don't sell us mixed pickles, you sell us something we intend to spend our time with. You sell us something we have been looking forward to - so treat the games with love and respect, treat us with love and respect, ok?
My experience from running this site is that there is an enrmous difference between dealing with developers and dealing with distributors (I know that I am generalizing now and that some distributors don't fit the scheme I will be talking about - but these are my GENERAL impressions): Developers LOVE their game, they are personally involved. Distributors regard it as a product. Developers are fans, distributors are businessmen. This is something you feel in every line you exchange with them. I do not say that it is wrong that they are businessmen. What I say is: it is better if they aren't just that. Fishtank, just to name one distributor, is an example for how it could be. You cannot but notice how involved they are with their games, that the games they distribute are more to them than a product. You feel that they love them in some way.
All in all: reducing the contents of a game package might save you a few bucks as a distributor. But you do not only reduce the costs, but the value as well. You are ruining the image of games on the long run. I don't think that's something you want to do, even from an economical point of view. I know that we have quite some visitors from the big distributors out there. Just give it a thought. You don't have to agree with me - but give it a thought, will you? |
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Rend's Rants
