Premium Members: Resubscribe or Unsubscribe?

Let me just make a note here, this is in no way a hate on giant bomb thread, I'm merely pretty curious!

It's coming up to that time of year where a lot of yearly subscribers will either be resubscribing or unsubscribing. There will probably be a BLLSL just before this date, to reignite our interest and hopefully tip the people who are on the fence, onto the side of premium! For me, I feel as though I am ready to unsubscribe, but I am very unsure at the moment, there isn't any premium content coming out as of late, so I feel as though the last few months have been a waste of my money, but I also know that there will be a burst of new content coming in the near future.

I am not sure what I am doing, but what are you?

Are you going to resubscribe? Are you going to unsubscribe? Or are you like me and not exactly sure, and will probably make up their mind closer to the time, and maybe after watching the BLLSL?

Once again, this isn't an attack. :)

EDIT: Looking at the membership page, I'm actually veering more towards the change to monthly subscription status, it's a very small price a month, and I have more control over when I think is a good time to subscribe and unsubscribe.

Since I got my membership for free, it's gonna be an unsubscribe.

@Video_Game_King: Oh, did you get gifted it? I've seen that happen a whopping one time before!

I already renewed when they had that "Dave Fortress" deal. I will also continue to renew as long as they keep making me laugh more than anything I see on TV.

My membership ran out yesterday. I just get silver memberships and unsubscribe straight away so they don't auto renew. I will get a silver again once they had some more of those old pc game quicklooks and a endurance run. But the only thing lately has been that olympics thing and that was sooooo fucking boring. Glad I didn't buy heaps of them like some people did during that sale last year because shit has gone downhill this year.

The reason there's not been a whole lot of premium content recently, in my mind, is that there's a) been a whole bunch of logistical stuff going on, like continuing to set up the new office, get new equipment, and organise the BLLSL, b) they've had one or two expos they've had to cover, c) there's been almost jack-shit new games to play recently. That's why I don't mind as much.

The reason I subscribe is because I do enjoy the content when it does come, but also because I want to feel like I'm helping make the dream continue, in a way. Granted, that's probably less significant now that they have CBSi money, but I absolutely feel like I get my value from what I pay, and constantly enjoy the content when it comes out. If the price started to go up, maybe I'd begin to have a problem, but right now I think it's close to perfect.

Plus, no ads and HD are alright features, and listening to the crew congratulate me on my payment and hypothetical child is one of the most amazing Internet things that's happened to me. So yes, I'll resubscribe.

I'd resubscribe if I had the money, but I don't, so I won't.

LIFE MOVES ON

@Baillie:

Part of the pay-it-forward whatever.

I'll be renewing, downloading GB videos in HD, onto my HDD, so I can watch them in VLC is too good. Also a fan of the premium member stream content.

I unsubbed.

I'm going to stay subscribed, because this is the only video gaming website I need in my life considering how much I love the content.

I'll stay subscribed as long as I can, regardless of how much premium content they put out.

I stay subscribed to support them, not to buy my way into content.

@RPGee: While I agree and acknowledge that the lack of premium content is due to these reasons, it's the fact that they also have an obligation to meet the demands, and produce premium content, at least once a week in my mind. Also, HD is only premium member still? I thought they rolled it out to everyone?

I'm one of the cheap ones(silver) so I'll subscribe again. 
I love the free content too and I'm subscribing just because of that stuff and the Podcast. They could take all the premium stuff away and I would still pay for a subscription because I think it's worth it. 
Besides, 5 bucks is what you can find in a minute just walking around outside looking down. 

@Bio2hazard said:

I'll stay subscribed as long as I can, regardless of how much premium content they put out.

I stay subscribed to support them, not to buy my way into content.

That money goes to CBSi now and they just pay them a salary

@Bio2hazard said:

I stay subscribed to support them, not to buy my way into content.

Yeah, that's a big reason why I subscribed too, but as of late I feel as though this isn't the same Giant Bomb that I would give my wage to. I really do hope, and think that this will all come flooding back when the site has been redesigned and the staff have fully settled in to CBSi, but it is taking a long time for that moment to come!

I'd easily resubscribe. I love watching all the content they put up on my Roku Box. That in itself is the only thing I need to to resubscribe.

unsub. it hasnt been worth having since the buyout.

I'll probably stay on. I'm a subscriber until February, so I'm not too worried about resubcribing just yet. GB is still pumping out enough stuff for me to make it worthwhile, though. Once everything has settled down, I'm sure all the currently missing content (Random PC, LOLS etc.) will reappear.

I'll probably stay subscribed, but I really hope they start putting out more premium content. Hopefully once the website re-launches Dave will have more time and they can get back to Random PC Game.

I'm really not sure. I want to support the guys but I feel I'd be better off just getting Adblock and mailing Jeff 50 dollars. The premium content is far rarer than it used to be, and free content is of questionable quality lately.

I don't want to hear about slow summer, or expos, or drama. That stuff never ends. If its bad now it's not going to get better later. And dead summer is the time when there should be more content, not less.

I'll keep paying. Subscriber content is going to pick up again eventually.

@Sarkhan said:

Unsub. fat fucks. Not loosing weight. trying to act funny. Fails, but amuse the kids. 14 or older? Unsub.

That is a very good argument you have there, I'M OUT TOO!!

I will keep on with my silver subscription, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

@Video_Game_King said:

Since I got my membership for free, it's gonna be an unsubscribe.

This.

Mine was free, but I'm not resubbing. I would if they actually released content.

I'm covered til January, but probably unsub. If I can't rely on a steady stream of good video content, for whatever reason, I'd be better off paying $5 every couple of months and gorging myself on suscriber content then.

I'm going to unsubscribe if no good premium content starts showing up.

@Encephalon said:

I'd be better off paying $5 every couple of months and gorging myself on suscriber content then.

Yeah, that seems like a good plan.

i thought about it a year ago-ish whether i wanted to subscribe, but i never found any interest in premium stuff even before the past few months. you can get the same thing with different people for free

I'm covered into 2014 so I'll decide then. Gotta love those sales on memberships. I bought a couple and stacked them.

@Baillie: Honestly, maybe it's just me but I don't really notice anything drastically different since the CBSi merger. The eyeblaster ads that pop up are among the only things. But as far as quality and amount of content goes, I feel it's just as good as it's ever been. But that's probably a whole different subject.

Either way, I don't really care all that much whether it goes to whiskey media or CBSi, what matters to me is that GB is easilly my #1 timewaster on the internet and regardless of which company gets my money, it still supports the GB crew in one way or another. ( I'm sure if the site does well financially it gets more leeway and freedom )

Same boat as everyone, would like to support them but lately it has been hit or miss, they have done flight club and dave fortress which proves that regardless of the logistics they are capable of producing the premium content, also jeff did the jar thing from his bedroom... Nothing they haven't already done since the move.

A lot more quick look EXs now that they have the devs showing up to gamespot anyway but that content is a lot more dry than just the guys doing it themselves. Podcast is still great, but I can understand a ton of people not liking the middle age man falling over and moving house stories.

If they do a BLLSLTTIL I wont be falling for it again! Always starts off great and a few months in they start to slow down the content til it barely exists.

@Baillie: Perhaps that is what appears necessary to you, but to me it's simply that they keep on doing what they do, regardless, and I want to give them a decent reason to keep doing awesome stuff like a SNES game day, so I subscribe to them. If it were something highly important to me, such as a local news service that directly affected me, then yes I would want frequent updates and reasons for me to pay money. Since this is only entertainment, though, and I'm paying for a whole year's worth of it for a price I find very reasonable (especially after the Dave Fortress thing), I'm not so choosy about it, since it''s not a life-or-death kind of thing.

But people will have different opinions on it, so this whole conversation/debate about it is moot anyway. I will subscribe, you will not, we will go our separate ways, that sort of thing.

And I was under the impression that HD was subscriber only, but since I want to subscribe it doesn't matter to me either way.

I use to be an advocate for subscribing before the switch, but it seems that the premium content hasn't ramped up enough as of yet to get me to throw them another year's worth of my dollars. If Ryan continues his weekly gaming routines and we see more interaction from the bomb-crew outside of articles and quick-looks, I will definitely give them their money's worth.

I will end up resubscribing since I have hope and enough money, but I'm not impressed by the content as of late.

@Spuirrel said:

I will end up resubscribing since I have hope and enough money, but I'm not impressed by the content as of late.

This.

Unsubscribe, because lol at the content output.

I'm planning on re-subscribing, yeah. The way I like to think of it is just: am I using the download video feature (mostly for TNT, which is also subscriber only on the site), and are the premium content videos each month generally worth $5? The answer to both those questions for me is yes. Spotty internet with bandwidth caps means just downloading the videos is great, as being able to re-watch the best videos (the ones I archive instead of delete after viewing) are there for another time. There also hasn't been a month in recent memory, if ever, that I haven't felt that there was $5 worth of premium content put out. Seven, nearly eight, hours of Olympic Games footage this month for $5 is easily worth the money for me; not only do I get more entertainment from it than I do any movie, but it's also half the price of a single ticket. Sure, there isn't tons of subscriber only content pushed out all the time, but the subscriber content is my favourite stuff on the site, and even just an hour of a random PC game or a couple of hours of flight club checks out financially.

I had been wondering if I was going to re-subscribe as my subscription is gone first week of September, but considering how much enjoyment I get monthly out of content that only costs me $5, I can't not pony up for another year.

The first time I justified it by buying a really cool shirt, and I get to support something that's worthwhile.. I'll probably resub around December when it runs out unless the Premium content dries up more, and I am low on cash.. The return of Random PC Game is the one thing I really hold out for

Just got the prompt that my CC had expired, so I immediately entered my new details to let it automatically resubscribe.

I subscribe to support the site and would continue to do so even if there was no such thing as premium content. This is my favourite place on the net.

I'm staying a subscriber, even though the Bombcast is mostly what I get out of the site. It was never about ads or premium content for me: I wanted to support the team, and that hasn't changed.

I'd also like to say that it's not only the premium content drought that I am disappointed with, but I also feel as though all their content has taken a slight dip in quality, but I am assured that is purely due to lack of hardware, software and the staff's time. I just feel pretty unsatisfied right now, and that is the first time that has happened for well over 4 years now, and it's just like a really big come-down, you know?

@FLStyle said:

I'll be renewing, downloading GB videos in HD, onto my HDD, so I can watch them in VLC is too good. Also a fan of the premium member stream content.

ditto

Ill keep my sub going, regardless of who owns them i still enjoy the content and the bombcasts that go up on a regular basis and until that changes ill continue to pay. I enjoy being able to access the site without crazy advertising everywhere and being able to ignore the "subscriber only" boxes that are on some of the recent videoes, as a huge fan of Comic Vine and the features on there too its good value for me personally. I dare say the split will be 50/50 for a lot of existing users at this point though, if you only really love Giantbomb and dont care about ads maybe its not worth it for them?

I'd also like to say that it's not only the premium content drought that I am disappointed with, but I also feel as though all their content has taken a slight dip in quality, but I am assured that is purely due to lack of hardware, software and the staff's time. I just feel pretty unsatisfied right now, and that is the first time that has happened for well over 4 years now, and it's just like a really big come-down, you know?

I'll really be thinking hard about this question when mine comes up. Things have not been the same for a while now, and I think the guys know it too. Jeff seems absolutely exasperated about making excuses for the speed at which things have been done since the switch to CBSi. I don't necessarily blame them for the slower content, increased number of quick look exs, and general degradation of polish on videos and other content, but it really doesn't matter either. Things have been better, and the guys are way more capable than they've been showing the last few months. I paid in the past to support that kind of high end, fantastically produced content that I had come to know giant bomb for, but personality alone won't carry the site into the future. The content has to come back up to that previous level of polish for me to keep supporting the site.

I got mine gifted by @AhmadMetallic: so unless he's feeling mighty generous I'm going for unsub.
 
I have to say though, I see no reason to subscribe even if I would have the spare cash for it, really disappointed with the so called 'premium' stuff.

@ZeForgotten said:

I'm not saying your opinion is wrong in any way :p

You totally are, you asshole. Yeah, I probably have this idea in my head that the quality is decreasing, where it's really my interest in gaming right now has plummeted due to the slow season. The games that are coming out, along with the games they are covering just aren't interesting me in any way really, thus the Quick Looks, Podcasts, etc aren't doing anything for me.

C'mon games, COME OUT FASTER, HARDER AND BETTER.

I'll probably unsubscribe once my sub starts getting to the point. Then I'll re-up with they start putting out more premium content, especially Vin/Drew/Dave features.

@ZeForgotten said:

@Baillie said:

I'd also like to say that it's not only the premium content drought that I am disappointed with, but I also feel as though all their content has taken a slight dip in quality, but I am assured that is purely due to lack of hardware, software and the staff's time. I just feel pretty unsatisfied right now, and that is the first time that has happened for well over 4 years now, and it's just like a really big come-down, you know?

Only thing I don't like is that TNTs have gotten shorter. Other than that the quality of the content provided is up there with what they did even back before they had memberships. Sometimes more funny than informative and vice versa. Of course that's just how I see it, I'm not saying your opinion is wrong in any way :p

I feel pretty much the same way. The only exception there being TNT during certain weeks. It really depends on what game it is that they're playing for me. The Hybrid TNT felt like it was the right length for the kind of game it is, but last week's Mann vs. Machine TNT coudl've gone for another 50 minutes and I would've been happy. So TNTs in general being shorter I'm not a big fan of, but at least it's appropriate on occasion.