siddarth0605

@madman356647: That's true but it still seems strange to me. Steam has massive sales all the time and from what I understand it is because they allow the developers to determine the price point of their games. These developers and publishers can analyze the sales of their games and lower the price to boost sales. If a developer keeps the digital price of a game at the same price point for months on end while the physical price continues to drop then their profit margin seems to diminish for me. I'll go back to Wolfenstein as an example. That game is $40 on Amazon. Now how much of that goes to the publisher and developer? From what I have seen on several websites that number can range from 40-50% when taking into consideration the cost of pressing discs, shipping costs, distribution costs, etc. So the developer would get anywhere from $16-20. If they lowered that game online to $40 and their cut was anywhere from 60-70% then they would now make $24-30 off of that same game. This is obviously a terrible analysis of the issue and there are a number of factors that I'm sure I am not even considering. However, I have found that a competitive pricing model allows games that normally would not sell well at the traditional $60 price point find new life and greater success at a lower price range. The PC industry understands this and it seems like it may just take a while for consoles to catch up.

Although you argument for no pants is pretty convincing.

I agree and I don't plan on swinging completely one way or the other However, I am curious as to why this discrepancy exists.

I agree with you duder. When viewed the same way as race it becomes very similar in tone. Are women treated the same as men? No. Even if the numbers are fabricated and need to be criticized and scrutinized the fact of the matter is that women still do not have the same opportunities as men do in this world. The average salary of a woman in the same position with the same qualifications as a man is lower. Now there is debate as to how much lower that is and while we should not inflate that number and should report it as accurately as possible the fact that it exists is still a problem. We have come a long way in improving the rights of woman but we still have a long way to go.

However, even though I treat women the same as men and think all men should I don't necessarily view them the same as men, and I don't think that is a bad thing. Biologically, psychologically, and sociologically there are differences between women and men. It's because of these differences that I enjoy getting the perspective of women on gaming. It's because of these differences that I enjoy talking to women about politics or ethics or even relationships. Our viewpoints in life are informed by a myriad of factors and one of those is gender. Having more women in our industry benefits men because they can offer us a different perspective and challenge some of our pre-conceived notions.

Its a strange dichotomy but the world is a beautiful place not because everyone is the same but because we are different. Whether it is because of our race, age, or gender we all see the world differently and contribute to it in different yet meaningful ways. The fight should not be to view women as the same as men but to treat them the same way.

Towards the end of the previous generation of consoles I, like many others, found myself being drawn more and more to PC gaming. The ability to connect through HDMI to my big screen TV, controller support for most games, and improved versions of games were huge selling points. One thing that really increased its value however, was the competitive pricing of digital games. I have a library of close to 200 games on Steam and all told paid about 40-50% of the value I would have paid had I bought it as physical media on day 1. When the new consoles came out I was pleased with the increased push towards digital distribution that all 3 companies were endorsing. It felt like more and more we were moving into a PC based mindset. Being able to access and massive library of games instantly, while freeing up my cabinet space was a great prospect so I enthusiastically went out and bought a PS4, XBO, and Wii U. To this day I have not bought a game from any of these platforms physically. I decided to go full digital, almost unquestioningly. However, I am noticing a problematic issue. While the instant access and lack of physical copies still exist the benefits of competitive pricing seem to be a major turnoff. I am noticing that these companies do not drop the price on these games months, and months after they have been released. However, just like the last generation their physical counterparts drop their price fairly quickly and dramatically. Here are a couple examples:

Now I don't want to seem like a cheap, stingy person. I have a disposable income and can afford to buy games at a full price. I also would like to make sure that the money I spend on these games goes directly to the developer and I don't have to deal with an intermediary. Regardless of income, however, I want to get the best value for my games. To be asked to buy a game at the full price point when I can save 30-40% on the price by buying the physical copy the case for digital purchasing is becoming harder for me to make on games unless it is going to be a Day 1 purchase. What do you guys think? I would like to hear your opinions and position on this

PSN: DarthMagnus0605

Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time

Looking for people wiling to do group raids on Destiny. Make sure you mention Giant Bomb when sending the invite

@marokai: but that's the conversation I was hoping to have here. I can understand the pointed way in which the article was written and maybe it is my fault for simply posting it rather than asking those type of inviting questions, but it worries me when our community quickly becomes insulated to opposing viewpoints and is not willing to challenge each other on these topics. I don't want this to come off as saying that people who buy and enjoy Hardline are bad people, quite the opposite. However, I want this industry to grow and mature in positive ways and in order for it to do that sometimes moral and ethical questions like these should be talked about.

It's something that I deal with all the time in my own line of work as a physician. Not every case is a simple "take two of these and call me in the morning". There are a litany of moral and ethical discussions that happen and must continue to happen in order for my work to move forward. The same is true of this industry. What if instead of simply approaching these subjects with hostility or apathy we challenged ourselves to ask the tough questions. I am not saying that Hardline should be banned or the gamers who play it ostracized; I'm asking if we can do better. What if Hardline was not meant to portray the militarization of police as a good thing? What if they deliberately make you feel a sense of quagmire at what you were doing? That would be a much more interesting game to me and one that can be discussed well beyond its zeitgeist. I just wish that we can be a little more open to these topics.

Wow not really the kind of response I was expecting when I posted this article. I would have expected more discourse but instead it seems like everyone here just hates people who try and ruin their fun. Ill make sure I keep that in mind next time

This is a wonderful article from Polygon regarding Battlefield Hardline and how one journalist opinions about it in the midst of the Ferguson riots. This is worth reading and definitely made me think long and hard about the culpability developers have when choosing their settings and story. I would love to hear people's opinions on this

http://www.polygon.com/2014/8/19/6029085/battlefield-hardline-police

rest in peace Ryan. The world is a sadder place without you

Joining the crew

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Name: Ani