TheEnigmaticT: What they published of the interview did end up coming off unfortunately; the point isn't that gamers don't have enough sense to make up their minds on what to buy and when. The point was that it seems to me that we've lost a lot of our emotional connection with games, and I think pricing's part of it. I used to be thrilled when I got a new game and I'd generally play the dickens out of it. Now, it's so easy to get games at such ridiculously cheap prices that I'll buy games I don't even want on the off chance that maybe I will want the game later when it's been patched further, or when the beta's done, or whenever.
But I'll probably never get around to it. Because I'll have bought something else in the meantime.
I think that games on crazy signaling promos are teaching gamers as a whole that most games aren't worth much, and they're encouraging the mentality of "enh, why the hell shouldn't I buy it?" I think losing that emotional connection with our games is bad for the industry as a whole--we care less about bad games, but we care less about good ones too and in the end we care less about
games--and so it's bad for the gamers who buy games, too.
Thanks for clarifying this. I understand your point better.
I think that the point you make has a grain of truth- that thinking of games as only worth a small amount of money somewhat also cheapens our feelings for them. But on the flip side, it also opens the door to consumers that never would have played the game before because it was too high of a price barrier; and for those people, it will give them their first opportunity to emotionally connect with those games. So, some may lose the love while others gain it.
I actually think I love gaming more (on the whole) because of the big sales though. Like I said earlier, I play for breadth more than depth, so I can afford more games and I gain a wider understanding of gaming as a whole, which makes me appreciate individual games in a different way because I see where each game fits into the larger historical context of videogames in general. However, it is true that there are few games that I really devote many hours too and really appreciate their depth. There are exceptions though. Right now, I am in love with The Witcher 2 and I am determined to play it through to the end, and perhaps even do another run or two after that. My first run is actually taking a long time because I just keep walking around and snapping screenshots. It's a beautiful game.
I value that emotional connection with games as well, but I don't feel like it has gone away. And though I spread that emotion out across many games now thanks to deeply discounted sales, I still spend devoted time with the games I most cherish. I appreciate your concern because we both want to see that emotional connection to gaming, but I am not sure that your concern is entirely founded about big sales breaking down that connection.