Somewhere in the depths of Microsoft someone is cackling, and probably has been for some time. Their integration of Gamercards and Achievement points into the Xbox 360 has placed hooks so deep into me that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to extract them. I’m sat here looking at Steam’s “five-day-long one-day-only sale” looking at Dead Space for £7.49 thinking “…but if I buy it on Steam then how will anyone on Live know that I’ve played it?” Ridiculous, isn’t it.
Plants v Zombies, Machinarium, Armadillo Run, all have been paid for and downloaded with barely a second’s consideration as to their platform; none are likely to light up my telly in the near future and so no dilemma is presented. Give me an option however and it’s my 360 every time. Sensibility aside, I have too much invested in it to start bothering with PlayStation Trophies of Steam Achievements. In fact it’s more than that, I just want it on my permanent record, staring back at me from my Gamercard and lighting up my friends’ friends lists as if it were some badge of honour declaring to the world that I have tried this game. I’m sure it would be different if I had more chums on PSN than on Live.
I think there’s some illogical insecurity somewhere within me that means I must let people know what I’m playing. In fact, I think that’s part of the reason my Wii is currently 30 miles from my house under someone else’s TV. When I did have it, who would know when I was playing? And more importantly, who would know what I was playing? The disconnection from the rest of the world was too great for me to handle.
At least there’s the Steam community, eh? Well, all three of them that make up my friends list.
I think I’m going to go and do the washing up. See if that shakes the crazy out of me.
I make my living as a programmer at a British games developer. In my spare time I try and spread myself between writing, gaming, goalkeeping, rolling dice and keeping my hair blue. Somewhere around that my wife and rabbits fit in. Disclaimer: the views expressed are my own and do not neccessarily reflect those of my employer
Then there’s the horror of buying games that don’t tie into a gaming service. I’m slowly, slowly working my dander up to get Solium Infernum, a grand strategy set in Hell. Does it work through Steam? Impulse? Nuh uh!
I actually bought Dragon Age on DVD so that I would always have hard copy somewhere. Unfortunately this now means that I’m excluded from all the crazy parties going on inside Steam and Xbox Live. Them walled gardens are exclusive it seems.
I find similar thoughts going through my head too, I just have to remind myself that if I’ve spent £300 on a graphics card its jolly well gonna earn its keep. That and someone keeps singing @ the TV
. Steam community is a waste of space tho’ almost nobody I know likes steam, possibly because while it once offered good value compared to hard copy, that hasn’t been true in some time. Likewise XFIRE now seems deserted, possibly because games are building competing solutions into the games (like the terrible GameSpy Comrade). Communities are fickle because their members are irrational just like us.
Compared to Xbox Live or PSN, though, Steam does seem to have an actual marketplace dynamic. Costs on the other pair are pretty much static from the moment they go up to the moment they get delisted whereas the constant weekend sales or price drops does at least keep people’s interest on Steam. Whereas I keep browsing that if I don’t like the inital price on Live I never look back again as I know it’s never going to drop.
Sometimes you can hit a bargain on live with the weekly deals. I wouldn’t of re-kindled my love for puzzle quest without a price drop. But i see what you mean, it does need to be a little more reactive to pricing. Puzzle Quest 2 next year! woooo!
Damned offers, for things I already have. Or in the case of Saints Row 2 (and ArmaII) wish I’d never dropped £3.50 on, rubbish. I am steadfastly resisting the current wave of huely discounted stuff.
But yes the XBOX and PSN shops suck even more £19.99 for a game I can buy on a disc for less than £10 ummm tempting.