Poll: How do you get your video games?

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215 votes tallied
Steal it
11% (23 votes)
Download it legally (pay for it)
13% (29 votes)
Download it legally (I only play free games)
18% (38 votes)
Online (Yahoo!, FaceBook, etc.)
2% (4 votes)
Buy it from a store
29% (63 votes)
Rent (GameFly, Blockbuster, etc.)
2% (4 votes)
I play board games (Monopoly, Scrabble, etc.)
5% (11 votes)
I don't play video games
20% (43 votes)

How do you get the MAJORITY of the video games you play?

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Gaming
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Jason Hibbets
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Jason Hibbets is a Community Director at Red Hat with the Digital Communities team. He works with the Enable Architect, Enable Sysadmin, Enterprisers Project, and Opensource.com community publications.
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7 Comments

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Brotherred | September 13, 2010
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On Windows I hardly ever bought video games and when I did they were for my Playstation emulators. I have never owned a Playstation so I did in every way steal the BIOS files

This says a lot about my ability at playing video games but I used the demos that my original "white box" computer store gave me with my computer (Win98 era) for a long time.

I do not steal or buy newer games for my Mandriva platform because most that I would to play do not work. Not because "they can't" but they seem to be of such low interest that no one that knows how to tries to make them work.

Also my hardware needs grading but do to hard times in my home state of Michigan, USA, I like most here am lucky to have two part time jobs.

If it came to it I do not think I would steal games as that would go against an established liberated and FREE as in beer market of great games out there.

I have not been so faithful to tow that line in commercial movies and audio content. How ever most of my audio is in a CC or similar license.

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t | September 14, 2010
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When I saw that option, at first I thought it was a joke. I automatically assumed that it went going to a store, where someone would steal a tangible copy of the game.

Pirate is a different option. It's too bad you didn't put that option in the poll to begin with, because I think you'd have significantly different results if you had the real option that some people do use...at least to try out the game....and that option, pirate, or "Temp Download."

For me, with thousands of games being released each year, I like playing before I play. Granted that Multiplayer seldom (I think I'm safe saying 'never' here) works, I get a little taste of the game, play it, feel it, see if my graphics card can handle it, and then if I like it & my computer can support it, I go out and buy it.

Especially now days with so many games being released, and with stores like Best Buy, Fred Meyers, Wal-Mart (well...any store really), etc etc, once you open a computer game, there's no turning back. They won't let you return it. It's too bad I just couldn't buy the game and test it like I do when I download a torrent to test it, and then return it if I don't like it. For that one reason alone, I download games before I buy it.

Like I mentioned, Multiplayer is the biggest aspect of most games. And World In Conflict, Company Of Heroes (2 games not even out for consoles...and man, are they missing out on these two bad-ass games), I downloaded a torrent before buying them. Tried the single player campaigns out, and absolutely loved them both. So what did I do? went and bought the game so I could actually play against people online, and not have to worry about updating it (fixing the glitches, getting upgraded/balanced weapons/whatever the patches include).

Some people can't see the argument there, but like I mentioned, if stores would allow you to reutrn games once they are opened, I woudln't have to download them to try. But because that isn't the case, I resort to torrenting to try it, and then go and buy it.

What do you guys think of that? "Stealing,"? I don't think so. More like a demo to see if it'll run on my computer as well as demoing the game. If I don't like it or it doens't run smoothly on my copmuter, I'm really glad I tested it, and to the trash bin it goes. But if I love it, the developers and publishers just got me to go buy it.

What's peoples thoughts on this?

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Bob | September 14, 2010
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I'll put my flame hat on, but this is my honest comment with zero trolling intended.

I see your point actually. With the lack of demos, or the limited nature of them I can understand your reasoning for doing so.

I'd like to believe I do the same thing, but in the sake of honesty, I don't. When I download a game illegally, and I love it.... I never buy it. I keep playing my pirated copy. Why? I'd feel like an idiot buying it. Simple as that. Why buy something that I already have for free?

Sure, moral grounds could be that reason but having that extra money in my pocket for other things like bills, other games, or well... anything else is worth more than my own personal morals.

I'm not defending my ways, in fact, I know I'm wrong for doing so, but again, I like having money in my pocket.

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t | September 14, 2010
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It is hard to delete the game once you've been playing it...I agree.

but at the same time, once you get into a bit of the single player campaigns - for me at least - I always want to play multiplayer, and take my skills to compete against real human intelligence online. And like previously mentioned, MP cracks are scarce, and if one is found (that doesn't have trojans wrapped in it), then MAYBE, just MAYBE I will try and keep it.

But that is hardly the case because they are hard to find and often times not-all-that-you-think-they-are when you install them.

Bob, what's your take on the Multiplayer aspect? On PC games that come in torrents, the single player usually runs fine once I get it up and going (there are so many methods now to cracking games, and I pride myself on being able to get the game running Every. Single. Time. It's a good feeling, no doubt). But MP is the longetivity of games. So if you never go out and buy it, do you just continue playing single player, or do you ever get to the point when you finally buy the game? Granted, it might be 6 months, and the price might drop by the time you get around to buying it?

What your take? And Thanks for being one of the only other honest people "Bob." I respect your integrity.

P.Ps - don't you agree that the "steal it" category needs to be divided into "Stealing from store" (sketchy...major no-no) and "pirating" it? I think the differences, especially if you download the full game as a 'Demo,' are big enough that there need to be two categories.

that said, I also didn't make the poll ha. so he cna do whatever he like

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Bob | September 14, 2010
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I don't do to much PC multiplayer honestly. If there's a crack for it, I'll give it a go. It's really a case by case basis.

Examples:

World Of Warcraft. I tried the private servers and was bored very quickly. They were usually x75 XP which made the game over in 10 or so hours.... Kill one boar and you're level 12... Since back then the private servers could only hold 100-200 players (if lucky), there wasn't many people to play with. So in that case it was worth paying the monthly fee for real servers, so I paid it.

Rise Of Nations. Easy to pirate, working multiplayer. I didn't pay for it, didn't intend to since it was so easy. In fact I sent the .iso to a friend to play with me.

Here's my solution. Games have always been to expensive in my opinion. I would absolutely buy games if they were priced lower. $20 and you can sell me alot. The method works. Make your product $20 and it will absolutely sell more. Overall you will most likely make more money. Example. NFL2K sold for $20 and sold a TON of copies.

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joelk360 | September 21, 2010
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For me, I'd rent it if I can get over the initial urge of jumping on it at launch day. I'm not a loyal player to finish all my games. So renting is a way to get over my "have to play it" thingy. But if that games really that good with multiplayer, I'd get a copy from the store. Otherwise, sorry.. torrent or rapidshare would be my route.

As bob said, current game prices are too high, at least for me.

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Jason Hibbets | September 15, 2010
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Tell us your favorite video game, you can only pick one. Add a comment on our FaceBook wall: http://www.facebook.com/opensourceway or post here.

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