[QUOTE="Jacanuk"][QUOTE="FelipeInside"] A scam normally involves PARTY A paying PARTY B for a service, and then PARTY B not delivering this service to PARTY A and cutting all communications links. In Dear Esther's case, you pay for the service (game) and it is delivered to you so Scam is incorrect term. Thats a very narrow view of the word scam :) you might want to look up a few law-cases to get a broader view. A scam is not always when you cheat people out of a product, cheating people out of the idea of a product is also a scam. Fair enough, but where did Esther "cheat people out of the idea of a product"? I for one knew exactly what the product was (from the description) before I purchased it. I just think some people are angry cause they didn't bother reading the product description and were expecting something else. But to quote AGPICKLE, lol at people getting angry at $5....
Just went down to the shop. Tried to take a paper and walk out and they wanted money for it. WTF. I can get the same news online for free. What a scam.
[QUOTE="FelipeInside"][QUOTE="Jacanuk"][QUOTE="FelipeInside"] A scam normally involves PARTY A paying PARTY B for a service, and then PARTY B not delivering this service to PARTY A and cutting all communications links. In Dear Esther's case, you pay for the service (game) and it is delivered to you so Scam is incorrect term. Thats a very narrow view of the word scam :) you might want to look up a few law-cases to get a broader view. A scam is not always when you cheat people out of a product, cheating people out of the idea of a product is also a scam. Fair enough, but where did Esther "cheat people out of the idea of a product"? I for one knew exactly what the product was (from the description) before I purchased it. I just think some people are angry cause they didn't bother reading the product description and were expecting something else. But to quote AGPICKLE, lol at people getting angry at $5.... You do have a point there. Despite it being a scam People seem to buy it and some even "like" despite it not even being close to the actually definition of a game. even the first game back in 60-70´s had more game over it then "dear Esther" does. But if anything this 200.000sale number is just proof that some people will buy anything and the last "Beep" havent gotten a hold of a computer yet.
[QUOTE="Jacanuk"][QUOTE="FelipeInside"][QUOTE="Jacanuk"] Thats a very narrow view of the word scam :) you might want to look up a few law-cases to get a broader view. A scam is not always when you cheat people out of a product, cheating people out of the idea of a product is also a scam. Fair enough, but where did Esther "cheat people out of the idea of a product"? I for one knew exactly what the product was (from the description) before I purchased it. I just think some people are angry cause they didn't bother reading the product description and were expecting something else. But to quote AGPICKLE, lol at people getting angry at $5.... You do have a point there. Despite it being a scam People seem to buy it and some even "like" despite it not even being close to the actually definition of a game. even the first game back in 60-70´s had more game over it then "dear Esther" does. But if anything this 200.000sale number is just proof that some people will buy anything and the last "Beep" havent gotten a hold of a computer yet. With Dear Esther maybe the definition of "game" gets a bit blurred cause games normally involve more interaction with the medium. To be fair the game was always a MOD, not an actual full game. And to be fair the description does explain that Esther is completely different in the way the game develops to other typical game modes.
[QUOTE="Jacanuk"] You do have a point there. Despite it being a scam People seem to buy it and some even "like" despite it not even being close to the actually definition of a game. even the first game back in 60-70´s had more game over it then "dear Esther" does. But if anything this 200.000sale number is just proof that some people will buy anything and the last "Beep" havent gotten a hold of a computer yet. What matters is what it is trying to do. It isn't a game in a normal sense at all, it's not trying to offer rules and challenges; and the description sure as hell doesn't imply that is trying to be a gamey game, a game etc. What it is trying to do is something completely different that games generally do, and concentrate on story, and only that - deliberate vagueness and removal of play aspects; there's a ****ing phd behind it and a load of papers; the creator is an extremely knowledgeable and talented person. It was created as a challenge to a godamn huge study on several years of modern FPS genre. Because gamers totally care about a focus on diegetic story devices. It does what it does damn well; is it going to be for anyone's taste? **** no, if anything it's an 'un-game', and that alone is going to be divisive. Course people are going to dislike it. The sales numbers show that people are willing to try something different. Read the papers (on the developers website) discussing the original mod version, where a few thousand downloads was recognised as extremely positive, as was the creation. Now something experimental can actually be a huge commercial success. That's a damn good thing in genera, better experimentation that's going to enrich the pallet of games then only the same things reprocessed - and it's not as if it's encroaching your 'games stuff I like'. A scam though? Well no that says so much more about you, which is telling enough.
The game is completely a scam. Anyone and their grandma could have done this stupid graphical enhancement - which is all it is. They didn't even change the soundtrack or the monologue at all.
I'm interested in this movie-mode gaming becoming a genre in itself, but when something literally copies freeware then tacks on a 10 dollar pricetag it pisses me off.
By the way did I mention the game lasts 1 hr and has zero replayability? Seriously, if you want to experience Dear Esther just download the free HL2 mod. Don't support this lazy-ass, money-stealing, game-copying, unscrupulous company.
[QUOTE="SteverXIII"]TC is a poor trollLiftedHeadshot
flawless argument. you've completely changed my mind
Nobody is trying to change your mind. If you haven't understood what people keep telling you in this thread, I'll say it again: they sell it because they think it's worth selling, and I've seen plenty of people very happy with their purchase. No matter what you buy, some people will think it's not worth it, but in this case, some people think that it's totally worth it, so your question "why does Dear Esther cost money" has a very obvious answer: because some people bought it and thought it was worth it.
If you're not happy with your purchase, it's nobody's fault but yours for not doing enough research.
I bought Dear Esther on the day of release at full price. I've since played it another 3 times. Is it a game? Hard to say, but for me it was thoroughly engrossing which gave me around 10hrs of 'play' which put's it at $1US an hour. It's a lovely work of art and immersion and the devs obviously thought there was a niche that could be filled (which there obviously is), so they took a gamble whic has evidently paid off very well for them which allows them to expand and create and develop more titles.
I think the question you should be asking is: "Why does it cost as much as it does, or did at launch?" Or is the "Price point for Dear Esther meet its value?" Maybe you meant that instead. To be fair, a movie is about 1hr 30 mins, these days. Theater tickets cost $12.50 here where I live.
More importantly, the team that worked on Dear Esther will team up with Frictional Games to make the new Amnesia.
[QUOTE="SteverXIII"]TC is a poor trollLiftedHeadshot
flawless argument. you've completely changed my mind If after all we posted you still don't get the reasoning, there is no point discussing it with you.
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