Lord_Pooka said:Mynorchie said:
Also I didn't imply that it's completely okay if you don't pay much for a bad game but do pay something. It's just a fact that it feels much better if you happen to lose a couple of euros over a not-so-good game than if you pay the full price. It makes gamers feel better and it gives Valve profit - so I guess that's an ingenious strategy. :D
Yeah, you're right about that, but think when people buy hoards of bundles with these couple of euros. Let's say instead of buying a game for 60$, you bought a hundred cheap games with 60$ off an indie bundle but you don't play them and regret their purchases. There's no way to get all these things refunded, especially the ones you don't like. Had there been a refund system, I would've sent away my Binding of Isaac copy just as I knew its terrible, but sadly I'm stuck with it.
Well, that is true. But what I meant in the first place were single cheap purchases, not loads of bundles. If you pay a lot for many games at once and you regret all of them, of course you're allowed to be disappointed. Bundles are always a bit complex, since it's not a possibility for everyone to like all of the games in them. However, sites like Humble Bundle do let you choose the price by yourself. If you aren't comfortable with buying lots of small games at once from Steam, there are other options too. Lord_Pooka said:These days it's just assumed that people watch trailers and read reviews before buying a game. You can't give back intact furniture you suddenly don't like just like that, so I don't see a problem with not getting back all of your money if there are no problems within the game itself.
But a game isn't furniture. What you see is what you get in the case of furniture. In the case of gaming however, you need to have sharp eyes and a level of expectations in order to reach the level of "what you see is what you get". You have to make sure a game isn't that badly buggy for the person, would run on the computer, would have elements that are lovely, etc. Sure a review might help, but try reading a review for an FPS game like the many hundred other ones you've played and figure out whether you want that FPS or not.
Steam only refunds pre-orders at the moment, and maybe that confirms the theory, Baka Newell wants you to pay a lot for the bundles, have your money, and get away with it unscratched because hey, he's Gabe Newell.
You don't always get to see what the furniture looks like in your apartment beforehand, just like how you don't see what the game feels or looks like with your own eyes. You just have to take small risks sometimes. It is possible to get lots of false information from reviews and such, but it's rare for a game to suck really much when the preview material is great. If you're afraid that a game is buggy as hell, then it's a possibility to wait for let's plays/other gameplay material and other evidence from the players themselves.