Video Games?

Forza 4 and Fable 3 are great games, I have them both.

[BlueRaven88]

Just pre-purchased Guild Wars 2 13 hours ago :D

[ila]

Originally Posted by BlueRaven88

Just pre-purchased Guild Wars 2 13 hours ago :D

So you didn't purchase it then?

[smc]

Originally Posted by ila

So you didn't purchase it then?

You beat me to it, my friend! This "pre-purchase" neologism is one of the more ridiculous inventions of the online e-tail world. But I don't blame BlueRaven88 for using it; that's the ridiculous word the vendors use.

[ila]

Originally Posted by smc

You beat me to it, my friend! This "pre-purchase" neologism is one of the more ridiculous inventions of the online e-tail world. But I don't blame BlueRaven88 for using it; that's the ridiculous word the vendors use.

Unfortunately the prefix pre is not restricted to on-line vendors. All too often it is used with a verb which renders the resulting word meaningless.

[BlueRaven88]

Originally Posted by ila

So you didn't purchase it then?

Originally Posted by smc

You beat me to it, my friend! This "pre-purchase" neologism is one of the more ridiculous inventions of the online e-tail world. But I don't blame BlueRaven88 for using it; that's the ridiculous word the vendors use.

Originally Posted by ila

Unfortunately the prefix pre is not restricted to on-line vendors. All too often it is used with a verb which renders the resulting word meaningless.

Pre-purchasing means I have paid for it and once it's released I get it. It's a sort of "pay now and you get it when it's ready" shtick. Pre-purchasing the game (purchasing before it's released) means I get guaranteed access to all beta events from now until launch, and I get 3 days early access to the game when it does release on the market. When it's released, I don't have to pay any further money towards it, and the game itself has no subscription fee.

Some may see this method of purchase as foolish, but I ask you - how many times have you thrown money away? When you purchase something online and get it delivered to your door step, is that not some sort of pre-purchase as well, as you're giving them your money before you have the product? Not only that, but my pre-purchase was a digital copy, meaning as soon as it is released I have only to download it. It's 100% guaranteed that I will get what I paid for, and aside from waiting for the data to download there's no wait time for it, whereas when you purchase something online, you have to wait between 5-12 working days for your product to arrive, and there's a chance it may not arrive whatsoever.

There is even a site called kickstarter that a lot of game developers use when they can't get publisher funding for a game. Basically they make a pitch video and include a "Back this project" link so that the people who want the game are actually paying for the development themselves, cutting out publishers all together. Tim Schafer (who made games like Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle) and Brian Fargo (who made Wasteland, Fallout and Fallout 2) have both gone on kickstarter with great success. Tim Schafer is making a new adventure game called Double Fine. He asked for $400 000, but the amount pledged was over 3.3 million. Brian Fargo is making Wasteland 2, and asked for $900 000, and with still 5 days to go the total has already skyrocketed to over 2.3 million.

[smc]

Originally Posted by BlueRaven88

Pre-purchasing means I have paid for it and once it's released I get it. It's a sort of "pay now and you get it when it's ready" shtick. Pre-purchasing the game (purchasing before it's released) means I get guaranteed access to all beta events from now until launch, and I get 3 days early access to the game when it does release on the market. When it's released, I don't have to pay any further money towards it, and the game itself has no subscription fee.

Some may see this method of purchase as foolish, but I ask you - how many times have you thrown money away? When you purchase something online and get it delivered to your door step, is that not some sort of pre-purchase as well, as you're giving them your money before you have the product? Not only that, but my pre-purchase was a digital copy, meaning as soon as it is released I have only to download it. It's 100% guaranteed that I will get what I paid for, and aside from waiting for the data to download there's no wait time for it, whereas when you purchase something online, you have to wait between 5-12 working days for your product to arrive, and there's a chance it may not arrive whatsoever. ...

See, BlueRaven88, I tried to make it clear that my criticism of the neologism "pre-purchase" was not directed at your use of this term, which has become commonplace. I am sorry that you seem not to have caught that part of my post.

And yes, I know what the neologism means. The point is that what it describes is not a purchase, which implies the transfer of a good for money. Thus, it is a ridiculous term invented by marketeers, and is an assault on the English language ... as are all such terms.

That doesn't change the fact that the process you describe is a good one, with many benefits for the purchaser. But you didn't "pre-purchase" the game. One cannot "pre"-purchase, only purchase, a good. You purchased a promise.

Okay, English class dismissed.

[ila]

Originally Posted by smc

...That doesn't change the fact that the process you describe is a good one, with many benefits for the purchaser. But you didn't "pre-purchase" the game. One cannot "pre"-purchase, only purchase, a good. You purchased a promise...

Exactly what I was referring to in my tongue-in-cheek posting. Like you, I wasn't referring to BlueRaven's use of the term as it has become so commonplace to incorrectly use pre.

[The Conquistador]

Anyone else waiting for Borderlands 2 to come out?