10:13 AM - Games
I've noticed a new pattern among game developers. Software has always been licensed, but now we're only buying unkown length licenses to these products. With a game like World of Warcraft, I know I'm subscribing month to month, but I don't know if they will keep running the server indefinetely. Eventually the game will die. WIth a MMORPG, this is acceptible and inevitable. However, other games like the new Assassin's Creed 2 require a constant Internet connection to play. They actually download part of the game engine on each load. If they decide to turn off the servers or go out of business, you lose access to the game forever. This is the same problem that happened on the Xbox. I bought an Xbox to play games online. Soon, EA started turning off sports titles servers. They want you to buy the new title each year. That means I'm paying $50 a year to keep playing and the game experience changes each year. Perhaps with an NBA game, I want to play the Pistons in 2004 instead of 2010. I realize it costs some money to run servers, but this is rediculous. Either they build in the cost to run the game servers for several years into the game or they warn people that the servers are only guranteed up for a year.
I'm in favor of explicit minimums on the boxes (by date). I want to know if the game comes out March 2010 that it will work until at least March 2011. I also want to know in February 2011 that I have a month to play possibly. It dramatically changes how much I'm willing to pay for a title. If it's so important, they can add a sticker if they extend the time frame to the box. This is only reasonable. With other subscription models, I know how long I have. SInce I'm obviously paying for server time now, I should know how long it lasts.
I often buy games on Steam. I know that if Valve decides to pull the plug, I could lose all those games. It's a risk I've chosen to take. WIth some games, I don't know how long i have now and in a retail box from a store like best buy, I expect to play the game for several years. I still play age of empires 2. I love it. The game doesn't even run on 64bit windows, but I still play! I even run 32bit windows just to play. What if I like a game? Will I be cut off forever?