• bloup@lemmy.sdf.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    112
    ·
    7 months ago

    It turns out that, just like fancy graphics, not constantly trying to empty your customers pockets actually represents some kind of economic value. The ironic thing is so many of these old games were literally designed to steal your quarters.

    • RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      66
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      7 months ago

      Well, only the arcade versions of games were designed to steal your quarters. The home console versions were much better about not harassing your wallet.

      For instance, Gauntlet Legends on its arcade cabinet hardware drained your health at a consistent time based rate. Add more quarters to gain more health. All home console versions abolished this health drain mechanic.

      • any1there@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        32
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        7 months ago

        That’s mostly true, except for games made specifically harder so that you’d have to rent them multiple times (eg: ActRaiser 2 NTSC-U/C / SNES is much harder than its NTSC-J / SFC counterpart).

        • teft@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          27
          ·
          7 months ago

          games made specifically harder so that you’d have to rent them multiple times

          Fucking BattleToads

        • Lifecoach5000@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          8
          ·
          7 months ago

          That’s mostly true, except for games made specifically harder so that you’d have to rent them multiple times

          Wait this was a thing game designers actually to into account? I’ve never heard this

          • NaibofTabr@infosec.pub
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            17
            ·
            7 months ago

            Probably some games did after the home rental market got started, but a lot of older games were difficult specifically to extend the experience. Cartridge storage was small, so if it was too easy you’d get through all 10 levels in less than a day and then feel like you hadn’t got very much for your money.

            • Lifecoach5000@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              6
              ·
              7 months ago

              Well I guess I am just wondering how more rentals from a video store would benefit the developers financially? I mean I’m sure I could research but surely game studios didn’t get any kind of percentage from the rental places based on how many times a title was rented right?

              • xyzzy@lemm.ee
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                9
                ·
                7 months ago

                They didn’t want you to rent it multiple times. They wanted you to rent it once, be unable to beat it, but be intrigued enough that you purchased the game from a store. If you could play and beat a game in a single rental, there was little incentive to buy it (so the developers thought, and I imagine had some data to back it up).

              • NaibofTabr@infosec.pub
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                4
                ·
                7 months ago

                More rentals = more demand = more copies purchased by rental stores (I can’t rent you the game you want if someone else has it right now).

          • Aniki 🌱🌿@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            7 months ago

            There was definitely the occasional tom-foolery with publishers and designers here and there but it was also generally never at the expense of game play.

        • son_named_bort@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          7 months ago

          The game companies also wanted gamers to call their hotline if they get stuck, where they would charge by the minute to give tips (and they weren’t known for their brief calls).

        • 800XL@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          7 months ago

          Except there were so many Japanese games not brought to the west because they were deemed too difficult for western gamers.

          • xyzzy@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            edit-2
            7 months ago

            You say this like you’re correcting the person you’re responding to, but they didn’t dispute this. Both can be true.

        • 4am@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          7 months ago

          Did game companies get royalties from rentals? I though the idea was that you’d want to buy it if you couldn’t beat it in a rental period

        • RightHandOfIkaros@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          7 months ago

          But is making a game harder to discourage rental and encourge purchasing stealing your quarters? Id argue no. You still get value if you renting the game, and the idea of rentals is really that if you like it then you pay to own it.