Advice
Have you ever been unsure on choosing to buy a video game? The games I am talking about are ones that caught your interest, even a little.
Well this discussion will go over a guide that I hope will help you make a decision, on purchasing a video game. These sections are based on what I do when I finally choose to want a game.
Note: This will only focus on what to do when buying a video game for yourself not someone else. The price of a game will not be mention in this post, only the game itself.
Post Discussion Categories
- How Are Games Advertised?
- The Types Of Game Trailers
- An Absolute Buy
- Do Research About The Game
- Check Out Game Reviews
- Watch The Game In Action
- My Intuition
After using the following strategies, making a decision to purchase will be much easier.
How Are Games Advertised?
Game Developers give their games attention from trailers and gamming events through out the year. These events are game conferences, where companies come together to present their games to the public. Not only trailers are shown, but individuals who are present, can have the opportunity to play a sample of the new games.
Some companies have someone explaining and playing the game on stage, or in a room. There are many conferences, but the most popular conference is E3. The Electronic Entertainment Expo is in Los Angles, California, and always appears in the middle of June. As the most popular, companies really strive to appear at the event.
Game Company Events
Companies can even present games on their own. The presentation is a collection of video game trailers, that feature future titles. For example, Nintendo uses Nintendo Directs as a way to share what games are being developed, and some games are from third party (non-Nintendo) developers as well. This idea is a really great way to get people’s attention for game developers and happens more than once a year.
The Types Of Game Trailers
Video Games are announced through trailers, and there is always more than one. These trailers are the different stages in how a video game is advertised. The more trailers presented, the closer a game is to being done.
Note: The information a trailer shares depends on the game. Some videos present more content than others, no matter what type of trailer it is.
The order of trailers is explained below.
Teaser Trailer
The first appearance of a game in video format. It is a really short 30 second to a minute video of announcing a game that mainly shows the title, and maybe a cinematic of a few characters.
First Trailer
This goes though what the game is about and shows more characters in the game. It should give the viewer the kind of tone the game is exposing and have a few clips of gameplay. The viewer should know what genre the game is and the first release date is given (I call it a release year trailer).
Second Trailer
It needs to show more gameplay than anything, and explains some of its features. They can add anything that was not in the first trailer, like a new mode or a playable character. By this time, most people made up their mind on wanting the game or not. The release date is more specific and will release on the day chosen.
Launch Trailer
This video is to promote the game, by telling everyone the game is released today.
Accolades Trailer
These are to promote the game by showing scores from popular critic sources.
Other Trailers
Games can have more trailers for extra things like coming to another system or dlc being added.
The other ways I see a game are from ads, emails, and word of mouth. Now that we know more about trailers, here are the different ways to examine a game, to know if its something worth purchasing.
Each of the sections below will relate to one of the trailers in this discussion.
An Absolute Buy
This is straight forward, some video games out there I know I want without a second thought. This goes into the teaser or the first trailer section for me. The franchises I already know makes this easier, than an Intellectual Property I don’t know. Everyone who likes video games have this too.
Do Research About The Game
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin (playstation.com)
Game Console Website Example
Now here is when the decision making starts to happen. If you think a game trailer looks cool or interesting, try to do research on the game. One way to research, is to check if it has a website. The website will have information from the story summary, to how many players it has available. If it doesn’t have a website, check it out on the system’s website, the game will be released on. They have it in a simpler format and its quicker to navigate.
Mostly after the teaser or until the first trailer, information like this will appear. Wikipedia funny or not, is actually a good way to read about a game too. A website will give you only the important parts of a game. Wiki pages are for more in depth information for example, knowing all of the TMs a Pokémon can learn.
Check Out Reviews
Checking out reviews are a good idea to help you. You can look at critic scores like Metacritic, but I am talking about reviews from non-critics. Just watch or read what people think about a video game on YouTube or a blog post. If one doesn’t help, look at another one.
If you really pay attention, there are some things people say that are in common, either good or bad. Those points should tell you the overall feel about the game. Reviews appears after the release of a game and its accolades trailer, if it has one.
Watch The Game In Action
I do this sometimes if their is a video game I would like to get, but want to see it in action. Sometimes seeing a game play (get it) is a good strategy. In today’s time, you can watch people play video games.
They are called “video game walkthroughs or playthroughs” and you can type any video game in a search engine and watch someone play it. People do this on their YouTube channel. It does not matter if it has commentary, a live stream, or a video playlist collection, all that matters is watching the game.
My main rule for doing this, is to only watch the beginning of the game. A good idea is to watch the first part, or the first world if it’s a platformer. This depends on the game itself and the length of the person’s video. Some people get a review copy to play, before the game is released.
My Intuition
There are times when I see a video game and choose to purchase it, just because I believe it will be great. From doing this, the outcome is what you expect. I have experienced getting a really good game and a really bad one. This can go for a series I know and something brand new to me. Its smart to try one of the tips I have, just to be safe on your expectations.
Here are video games that I have purchased, based on using one of the ideas I shared.
- Absolute Buy – Super Smash Brothers Ultimate
- Research – Xenoblade Chronicles
- Reviews – Pokemon Let’s Go Evee
- Walk-through – Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King
- Intuition – Astral Chain
Conclusion
These are all of the methods I follow before I decide on buying a game. It does take more than one of these ideas depending on the game. In the end, deciding to buy a game depends on your taste and interests.
Tell me if you have any strategies in purchasing a video game, to know that your decision is wise. If you have ever bought a game from doing one of these tips, tell me the game’s name and the method used.
I know there other ways to help for example playing a demo, but I wanted to share ideas people don’t know too well. That’s all for now see you at the next blog post.
Let’s Talk and Learn About Games.