
There used to be a time in which pre-ordering a game was only a dream. A time when you actually had to stand in line, sometimes for hours, in order to get your hands on a cartridge before it was sold out. I remember when Ocarina of Time came out in 1998. I was working in the mall, next to EB Games. I had to fight my way through the line just to get into my store. And then, when it was finally open, customers could not even get in because the line was so big. It actually started a few fights because the Zelda fanboys thought my customers were trying to cut in line.
Today pre-ordering a game is the norm. What better way to strut past those gamers, that waited until the last minute, while waiving your golden ticket in their faces! When Pre-ordering started, it definitely stopped the unnecessarily long lines like the one in the example above, but it didn’t stop them completely. For those that don’t have the game shipped directly to them, they will still wait outside their favorite store at midnight so they can rush home and be the first to play.
In the beginning, everybody got the same game. It didn’t matter if you went to EB Games or Wal Mart. Then the developers got smart (or money hungry, not sure which) and began
to offer exclusive posters/trinkets/statues with their games. Many times these special editions costs more, but gave you got something special to display. Something to prove that you were a true fan! I liked this idea because, other than the game itself, you had something physical to hold onto and display.
The gaming industry eventually began to offer downloadable content. At first I was pretty excited that I could now download new uniforms, guns, and in some cases new levels. It made game play exciting and broke up some of the monotony. However, the gaming industry realized that they could profit from exclusive downloadable content at the launch of a new game. If all pre-orders contained the same content, I would be okay with it. Unfortunately, that content now depends on where you buy the game. This is why I am not a fan of exclusive content.