Don't choose to exploit disadvantaged economies at the expense of people who live in them, to save on your luxury purchases.
Because banning everything we don't like makes this place boring. Hate speech, yes. Insults, yes. Opinions that just kinda suck? Eh
Can't the game that connect to multiplayer systems be easily used to track things like 'digital license bought in turkey, currently playing online from Alabama".Lots of ways, surveys or just seeing the spikes in the cheapest countries.
I don't know why people can't see the harm they do with this.
It most likely is, it'd explain part of their business model.
Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Some people are also doing this because they don't have enough money on the side to buy a game at full price.It's fucked up that 3rd world country gamers have to pay the price because 1st world gamers want to save a few bucks which are equivalent to like a full days wage at other places.
I think it's valid to express concerns and frustration over this practice. There are absolutely regions that get fucked over by this. It's a good topic to have a dialogue about. There are people that abuse it in bad faith - especially when it comes to resellers.There are definitely a lot of cases of people who abuse regional pricing because they otherwise would never have access to games or game services, etc, because they genuinely can't afford them. I don't think anyone, even developers, mind that very much. Certainly publishers do but fuck publishers.
However, those are a very very small minority of that specific demographic of players. Obviously you'd have to take my word for it and that's worth little to nothing, but for what it's worth, most of the players I caught abusing Russian regional pricing in my work, were spending hundreds a month on other services for the game anyway. Some of them, though admitedly not most, I even caught engaging in real-money trading of in-game currency through external sites on top of the money they already spend on the game. They are not players of little means.
Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Some people are also doing this because they don't have enough money on the side to buy a game at full price.
It's not. But we will not agree on this anyway :x
All of this.Blame the platform holders and the publishers that have far more ability to put controls in place to prevent this than attacking people that take advantage of the loophole. I don't know their situation, and I'm willing to bet most in this thread that used such language don't either. Plenty of people in rich countries have shit situations despite that.
It's not. But we will not agree on this anyway :x
Edit : I was talking about using key resellers btw, might not have been clear in my post, my bad !
Then that's easy: don't buy the game. Will the world end because you can't play a game?Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Some people are also doing this because they don't have enough money on the side to buy a game at full price.
The world won't end, but with how shitty life can be for some people, who am i to tell them that they're wrong to use a loophole to buy something that can make them feel good ?Then that's easy: don't buy the game. Will the world end because you can't play a game?
Then you don't buy the game. It's pretty simple.Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Some people are also doing this because they don't have enough money on the side to buy a game at full price.
Oh most certainly not, but might they hate their lives or situation so much that they would pay what they can for some escapism even if it might be morally wrong? Yeah. Some of you really need to revisit the idea of empathy.Then that's easy: don't buy the game. Will the world end because you can't play a game?
Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Some people are also doing this because they don't have enough money on the side to buy a game at full price.
Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Some people are also doing this because they don't have enough money on the side to buy a game at full price.
Because that loophole fucks up people whose salary at most only works to give them the basic to live. Guess what are their options if they can't buy a game because the developer increased the price? Either pirate it or don't play it because they can't.The world won't end, but with how shitty life can be for some people, who am i to tell them that they're wrong to use a loophole to buy something that can make them feel good ?
Yes this is obviously the better solution, and the one i'd advocate to anyone asking me for tips on getting games for cheap.It's understandable to want to save money, but they can use legit key sites instead like cdkeys.
Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Some people are also doing this because they don't have enough money on the side to buy a game at full price.
Not a fair characterization.
Parts of the United States are unbelievably bad. Ask Black folks living in Flint, Michigan how it feels having lead in the water.
The wealth stratification in the US is the worst it has ever been. Some people are fabulously, luxuriously comfortable. Many, many more are poor, desperate, starving, one medical bill away from homelessness and ruin.
So if they try to get a game cheaper, they're taking advantage of other people?
This is a complex topic, and there are absolutely rich people gaming the system and ruining it for everyone. But don't assume that just because someone is from a rich country they have it better. The depths of squalor and poverty in the US would truly shock you.
Because that loophole fucks up people whose salary at most only works to give them the basic to live. Guess what are their options if they can't buy a game because the developer increased the price? Either pirate it or don't play it because they can't.
There are way TOO many games to play, many of them discounted or in a sale. Buy those instead of wanting to play the shiny new release. Surely that can't be hard.
Well by that logic, why can't you tell the people in Argentina not to play shiny new releases?
Because when developers increase the price of the games in those countries, guess what happens? They already had problems buying those games. Now it is almost impossible. With a wage of $200 per month, buying a game isn't feasible at all.Well by that logic, why can't you tell the people in Argentina not to play shiny new releases?
US minimum wage does not give you the basic salary to live; a minimum wage worker in the US with 2 family members is below the poverty line, and likely doesn't have healthcare since minimum wage jobs don't give you enough hours to qualify.
To be clear, I think it's fucked that some rich people might have abused this regional pricing and are ruining it for folks in countries that really need it.
But it is absolute bullshit to treat impoverished, struggling people in the US as though they have it so great, and tell them they need to have empathy for other impoverished people just because they live in a country that slaps them in the face with wealth they will never have access to.
Because when developers increase the price of the games in those countries, guess what happens? They already had problems buying those games. Now it is almost impossible. With a wage of $200 per month, buying a game isn't feasible at all.
Seeing games go above $85-90 dollars these days is pretty disheartening. Callisto Protocol is $1700 Mexican pesos and I'm worried that will be the new standard in the coming months or years.This is really sad for we in the LATAM community and other similar countries. As if it wasn't already hard to justify purchasing a game at launch or even in sale considering the latest price hikes.
It's not a practice I partake in, but sadly many people here in South America do. I always read posts about people abusing regional pricing (Turkey I think is the country they use) on Xbox and shit like that, Argentina was also very common for this.What is this forums stance on this? Imo regional price abuse should be treated the same as piracy.
That's the thing, they don't already. This just made it worse.
And please stop trying to make this about US citizens when they aren't the ones being hurt by this
You can actually buy gift cards, as long as it's a gift card for the currency of your current region.You know this isnt working anymore? You must have an argentine Credit card. You cant buy gift card, you cant gift games.
Here in Brazil people are buying argentine steam accounts sold by argentines
The issue they are trying to solve is not that too few people play this game in (e.g.) Turkey.I feel like increasing the prices just makes it worse? If 15% of sales in the region are from people inside the country, and you make it unaffordable for people inside the country, won't that just drop to under 15%???
Guess what, you can have a great life in a shit country or a terrible life in an amazing country. Experiences are not 1:1, and the fucking ignorance and audacity to claim someone that makes such a choice is "SCREWING A COUNTRY" as if such a person's choice is ACTUALLY THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE ISSUE is so comically stupid that I can't fathom sharing it publicly. It turns out both sides can lose while the companies and governments setting policy and making precedent collect their coin and then upcharge additional fees because the people along the way have the audacity to be poor. Good lord.I remember people being warned for advocating regional pricing abuse, is no longer the case?
People in affected countries also don't have money to buy at full price most of the time, even with good regional pricing
Like... not screwing a country because you want a game at full price?
In Argentina it's as low as $60/moBecause when developers increase the price of the games in those countries, guess what happens? They already had problems buying those games. Now it is almost impossible. With a wage of $200 per month, buying a game isn't feasible at all.
Guess what, you can have a great life in a shit country or a terrible life in an amazing country. Experiences are not 1:1, and the fucking ignorance and audacity to claim someone that makes such a choice is "SCREWING A COUNTRY" as if such a person's choice is ACTUALLY THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE ISSUE is so comically stupid that I can't fathom sharing it publicly. It turns out both sides can lose while the companies and governments setting policy and making precedent collect their coin and then upcharge additional fees because the people along the way have the audacity to be poor. Good lord.
Those who can't afford games anyway will just resort to the high seas. Way more cost effective. The abusers are just trying to get their cake and eat it too.
Platorm holders should crack down even more on regional changes
Oh most certainly not, but might they hate their lives or situation so much that they would pay what they can for some escapism even if it might be morally wrong? Yeah. Some of you really need to revisit the idea of empathy.
People doing this because they are very poor is a narrative that came from nowhere, there's no evidence of that. And I guess now they will have to pay more anyway so everybody loses
They actually do that now. What's happening is people in those countries buy the games on accounts and then sell those accounts to people or do that as a service and take a little profit.if big platform holders like Sony and Nintendo can lock their stores so that you're required to have a card issued in the US to use them, why couldn't Steam do the same and require buyers to have credit cards belonging to the country they say they're from? also, since they can tell where the buyer is located, they should be able to do something with those that buy the account from someone else from another country online.