The "newer is better" phenomenon

Shalaban · Post by **Shalaban** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 4:58 pm

GOD I HATE THAT!!!!!

I had forgone seeing any of The Lord of the Rings movies at the theater so that I could buy them on DVD to see that extra “2 to 12 min.” of extra footage. Only to find after buying them they were released again in two different kinds of extended versions. They have just re-released them again. And I’m sure they will be again, like books, movies, T.V. programs, songs, software, hardware, and apparently religions.

Yes these things do occur. People want to validate and re-experience in a new way something they believe in and love. Christianity is to Judaism as 2ed ed. AD&D is to 1st ed. AD&D. (A slight twist on an already well founded base.) As is Zoroastrianism, is to Judaism, so to, is OD&D is to 1st ed. AD&D. (A basic foundation upon which many new rules and concepts were derived from.)

I hope the above does not offend anyone as I am not comparing the merits of the religions themselves but only using them as a metaphor that I am familiar with.

Things change even in our own campaigns and game mechanics, so that even if you don’t buy in to all this hype; there would still be a flux of changes (improvements/updates) in our games. Not only is it human nature, but it’s the 2ed Law of Thermodynamics.

I want the definitive/best game as well. Even though I know this can never exist.

As change is never one thing, it can be good as well as bad.

Point in case- By the time I got around to watching The Battle for the Planet of the Apes, I got to see it Widescreen, Digitally Mastered THX and Dolby Digital sound, Digitally Re-mastered footage, Extended Edition with 10 min. more never before seen footage, tons of behind the scenes footage, Spanish and French as well as Captions (should I need any of these last for friends) on a Dual Layered Digital Video Disk that I can see again and again with no reduction in sound or video quality. Not bad for a 1973 film. I think I got my money’s worth.

If I were to have “The Original” 1973 movie experience I don’t think it would be as good, although there is no deigning it is still an original.

dcs · Post by **dcs** » Sat Nov 18, 2006 10:52 pm

What boggles my mind is the sheer amount of disposable income some people seem to have. Gaming books are expensive these days; why invest in a new version when you have so much $$$ invested in another? I never had that kind of spending money.

Then again, I guess if you can pay $6000 for a PS3, you can spare a few hundred dollars for gaming books.

Finarvyn · Post by **Finarvyn** » Sun Nov 19, 2006 8:31 am

dcs wrote:What boggles my mind is the sheer amount of disposable income some people seem to have. Gaming books are expensive these days; why invest in a new version when you have so much $$$ invested in another? I never had that kind of spending money.

In some ways, this is my very problem. I never had that kind of spending money growing up, but now I do. I find myself constantly searching e-bay for the games I never had from the 1980's, or for games I had and no longer own.

As far as the editions go, the new books look neat. They have cool color pictures and many of the settings detailed are kind of interesting. Having said that, when we play I never run new-edition games. The closest thing to a "new" RPG I run is probably C&C, which was designed to work like an old style game.

However ... look at my bookshelves in my den and you'll find OD&D, AD&D, Second Edition AD&D, and several 3E books in addition to the C&C rules (which I own in collectable boxed set and hardback full set).

I find myself just as guilty as the rest, but at least they play their 3.5E stuff. I just buy it, look at it, and convert it.

JDJarvis · Post by **JDJarvis** » Sun Nov 19, 2006 5:28 pm

The amount of disposable income people have is pretty darned amazing to me. I get paid wel land I still don't understand how soem folks can afford what they do on fun and recreation (or think they can afford).

That being said , game books are actually cheaper these days. Sure the price tag says $34.95 but that is $34.95 today, that's $12.57 in 1979 dollars. No wonder the contents of many of those new and improved gaming prodcuts just aren't all that impressive, there is no way in heck you were gettting a quality book printed in color in 1979 for $12.57 and the truth of that means you aren't getting that in 2006 for $34.95.

Sure the new product is polished and buffed and has all the trendy frills but the time spent to really improve the genuine quality of the product really just isn't there.

dcs · Post by **dcs** » Sun Nov 19, 2006 6:40 pm

JDJarvis wrote:The amount of disposable income people have is pretty darned amazing to me. I get paid wel land I still don't understand how soem folks can afford what they do on fun and recreation (or think they can afford).

I am well-paid myself, but most of my money goes to support my family. I guess if my wife and I didn't have any kids, or if she worked rather than staying home, then we might have some $$$ to spend on fun and recreation.

I like it better this way, though.

JDJarvis · Post by **JDJarvis** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 8:16 am

dcs wrote: I am well-paid myself, but most of my money goes to support my family. I guess if my wife and I didn't have any kids, or if she worked rather than staying home, then we might have some $$$ to spend on fun and recreation.

I like it better this way, though.

a little OT and no marriage rant here...but- I got divorced and it saved me about $500 a month (and my EX worked) and I have the kids. So I can afford to date, pay for those annoying emergency expenses and buy the odd game product but i still don't have the bottomless pockets of lots of folks. Then again I don't live in my parents basement ....

.

Mythmere · Post by **Mythmere** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 12:06 pm

JDJarvis wrote:I don't live in my parents basement .... .

I think we have a bingo.

Actually, I take that back. I've seen several people who clearly spend a lot of money who are normal people, and many have kids. It just must be different budgeting. Some parts of the USA have pay structures that generate higher disposable income than others, even taking higher cost of living into account. The urban coasts, in particular.

JamesEightBitStar · Post by **JamesEightBitStar** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 10:13 pm

There's another angle to this I just thought of, with regards to the frivolous spenders.

Three years ago, I was in a depression, and I would buy a lot of junk I didn't really need in order to try and find happiness.

This year, I finally overcame it, and found myself satisfied with the things I already had.

So it may be that people who spend exhorbitant amounts are having some emotional problems.

JDJarvis · Post by **JDJarvis** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:29 am

JamesEightBitStar wrote:There's another angle to this I just thought of...
So it may be that people who spend exhorbitant amounts are having some emotional problems.

I agree with you. If I lived in my parents basement I'd be pretty depressed. Happiness thru purchase is a common disorder from what i can tell. they even have the term "buyer's remorse" becaseu the purchase of a product didn't really fill that empty spot. New and improved products sell well becasue the old ones aren;'t makign peopel happy anymore (or they think they aren't).

AxeMental · Post by **AxeMental** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:43 am

The entire RPG model seems to be based on this though. If monopoly sales start slipping, they don't change monopoly, rewrite the rules etc. they just create new games. With FRPG publishers its going after a collectors market as well. I know alot of guys who buy systems and $100s worth of books they read but never play (they just want to hold them, build collections etc.) Its no stranger then collecting dolls or baseball cards.

WSmith · Post by **WSmith** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:09 pm

As much as many hate Ryan Dancey, I thank him for the forethought to convince the PTB at Wizzo to open license much of the D&D rules. Thanks to OSRIC, BFRPG, Microlite 20, 1km1kt, and many of the other FREE RPGs out there in web world, I have sworn to never to buy RPG rules again!!! (adventures are a different story, but even then I am very cautious) The RPG industry is so screwed up, as I have cited prior ad nausium, that I would rather send a guy who types up his own RPG on a computer in his spare time, cause he loves doing so, a few bucks via Paypal for a lulu copy than ever give any of those big companies another penny!

rogatny · Post by **rogatny** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 3:01 pm

AxeMental wrote:The entire RPG model seems to be based on this though. If monopoly sales start slipping, they don't change monopoly, rewrite the rules etc. they just create new games. With FRPG publishers its going after a collectors market as well. I know alot of guys who buy systems and $100s worth of books they read but never play (they just want to hold them, build collections etc.) Its no stranger then collecting dolls or baseball cards.

This is true. And it's quite obvious to me that a significant number of "gaming" materials are meant to be had and look good on the shelf more so than to be played with. (Many of the 2e era boxed sets spring to mind.) It's just an odd phenomena. One not unlike the comic book collectors who never actually read the comic books they buy. Certainly in the 90's you saw a lot of comics with special edition holographic covers to entice the collectors, with little on the inside that was of much note.

R.A.