I’m Still Not Buying Limited Run Games Anymore (but I Still Love the Company!)
Welcome to Burning Books. I’m Caleb, and I want to help you love video games even more. And if you are a fan of Limited Run Games, I’m about to help you love those games even more. You now have a better chance of owning those limited release games, because I’m not buying them anymore. I’m one less buyer to compete with.
I made a video about Limited Run Games a month ago. I’d like to make a better one. That’s what this is (hopefully it’s better). I’m going to talk about why I love what Limited Run Games does and why I’m not buying as many games from them as I used to. Sounds contradictory, I know…and it probably is. I’m still trying to figure out my own logic. Maybe you can help me out in the comments below. What am I thinking?
Limited Run Games is a company that distributes limited quantities of previously digital only video games for the PS4, PS Vita, and recently for the Nintendo Switch. This simple business model runs in direct opposition to the rest of the digital-forward gaming industry. Limited Run Games’ value proposition then is to keep the physical medium alive. This naturally taps into the collector market, and by making the games limited, they make that collector market ravenous. Each release sells out within minutes.
And I, since October 2016 have been one of those ravenous collectors, counting down the seconds prior to each release, waiting for the clock to strike 9:00am Central Standard Time, ready to act quick to secure every PS4 release. I later found some good deals on pre-October releases, and before I knew it I had accumulated an unbroken series, starting with the first release, Saturday Morning RPG, released in January 2016. This meant, I was hooked. I was in deep.
Maintaining the series became more important than vetting the quality of the games. Not that the games are bad, but the fact that I didn’t even question the quality is what’s important here. And this absence of questioning is what seeded my decision to cut back on purchases.
My backlog grew. It grew and grew and grew. Not only did 3-4 new Limited Run Games releases land on my shelf every month, but all those other exciting releases came too: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Nier: Automata . And every one of those new release purchase–though very exciting for me–was tinged with regret. Or, perhaps, sadness is a better word. A sadness that those backlogged Limited Run Games were getting pushed further and further down the list. As of today, I’ve played only 37 of the 68 Limited Run Games PS4 Releases.
And one day, I realized I couldn’t do it anymore. There are just way too many games I want to play, and I don’t have time to play games I’m not really excited to play.
I understand it’s not uncommon for video game collectors to own games they’ve never played and never intend to play. But that’s not me. And once I realized this, the decision to cut back on buying video games was easy. I had a clear flowchart: is this a game I will play? Buy. Is this a game I won’t play? Don’t buy.
And to be fair, I didn’t just say no to Limited Run Games releases. I’m cutting back on all games. Limited Run Games just happened to be my biggest problem. Cutting them off meant cutting off a huge expense because keep in mind I’m referring to those games as a continuum purchase, not as individual purchases. I was buying to maintain the series. Without a maintained series, I can now be more discriminating with the games I decide to purchase from them in the future.
And it’s important that I emphasize just how much I love Limited Run Games as a company. I buy into their why, their reason for being. I talk more about the company’s why in my “Limited Run Games Releases Saturday Morning RPG on the Switch” video, link in the description below. I bought this shirt after deciding that I was going to cut back on buying the games because I still wanted to support the company somehow.
Limited Run Games is helping to keep physical media alive. This is important. Many people don’t realize that buying digital isn’t ownership. You are not legally allowed to transfer ownership of that file. When you die, your digital games die with you. I learned this from VGCollectaholic, a smart guy and my co-host at the Masters of Unlocking podcast. Check us out. Half of us is smart.
Lastly, it’s important to note that me not purchasing their games anymore won’t hurt their bottom line. They sell out of every release every time. In fact, if you are a collector of Limited Run Games, you should be happy. I’m one less person buying the game you want.
My original video from a month ago is still available should you want to watch it, link in the description below. I stand by my opinion, so I’m not unpublishing the video. However, per various comments on the video I felt I could do a better job articulating the nuances of my decision to stop buying so many Limited Run Games releases.
Think of it this way. I will now enjoy the games I do play even more, meaning I’m a much more enthusiastic video game citizen. I’m a better member of the community, this community we all love so much.
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Thank you for watching.
Mentioned
- Masters of Unlocking Podcast: https://mastersofunlocking.com
- [VIDEO] I’m Not Buying Limited Run Games Anymore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzTvVm63WHQ
- [VIDEO] Limited Run Games Releases Saturday Morning RPG on the Switch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVRIkMvJTkc
Music Credits
8bit Dungeon Level Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
