this post was submitted on 06 Sep 2023
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It may be silly but I usually will blindly buy a game, find out it doesn't work, then wait for a few years until it does. Because it will. Even if someone has to reverse engineer the game engine to use the game assets.
That's silly and dumb on top, because games rapidly lose value. The $60 game you buy today (and don't play) costs $40 in a year. And will be in a $12 Humble Bundle with 9 other games in 3-5 years tops.
I already get enough games in bundles that I don't play, when I actually buy a game (even on sale) I only do it if I want to play it immediately. Otherwise in the future it will be cheaper anyway and have plenty of updates on top (if it didn't get abandoned).
The thing is: I'd never buy a €60 game, because money is hard to earn. I have clear priorities, games are just a hobby.
Most of the games I buy are either old and more suitable to run on lower end hardware, or discounted, or bundles. I hate multiplayer games, so I won't jump on the latest hyped up AAA franchise either. I'm a proud member of /c/patientgamers and /c/retrogamers.
My comment was meant as a tribute to how much gaming on Linux has improved, and to the people that make it happen.
How often does that happen though? Usually these games get a couple updates early on to fix major bugs, and once it’s stable it’s never touched again.
On the Mac side it’s been a real sad story because so many old 32bit and/or x86 games simply can’t run anymore.
The work that is going into Wine, Proton, DosBox, ScummVM, Luxtorpeda and all the other compatibility tools is what makes me quite positive that any game I buy will eventually get supported.
Sometimes that assumption will fail, but it's a very small percentage of the games I own. I can live with that.
As the other guy pointed out that’s a little silly from an economics standpoint. Games depreciate quickly so it’s going to be cheaper to wait until someone confirms Linux support.
Also, buying something in hopes of it one day getting the support you want? That’s just crazy! Don’t buy something until it fits all your needs.
I usually buy games with heavy discounts or in bundles. For example, the last bundle I bought was Skyrim Special Edition + Prey for under €20. I was OK if one (or both) were unplayable or I if simply didn't like them.
I don't get upset if once in a while a game does not work, because I've seen the evolution of gaming on Linux since the 90's, and have seen many unplayable games become playable. Yes, it sometimes takes a decade or so. :-)
I don't spend too much on games because I have too many already that I most certainly will not be able to play before I die.
You're free to spend your money however you wish, but buying a whole bundle and being OK with not being able to play any game in it? If you would wait for the 10 years until it actually becomes playable you'll probably be able to get it for even less than $20.
You do you, but I personally don't advise people buy something until it's actually working. "Sit on this for 10 years and maybe then you'll get what you paid for" is bad advice.
It certainly is, I'd never advise anyone to do what I do.
Please, don't take financial advice from me.
Personally I prefer to get a refund with the explicit reason "Game wont run on proton" It gives clear quantifiable feedback to valve and the developer that they lost this money because it wouldnt run on linux.
Or at least I would if that had happened recently. Last time a game wouldnt run for me was ace combat 7.
Seems like a good idea, I might start doing just that.