[STEAM] Let’s settle this once and for all – is advanced access in video games a problematic practice, or not?

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Alright, I've never been a big fan of corporate thinking. The other day, I read on social media that a toothpaste manufacturer made the opening to their tubes a millimeter thicker and saw increased sales, since everyone inadvertently used more toothpaste.

And you know what? People were celebrating the ingenuity behind it. Great, let's all celebrate how someone found a way to extract more out of people without giving them any value in return. That's the kind of corporate thinking I'm against, just so we're clear.

Package up my favorite game with a 20" monster figurine, a flag, seven t-shirts, and then make it $300? Great, sure, there's added value, I'll bite. But make it $40 more expensive and then only offer me two days extra access in return? I think I'll skip.

And so we've finally arrived at the crux of the argument. It's one I've tried to have before, but it didn't garner all that much interest. I thought gamers loved to complain? I know I do.

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user eculley has taken a stab at

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on the forum website, and I'm seeing so many mixed messages in the comments. Some, like me, feel like it's just another corporate exploitation tool. Take user The-Choo-Choo-Shoe for example (epic username, by the way), who says: "It's not really early access, that's just the release date. For everyone that is "too poor" to pay the higher price you get punished for a few days and can't play on release."

Others simply don't care, but there are some who even seem to like it. One

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user, whose name is a bit too disturbing to share here, says: "Honestly, I like it."

They go on to explain that seeing footage early is the core reason, not actually playing the game early. A little odd, but alright. If you actually like advanced access, please do leave a comment with why. I'd love to hear more.

Advanced access vs. early access

There is one last thing I'd like to clear up before we get into the comments here, and that's what to call this phenomenon. Early access is simply a launch into anything before 1.0. If a game isn't fully baked yet, it launches into early access — we've had those for years now.

If it's simply the chance to play a game before its "release date," then it's referred to as advanced access.

Anyway, this isn't exactly a new topic, but with yet more releases following this advanced access route in the near future, what are your thoughts? Let's settle this once and for all.

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