Key

I want to talk about the stigma that revolves around the concept of Early Access games. The reason for this is because it seems as though there are two sides to this argument, and both sides are very strong in their opinion. On one side, nobody wants to have to pay upwards to 20-30 dollars for a game that isn't even complete, and on the other side, people don't mind spending the money to help the developer or developers involved turn the game into something that could potentially be amazing. I want to talk about which side I fall on, and shed some light into the topic in general.

So, as you can see above, the definition of an early access game is pretty obvious. You're paying for a game that hasn't been completed yet. You're probably thinking "really?, you're going to buy a game that hasn't been completed?" Well, for me, yes, I don't mind paying the money to play a game that already looks interested before the game even gets complete. There are a lot of games that are going the early access route, and a lot of them are already fantastic. Games like DayZ, or 7 Days To Die, ARK: Survival Evolved, and The Forest to name a few. These games even before they are officially released are still in development, but as it stands now, they are already a lot of fun to play. I mean...it should give you a pretty good idea as to how much fun they are as I have over 20 hours in 7 Days To Die alone.

From my experience, most early access games aren't meant to be a way for someone to just throw something together in 10 minutes and attempt to release it. Almost every single time i've checked out an early access game, the game is either close to being completed, or the game is so polished at it's current state that it's fun to play, and exciting to see the updates that come along with it. Most of the time, when i'm looking at the Steam store, the last thing i'm worried about is whether or not it's an early access game, because I'm probably going to enjoy the game regardless. Sure, early access games will come with their share of problems like FPS issues, graphics bugs, crashes, etc. But at the same time, you have to be excited for what the game could become if the developer decides to continue on with the game they've attempted to make thus far, which leads me to my next point.

One of my favorite things about early access games is the fact that even before the game is released, you can help the developer out by supporting their journey to finish a game that you would like to play. From what I can tell, the reason a lot of developers are going the early access route from the get go is for that reason, to gain a fanbase and to get some monetary support for their work. I honestly don't mind dishing out 10-20 bucks to help a developer make a game that they've wanted to put their soul into. Especially when, like I said, the game already looks polished and exciting even before it's initial release date. I say this, because a lot of early access games have successfully made it out of early access and have become full games, with continuous updates from the developers, and for the developers, they now have a steady and consistent flow of commentary coming from their fanbase. It's a really good marketing strategy to get your name out there, even if it means you have to label your game with the "early access" stigma.

At the same time, I do understand that people don't even want to touch early access games for the reason that it does cost money to buy a game that isn't finished, but again, it can be worth it in most cases, and it's always nice to see the development process of a game, and to see that the developers truly care about their product to dish out as many updates as they possibly can. Makes the 10-20 bucks you dished out to them seem far more worth it.