10 Most Desperate Ways Video Games Got You To Play

Pre-order bonuses are an attempt by publishers to incentivise players throwing down money for a game before it's commercially available and typically before reviews have been released.

This isn't to say that all pre-order bonuses are inherently bad or maliciously inclined, but they do nevertheless feed into a wider culture of publishers trying to wring as much money from potential customers as possible before the game has even come to market.

After all, once you've pre-ordered a game you're probably not going to cancel it, and even if you've lost interest in the game you might actually forget to cancel.

The bonuses range from plastic tat figurines to multiplayer maps and in-game advantages which won't be available to "regular" players for some time (if ever), and they're all conceived with the hope of parting you of your money as soon as damn possible.

Some bonuses are more controversial than others, with the gameplay advantages proving especially divisive given their potential to create a divide between players.

Clearly, there's an exploitation of FOMO going on here, with publishers again manipulating human psychology for maximum financial gain.

This is all because publishers know that consumers waiting for reviews is absolutely not in their best interest most of the time, and they'll do anything they can to get your money early.