Honestly I think this is a considerable portion of pre-orders. We didn't have too much money when I was a kid so having something pre-ordered, knowing that when it comes out I'll for sure get it, felt really good. Those were the ODST, Battlefront 2 (original) and Oblivion days, though.

Times have changed since, and even to kid me I'm pretty sure how buggy these games tend to be would annoy me.

At the end of the day, it's a constant battle in my head between "let people enjoy things and do what they want with their own money" and "their spending actively lets companies know it's ok to do this over and over again, delivering buggy messes that will affect game series I enjoy" lol.