I also stopped trying. It's impossible to have a conversation with absolutely everyone that plays games to get them to stop pre-ordering.

Gamers are also some of the worst type of people (sorry, just being honest here). They generally have very little self control and it's almost impossible to get them to change their minds or change their habits.

I can only change my own behaviors and stop getting fucked by these AAA publishers. Once you realize that it's ok to wait a week or so to see if the game is good, life gets much better.