Poll: Buying Used Games is just as Bad as Pirating

[Deleted]

In fact its even worse financially but better economically. [sub]I know what those words mean so I can use them.[/sub]

Pirating is free and detracts one sale from the Devs. But with used games, your money goes to someone else (which is morally the right thing.)

To say pirating is hurting the industry more than used games is to be wrong. Because the only argument against Pirating is that it hurts the industry. Otherwise you shouldn't care what people do with their lives, used games are just as bad.


Edit 1: A lot of people quoted me on different pages so I don't feel like quoting them back, that'll take too long.

The whole used vs pirate debate hinges on potential sales. Game companies will say that a pirate was a potential sale, but they won't say that a used game was a potential sale. Used games result in more money being given back to the store, while pirating games gives nothing back. That's the only upside to used games. Which does not concern game developers as much as you think.

And godammit, stop using the used car argument!

Edit 2: "Pirates don't buy new games!!1!1"
Maybe, maybe not. How do we know how many people are just poor and wouldn't have bought it anyways? With PC games I think its safe to say a good amount of people pirate because they have no other way to get games, which in the end doesn't hurt anyone.

Also, people buy used games because

a) Its not commercially available, hard to find
B) They can't afford a new copy.

Again, we don't know how many people would buy the new copy if they couldn't find it used, so there is no way to ultimately know which method (Pirating, Used) hurts the Devs more in terms of sales.

 

[Souplex]

I generally don't buy used unless it's all the store has.

 

[Bob_Bobbington]

To say pirating is hurting the industry more than used games is to be wrong.

But most of the time the games that are pirated are new releases that have the possibility of making or breaking a developer while used games are usually a year or more older.

 

[Amnestic]

Query: Do you also believe that buying a used car is the same as stealing one?

Pirating is free and detracts one sale from the Devs.

False - or at least, not always true. People could (and do) pirate games they never intended to buy in the first place, thus losing the developers nothing. Examples of this might be people with GBA/NDS emulators on the PC when they don't actually own the applicable handheld, but I would wager money that the vast number of PC gaming pirates never intended to pay for a copy in the first place.

 

[Deleted]

My Poll Vanished! Goddamn bugs!

To say pirating is hurting the industry more than used games is to be wrong.

But most of the time the games that are pirated are new releases that have the possibility of making or breaking a developer while used games are usually a year or more older.

That is a good point but that only applies to games on Steam or XBLA where you can't get them 'used'. However with 'new' developers then its hurting them without a doubt. But that's not hurting the industry because the big boys like EA aren't affected.

 

[lwm3398]

If you buy it used from a friend who bought it full price, that's still one sale of $60 to the developer, just $10 to a friend. Either way, with used games, somebody had to buy them first, then sell them for cheap. The company still gets money, no? They just don't get the money of two sales.

 

[Jandau]

In fact its even worse financially but better economically. [sub]I know what those words mean so I can use them.[/sub]

Pirating is free and detracts one sale from the Devs. But with used games, your money goes to someone else (which is morally the right thing.)

To say pirating is hurting the industry more than used games is to be wrong. Because the only argument against Pirating is that it hurts the industry. Otherwise you shouldn't care what people do with their lives, used games are just as bad.

Saying that used games hurt the industry is like saying you are hurting me because you are not sending me money every month. Technically, it's true, but when common sense is applied one quickly sees it's a load of bull...

First and foremost, ANY luxury item industry WILL have a second hand market. Books, cars, DVDs, CDs, clothes, jewelry, etc. This is basic economics. I would like to hear one good reason why gaming should be exempt from the basic economic processes that every other market is subject to?

The very fact that publishers are whining about second-hand sales is about as justified as me whining about me losing profits because you aren't mailing me money. True, but that doesn't mean I have any right to that money and no matter how much I whine about it, that won't change.

The gaming industry is easily the most spoiled and over-entitled entertainment industry in the world.

 

[Signa]

To say pirating is hurting the industry more than used games is to be wrong.

But most of the time the games that are pirated are new releases that have the possibility of making or breaking a developer while used games are usually a year or more older.

That's a gross generalization. I know of a lot of people that buy a new game, beat it, and then trade it in. Those games are going to get sold ASAP because they are still in demand. Hell, I constantly get emails from Amazon asking if I want to trade in the game I bought recently.

OT: I think used games are worse because they give you the sense of owning a game while piracy still encourages pirates to buy a game they liked. If I bought a used game, the devs get no money and I feel satisfied by owning it. If I pirated that same game, I would still feel like I would have to buy the game after evaluating it. As a consumer, I understand that if I want to see sequels to the games I love, I need to support them. Used games will make me feel like I satisfied my end of the bargain, but in truth, all I did was refund someone's money for buying the game before me.

 

[Bob_Bobbington]

My Poll Vanished! Goddamn bugs!

To say pirating is hurting the industry more than used games is to be wrong.

But most of the time the games that are pirated are new releases that have the possibility of making or breaking a developer while used games are usually a year or more older.

That is a good point but that only applies to games on Steam or XBLA where you can't get them 'used'. However with 'new' developers then its hurting them without a doubt. But that's not hurting the industry because the big boys like EA aren't affected.

Yeh, I suppose. But new developers are still part of the industry, no matter how small.

EDIT: Edited so it actually makes sense.

 

[Julianking93]

I buy used because I don't want to pay 20 dollars for a new copy of a game I can get used for 2 dollars.

Seriously, I buy a lot of old PS2 titles that are about 2 and 3 dollars used and if I were to purchase them new, it would be 20.

 

[Eleuthera]

If you buy it used from a friend who bought it full price, that's still one sale of $60 to the developer, just $10 to a friend. Either way, with used games, somebody had to buy them first, then sell them for cheap. The company still gets money, no? They just don't get the money of two sales.

So... copying/downloading is fine as long as I have friend who's bought it legally?

 

[Bat Vader]

I don't like buying used. I once bought a used game and it kept freezing up one me when I tried playing it.

That was when I decided that I like buying new better.

 

[Deleted]

In fact its even worse financially but better economically. [sub]I know what those words mean so I can use them.[/sub]

Pirating is free and detracts one sale from the Devs. But with used games, your money goes to someone else (which is morally the right thing.)

To say pirating is hurting the industry more than used games is to be wrong. Because the only argument against Pirating is that it hurts the industry. Otherwise you shouldn't care what people do with their lives, used games are just as bad.

Saying that used games hurt the industry is like saying you are hurting me because you are not sending me money every month. Technically, it's true, but when common sense is applied one quickly sees it's a load of bull...

First and foremost, ANY luxury item industry WILL have a second hand market. Books, cars, DVDs, CDs, clothes, jewelry, etc. This is basic economics. I would like to hear one good reason why gaming should be exempt from the basic economic processes that every other market is subject to?

The very fact that publishers are whining about second-hand sales is about as justified as me whining about me losing profits because you aren't mailing me money. True, but that doesn't mean I have any right to that money and no matter how much I whine about it, that won't change.

The gaming industry is easily the most spoiled and over-entitled entertainment industry in the world.

This thread is about comparing pirating and used and finding out which is worse. You can't steal cars, jewelery, and clothes like you can music and video games so there is no comparison. Yes they're both bad but I am trying to argue that Pirating is not worse than buying used.

 

[Bob_Bobbington]

To say pirating is hurting the industry more than used games is to be wrong.

But most of the time the games that are pirated are new releases that have the possibility of making or breaking a developer while used games are usually a year or more older.

That's a gross generalization. I know of a lot of people that buy a new game, beat it, and then trade it in. Those games are going to get sold ASAP because they are still in demand. Hell, I constantly get emails from Amazon asking if I want to trade in the game I bought recently.

It probably is a gross simplification. But I play on PC so I haven't seen the used games pile for the current gen consoles. But I now agree, after thinking about it for a bit, that there are probably a lot of current releases being sold as used games.

 

[Sajuuk-khar]

Well with used games at least one guy got it legally, instead of everyone having copies.

 

[Deleted]

Query: Do you also believe that buying a used car is the same as stealing one?

Pirating is free and detracts one sale from the Devs.

False - or at least, not always true. People could (and do) pirate games they never intended to buy in the first place, thus losing the developers nothing. Examples of this might be people with GBA/NDS emulators on the PC when they don't actually own the applicable handheld, but I would wager money that the vast number of PC gaming pirates never intended to pay for a copy in the first place.

Well its the "most damage it does", I know thats not always the case. Used games are more likely to detract one sale because people buy used because of price when it comes to newer games.

 

[Deleted]

If you buy it used from a friend who bought it full price, that's still one sale of $60 to the developer, just $10 to a friend. Either way, with used games, somebody had to buy them first, then sell them for cheap. The company still gets money, no? They just don't get the money of two sales.

But it works with pirating too. Someone had to buy the game and put it online so that's one sale too. Though of course when one guy distributes a pirated game, millions can get it, when a used game may only see at most 20 gamers in its lifetime.

 

[Deleted]

I buy used because I don't want to pay 20 dollars for a new copy of a game I can get used for 2 dollars.

Seriously, I buy a lot of old PS2 titles that are about 2 and 3 dollars used and if I were to purchase them new, it would be 20.

Where the hell do you buy games for 2 dollars!? I have no connections so I'm shocked at that.

 

[Julianking93]

I buy used because I don't want to pay 20 dollars for a new copy of a game I can get used for 2 dollars.

Seriously, I buy a lot of old PS2 titles that are about 2 and 3 dollars used and if I were to purchase them new, it would be 20.

Where the hell do you buy games for 2 dollars!? I have no connections so I'm shocked at that.

Gamestop. Like I said, I've been buying a lot of PS2 games that I either traded in a long time ago and want to play them now, or I never played them and now want to.

Yesterday I got Dark Cloud, Maximo, Jak 3, Area 51 and Beyond Good and Evil for about 4 dollars each.