Poll: Buying Used Games is just as Bad as Pirating

[captain_Bubblebum]

@Katana314

Can you explain why it is bad to buy a used game? I don't understand why it is seen to be bad.

I know that we feel things are good and bad because we are told so, but why is it bad? I really don't understand it.

It doesn't make any difference and I shouldn't be stating this but I am a games developer and if a person bought my game from another person (again, as long as it's the full game and not a knock-off copy) and even though I would not receive any money from the transaction I do not see it to be wrong.

I would actually be happy that someone is playing my game.

That's very good for you; the South Park creators take the same mentality about their show. However, this also depends on levels of success. Most game developers are not very lucky; about 70% of games that make it to the market are unsuccessful and don't cover their own development costs. Then the publisher makes up the difference with games like Modern Warfare which earn 500x its development cost.

The end line is that game developers usually need a lot more money to keep afloat than people realize. If about 30 people buy a game for $50 in one day, that may just about cover the daily salary for every person in that company. If 60 people buy the game, but half of them are buying it from the first half, that's still the same amount.

Even beyond staying afloat, sales determine a developer's future. It doesn't matter if you loved Grim Fandango enough to buy it used; tough luck because that decision, in 1,000's of people, results in the publishers for that developer deciding "Well, that game was a failure. Let's can the team."

Now I understand you, thanks man. Good explanation.

 

[Nmil-ek]

Screw you hippy, half my games are used and i'll happily continue ot support good sellers who offer me strong quality at steady prices but enjoy your full price tag I'll lookout for myself in this economy not a faceless corporation.

 

[Akai Shizuku]

Because I'm working class, I can only afford to buy used...if I can afford anything at all. When I can't afford to pay for a game, which is all the freaking time, guess how I play games, folks?

I have more important things to worry about than the whims of a greedy asshole corporation.

Before you troll me with "BUT WHAR WILL ARR GAMZ KUM FRUM!?!!111?", I believe games should be collectivized, just like most other things. Cooperation is better than competition; because of this, collectivization of games would not only make our games free, but significantly better.

 

[dryg]

I said allow, not that it would create, meaning the potential is out there. And Almost no one who pirates purchases games. and thats from escapist magazine.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/experienced-points/7225-Experienced-Points-Piracy-Numbers

Yea people who pirate dont buy the game, save a very low few. The rest are scum who are criminals and hate the gaming industry, nothing more.

I see a lot of assumptions and no real statistics to back them up in that article. It's rather difficult, if not impossible to find accurate numbers. Most importantly, you say almost no one pirates and then buys but I've seen quite a few people in these very forums say just that, even in this very thread. Yet, you say almost no one. I think you need to rely a lot less on assumptions.

In any event, developers get exactly $0 out of a used sale. Coincidentally, that's the exact same amount they get from pirates. No, they don't get a negative amount of money from pirates because copying a game costs the developer no actual money.

Used games put money into the industry how ever, where as pirates do not. And people who pirate are not gamers, never will be, and are nothing but criminal scum. I have yet to see anything to prove this wrong, they are stealing. Please show me how piracy isnt stealing and I will stop considering them scum

Used game sales reflect the overall crappiness of the game. It has to be returned to be used.

So then every game ever made is crappy? cause I can find them all used. Couldnt find Persona 4 used... WE HAVE FOUND THE ONLY GOOD GAME EVER MADE!!!

See my previous posts in this thread. And alot of people do like me. With used games NO money goes to the developer unless they really like it and maybe buy a limited (if there is one) on top of the used.

 

[Eggsnham]

I usually go out of my way to buy used games, I haven't had a problem yet.

Also, I never badmouthed pirates and generally support them, so I don't mind being associated with them... I hope I interpreted you thread correctly, because if I didn't, my response is bound to make no sense.

 

[TehCookie]

It depends on how old it is if I get new or used. If it's current generation, I buy new, if it's last generation, I buy used, and if it's even older than that I put on my eyepatch and say "argh". Chances are the developers aren't going to get any money for games that old anyways.

 

[Deleted]

There is no market for stolen cars

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's so funny. If you're talking about some Mexican underground racing shit then that doesn't count.

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!

 

[Macgyvercas]

I buy used games because they're cheap and I suffer from chronic shortages of money.

Emmm...I was promised a poll?

 

[Lucane]

If you buy used games money is still spent in the gaming industry which could go to marketing or paying the stores which could prevent the need to raise costs of new games to allow profit.

However: Once a pirate always a pirate. If you can ever get something for free would ever think you'd need to pay for it? No, you'd must likely just do what you did again to get it for free again an again .

 

[captain_Bubblebum]

I'm happy to see the majority of people here view money-grabbing corporations as assholes.

Remember the days when a product used to have value to it? As in real value of it's quality, not the money tag attached to it? Good times.

A bit more on topic, do used games sales from a store go back towards the publisher/developer at all? If not then that doesn't seem fair. A 25% percentage cut of the original "new sale" percentage would be good.

EDIT: actually make that 15%.

 

[Deleted]

Some more things I will add to the OP:

"Pirate don't buy new games!!1!1"
Yeah they don't, but 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.

 

[siddif]

I will buy a game new if a games is good enough to warrant this (usually i do) but if i wasnt going to buy the game new anyway and i may still be a little interested or the game is no longer in stock/publication i will buy it used which will work as advertising for that developer because it will make me want to buy the next release.

Also games are bought by the stores 1st me buying a used game isnt going to affect how much a store orders unless its an evergreen title like Mario as by the time the game is cheap in the used section it will no longer be ordered new by the store

 

[Deleted]

I'm happy to see the majority of people here view money-grabbing corporations as assholes.

Remember the days when a product used to have value to it? As in real value of it's quality, not the money tag attached to it? Good times.

A bit more on topic, do used games sales from a store go back towards the publisher/developer at all? If not then that doesn't seem fair. A 25% percentage cut of the original "new sale" percentage would be good.

A game's first purchase will send money back to the Devs, then if that game is sold again, the money stays between the people/store. hats how Gamestop/EB Games gets so rich.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

I would say used game sales are worse for a dev/publisher than piracy. The reason is the used game buyer is a purchaser, he has extra money and the willingness to spend it. A used game sale removes the buy from the market, whereas most people who pirate wouldn't have bought in the first place.

 

[JRShield]

Why buy used games in a store? Just use ebay ore something, that's even cheaper as the store won't get a cut.

 

[LordZ]

Used games put money into the industry how ever, where as pirates do not. And people who pirate are not gamers, never will be, and are nothing but criminal scum. I have yet to see anything to prove this wrong, they are stealing. Please show me how piracy isnt stealing and I will stop considering them scum

If you're talking strictly about people who pirate games and never, ever buy them, then I agree that they're rather worthless. I'm not going to hunt them down and force them to buy the game but they aren't exactly hurting the industry any more than a used game sale. Used game sales give money to whoever sold the game. They give $0 to the industry. If I sold my original Diablo disc to someone, Blizzard would get just as much money as if that person had downloaded it directly from a torrent. The only difference is I would no longer have the disc and would instead have money. Copying is not the same as taking away. If you build a sand castle and I build another one exactly like it next to yours. Your sand castle is still there, you have lost nothing. However, your sand castle will no longer be quite as original and perhaps will be perceived as less valuable. This is only a change in perception, not a change in the amount of money you have.

 

[Keava]

First of all i find it funny how people say that they buy used games because they cant afford a new one. Games are hobby, expensive - but still a hobby, You cant afford it, tough luck, You can live without it.
It is pretty much the same pasudo-argument used by people pirating said games/movie/whatever else, on the most basic level its exactly the same. I dont have money to buy somehting fully legally so i look for ways to get it cheaper.
Another thing is all the comparing to used cars. Maybe You didnt notice but a used car is by default, slightly to heavily inferior to a new one. The engine wont work that well, it may have scratches, bad paint job or other defects. When you get a used game the little 0 and 1 making the data dont get smaller/deformed over time. Sure the disc may be damaged but then You just got scammed, live and learn. Thats the difference between physical goods like cars/toasters and intelectual property.

Back to the topic however. Piracy is still more visible and affects way more people than used games market. You may outrage at UK/US or few of other countries markets on this one but many many other dont have that problem, used games are in minority and are usually just traded between people that know eachother, while downloading a game from the interwebs is pretty much acessible to anyone with internet connection.

 

[Acidwell]

NO, they have already made the money on that copy of the game, they aren't LOSING money since they have already made back the money for the case and disk. Fair enough they aren't really getting any more money and yeah that could be a problem for a small developer but unlike pirating they do get the money for every copy sold at least once

Since i mostly game on pc and recently a lot of my purchases are on steam its not that big a deal, but overall no they isn't a problem.

 

[dududf]

I would wager money that the vast number of PC gaming pirates never intended to pay for a copy in the first place.

How much money do we owe yeah?

I've pirated a crap ton of games that even if I couldn't pirate I'd never pay for it in the first place. Example= Spore. (<---it sucked)

Then there are games that I pirate, and deeply liked, Example = Mass Effect 1. I pirated that, and bought it.

Assassins Creed 1= Pirated it, loved it then bought it.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Series= I pirated Shadow of Chernobyl, and I've bought SoC twice, and every other game in the the series.


The list goes on and on.

the point being that 1 pirated copy does not exactly mean a lost sale, as they may have intended to try it for shits and giggles, or they then bought it after to support the developer.