Poll: Buying Used Games is just as Bad as Pirating

[PhunkyPhazon]

I hesitate to buy newer games used most of the time, but there are some damn good deals on older PC games at places like Amazon. I got Spider-Man 3 for a god damn penny, and it was in great condition. I also got GTA San Andreas for about $1.50, also for great condition.

The only newer game I bought used was Force Unleashed because it was $5 cheaper, but I've felt slightly guilty since then.

 

[Rayansaki]

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.

That's a silly argument, don't you think? If I go into my local Best Buy and steal an XBox 360, is it okay because I never intended to buy it in the first place?

Now THAT is a silly argument. Pirating isn't stealing, you are just making a copy. It would be more like going to said best buy, take a photo of the xbox and use magical powers to make the photo real. Because the original is still there. That's what happens in piracy. Or do you think it's the same to download a game illegally or go to a store and steal it from the shelves?

 

[King of the Sandbox]

I'm not ashamed to say I've bought used games before, and I don't intend to stop. I'm sure most of the the multi-million dollar game companies will do fine without my 70 dollars.

On the flip side, I buy the collector editions of games from devs I really support if available, or at the very least new copies, like Fallout 3, Assassin's Creed, Dragon Age, GTA IV, MW2, etc, etc.

I only really drop that kind of coin on games I KNOW are going to be good and worth the price, hence rewarding good devs and game series.

Imagine buying Sacred 2 or Too Human at full price. /shudder

 

[Soxafloppin]

Im all for used games.

There cheaper and do the same thing.

 

[Calatar]

It is a little know fact that you do not buy the game. You buy a licence to play it, and the TOS/EULA in the manual that you automatically agree to by playing the game states that they can revoke that licence at any time. AT ANY TIME. If you keep playing after that, you are breaking contract. By doing that, you're in for some jail time.

...inasmuch as you're in for some jail time for any illegal software activity. IE not really, unless you manage to attract some powerful attention to yourself.

 

[Calatar]

It is a little know fact that you do not buy the game. You buy a licence to play it, and the TOS/EULA in the manual that you automatically agree to by playing the game states that they can revoke that licence at any time. AT ANY TIME. If you keep playing after that, you are breaking contract. By doing that, you're in for some jail time.

...inasmuch as you're in for some jail time for any illegal software activity. IE not really, unless you manage to attract some powerful attention to yourself.

Breaking any contract, no matter how absurd, can get you in ALOT of trouble. As in, huge lawsuits and years in jail.

Keyword: "can"
Something like that is incredibly difficult to enforce though, especially considering the treacherous legal ground that EULAs lie on already. Through a combination of factors, such as

a. The EULA issuer terminating the agreement (losing a customer, likely permanently)
b. The company requiring knowledge of your wrongdoing
c. The questionable legality/enforceability of EULAs in the first place
d. The company pursuing the case, despite having little to gain from it (and bad publicity)

I'd rate the risk level of this for the average gamer as nearly zero, despite the POTENTIAL punishment being jail-time.

 

[Sammi Costello]

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.

If I buy a used game, the "industry" has already got the money they were expecting to get from that copy. Therefore buying used games hurts the industry less than pirating.

In fact, I would go as far as to say buying used games doesn't hurt the industry at all.

 

[Allstar309]

I only buy used games, when I'm just looking for a game to play. If its one I'v been wanting then I'll buy it new.

And to be honest I have gotten my fair share of pirated games from friends now and again.

 

[thefire]

I borrow games from friends and give them back when iv finished them, is that as bad as pirating?
Also what about hiring a game? Surely that is damaging the industry.

 

[Srdjan]

Buying used games can't be worse then pirating, under no circumstances. It's perfectly smart thing to do like buying used car.

 

[Srdjan]

When I buy game, it's mine and I can do whatever i want with that box. What country you live in?

 

[Srdjan]

Amen for that.

 

[SirDX]

I buy used games. I do not think it's bad at all. It's just like books or movies, really. Then again - I also pirate games before I buy them and play them for (no more than) a week to see if I won't get bored - if I don't, I'll gladly pay $60 - but don't tell me used games are fucking horrible when at least 50% of the games released these days only have a playing time of a week and the replay value is shit. I'll sell it if I fucking want.

But... maybe I'm part of the biased side?