Poll: Do you buy pre-owned games?

[Bluesnow]

Back during the PS1/PS2 era, I didn't purposely buy used games, but the used game piles tended to have more games that appealed to me, and for a cheaper price. Typically my options were- 2 games I KNEW people said were high quality games at only $10-25 each, or a $50 game that just came out, and "loooooked" good, but I did't actually know (I didn't have the internet back then.) Of course the better deal was to buy used. Of course I bought some used "duds" before that didn't work. I had to return 2 copies of FFIX before I got one that actually functioned.

But with out reliable sources for reviews, I ended up with some REALLY crappy games I paid full price for. Just remembering them give me nightmares... I'm getting the shivers right now over how bad they were.

Today though, used games aren't priced well enough. Usually the good used games are maybe $5 cheaper, even if its several years old. And you have to sift through so much Shovel Ware that finding decent games in the used piles is tedious. All that work isn't worth it if the game I end up with has scratches, a crappy generic Game Stop Cover, and a missing game manual.

Because of this I just don't buy very many games anymore at all; but it could just be I've gotten so picky with games, and I'm more of a nostalgia gamer. With that said, I voted "only if I can't find it new," since most of the games I get anymore aren't sold new.

 

[MetalMagpie]

I buy about half of my games used.

I feel about the same level of guilt as my dad feels for buying his car used. Or my brother for buying his cricket bat used. Or my sister for buying second-hand DVDs. Or my mum for borrowing books from the library (where the publishers only get paid once even if HUNDREDS of people borrow and read the book).

Funny how you don't hear any of THOSE companies complaining.

 

[DannyJBeckett]

I prefer to buy games new, for the obvious reason of less risk of there being a problem of some kind, and the like, but if it's a particularly old game, or it's going away dirt-cheap, then I'll buy used.

I don't buy into this notion that used-game sales are harming the developer at all. Bear in mind that the vast majority of people buy games from retailers, such as Gamestop, HMV, Wall-mart, etc. Those retailers will buy their stock of games in bulk, making the cost back on their pricing of the game. When you buy the game at a retailer, no money actually goes towards the developer, the only thing that goes to them is the information that another one of their games has been bought, which leads them to calculate the overall profit they've made from the game based on number of new copies sold by retailers. Used-game sales are a transaction exclusively between buyer and seller. The only way sales of a game would harm the developer would be if they weren't paid for the stock by a retailer for NEW games. If they were putting EXTRA copies of the games that were then being sold-off at used-game-prices, then they would have something to complain about. But used games are sold so cheaply because they are USED. The developer has already gotten their money out of it, and it's simply up to the customer who didn't see the worth in keeping it to make some of that money back from someone else.

 

[Robert Ewing]

I'd rather buy them new for obviously reasons. But I love the cheapness of preowned games.

You mad gaming companies? I'm not scared of you pricks.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

In general I only buy pre-owned if:
I cant find a new copy.
Its an older game and the retailers still want full price as if it was just released (I mean a 2 year old game for 50 euro?)
Its a very old game which cant be found anywhere.
Its a game I dont really care/know about but is cheap and might be a little entertaining.

Other than that, its retailers/steam so the developers get some of my cash

This sums up my own stance nicely. I generally buy new, except in those cases where it isn't an option or where I feel the game isn't worth full price.

 

[Scow2]

You first point.
If video games are no different than any other goods, then Piracy shouldn't be a problem since I can make copies of other goods. Unless you agree with that you have a double standard.

We are talking about non-proliferation of game licenses here. Any other product can be used any number of times by any number of people as long as they aren't being used at the same time. I can lend my lawnmower to my entire community, or have it get sold around the entire community, fairly. Same thing with any individual license of the game. Pirating a game would be like somehow using Replicators to scan and duplicate my lawnmower, so I can distribute it freely from a single point without giving up my own mower.

But, we aren't talking about piracy here. You are allowed to completely transfer your license of a game to another customer. It says so in every EULA. The company shouldn't get bent out of shape over people abiding by their own conditions.

Secondly.
You are in no position to say where the profit margin lies for Heavy rain. What if they needed to sell 2,5 million copies to greenlight the next project? You have no idea. You are just assuming with that they made a lot of money. There is something wrong with their way of business? There was a potential sale of 3 million that was cut down to 2. Thats a lot more than piracy has done for ANY game. Check the Spore numbers sold VS the numbers downloaded, and that is supposedly the most downloaded game ever.

That's a falacy. There is no evidence that any of those who bought a pre-owned version of the game would have bought a new copy. And he said nothing about the profit margin of Heavy Rain. He was saying it was the developer or publisher's business to figure out how many copies they need to sell at what price. They sold two million. There are two million copies in circulation, not three million.

If the developers of Heavy Rain wanted more new copies to sell, they should have A): Made a game that people would want to hold onto instead of trade in at Gamestop, or B): Not develop for a platform with an inherent used-game market.

Once someone sells a game, they can't play it again without buying another license.

 

[scorptatious]

Depends on what kind of game I want. If it's a brand new game that I'm interested in, I usually pre-order it and buy it new.

If it's a older game like say, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. I'd buy it used as it's probably the only way I'd get it now-a-days anyway. And even if it wasn't, I'd still get a used copy as it is cheaper.

 

[Jakub324]

About 70% of my Xbox 360 games are pre-owned, only about 25% of my PS2 ones.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Almost exclusively. Deal with it.

Yea!
I used to buy used all the time because I was poor (well...living off minimum wage ? I?ve been worse off) and gamestop had not yet established it?s monopoly and gouged the used market into absurdity.
Now I only buy used to make a statement; though I?m sure some would say it?s out of spite which I guess is also correct. For example when they decided Mortal Kombat would have online pass for multiplayer, I decided that I didn?t really want to play it online anyway (it?s the kind of game you play with friends on the couch). But even then, why shop at Gamestop when you can get it for much cheaper at Amazon, ebay, or anywhere else.
I agree with OP, that whatever problems they are having with the used market has more to do with Gamestop?s monopoly (fairly recent) rather than trade & used sales which has been going on since the 70s. All of a sudden it?s a problem? Give me a break.
More importantly publishers need to give those people who buy used (for whatever reason: it?s their business) a break, stop punishing used buyers, and go after Gametop?s market share: it?s not like they would have to even be that competitive ? a used game at gamestop is only a $2 savings.

 

[Viral_Lola]

Yup but then again, the games I buy are generally older games too.

 

[funguy2121]

as always, theres a lot of talk about preowned games and how they affect the industry, and tho I've always been more on the side of the right to trade-in games, i only now realize, i don't ever buy pre-owned games. About the only time I ever buy preowned games is if the game i want is old or hard to find, and I can't find a new copy.

This makes me start to feel, its not the industry thats the enemy. But i also often lend/share games with friends, and enjoy doing so. I now kinda feel like the real enemy here is gamestop. I feel like i don't care about having this service for buying used games, I don't care about that unless the game i want is old. But I still want to be able to share games with friends.. Frankly, i would rather just have big stores like gamestop not selling used new games than i would want the current trend of punishing users to make sure people buy new games. (but then again, this feeling is probably just because I don't personally take advantage of the used games for sale,)

Please. How many people are so cheap that they'll pay $5-10 less for a used, possibly non-functioning game without all of the bonus content? Most of Gamestop's money comes from (1) new games, (2) games that have been out for several months-several years and (3) ripping people off with those dumbass cards and subscription to Gaming Sycophant Monthly-er, I mean Game Informer, founders of the 7-10 ratings scale (7=crappy game). You may have noticed, the film and music industries, even the porn industry, have never ever bitched about this. Sadly, it seems that it is our industry that is the most permeated by whiny blame-tossers and finger-pointers.

The economy sucks, extremely rich AAA developer CEO. Perhaps if in the last few elections you had voted for candidates who believed in regulating housing/war for profit, you wouldn't be suffering as much and neither would anyone else. Or perhaps you need to focus on making more games like Mass Effect and fewer games like Duke Nukem Forever and Call of Duty: The 5-Minute Campaign.

 

[yaoinut]

I used to, but now I just buy all my games online. I find the usually end up pretty cheap on Amazon, even for new copies. Sometimes I'll browse the pre-owned section, but there is so much crap to wade through it quickly frustrates me.

 

[Princess Rose]

as always, theres a lot of talk about preowned games and how they affect the industry, and tho I've always been more on the side of the right to trade-in games, i only now realize, i don't ever buy pre-owned games. About the only time I ever buy preowned games is if the game i want is old or hard to find, and I can't find a new copy.

I never buy used (except for old PS2 games).

As an artist myself (when I'm not teaching) I have a problem with the creators not being paid for something that they made. No matter how you justify it, that's what it comes down to. For me, that's enough reason to never buy used.

I'd feel differently if Gamestop kicked a portion of their massive used game profits back to the creators of the used games they sold. But they don't. Thus: screw Gamestop. I buy nothing at all from them anymore. I'd rather support Wal-Mart than Gamestop.

Edit: And in case you were wondering, no, I don't buy used books either if the author is still alive.

On used DVDs, I don't worry about it, because the actors/writers don't get a cut of DVD sales, and often the directors don't either.