I used to buy new games strictly because I didn't want to deal with anyone's "trash". But all that changed with the Ps3's Blu Ray disc format. They're really hard to damage/scratch so I know there's a smaller chance of a game being defective. Also, I discovered Gamestop gives you a 7 day trial period to get your money back with used games so that's a major plus. And they also have that Buy 2, Get 1 free promotion for used games going on every now and then. So that's when I buy my games. The only games I've bought the day it came out were Rockband 3, Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts and Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. Yeah, it kinda bothers me that I can't play with my wealthy friends right NOW, but I can live with it. yeah, it sucks that some games don't have the original cover art but that's okay. I just want my game to play.
No, trading games does nothing unless you trade 3 copies of Blops, Reach and MvC3. Then you'll probably get like a 100 bucks back.
No, developers are not affected by us buying used games. It's not like we're buying pirate games; whoever payed for the game brand new already helped the developers. No need for the future owners of the game to pay too. It's like paying a brand new car fee each month for your new car. No, you pay once and that's it. The developers have already sold their copies to Gamestop. Whether they sell like hot bread or if they stay collecting dust at the counter, well that's not their business anymore. Yeah, of course if the game is popular, the more copies they'll sell to GS, but that would have to do with how good the game is, not how many people buy used. Hope that's clear enough.
Yes, Gamestop gets a profit for selling used games. What did you expect? Someone has to benefit from it. This isn't about 'sticking it to the man' anyway. Besides, half of the used copies they sell end up on the Defective pile because of players who can't get to play said used game for whatever reason, whether it is because they don't know how to control the characters, play the game overall, because it freezes or whatever. So Gamestop doesn't benefit as much as you think they do. Believe me, I know.