Poll: Do you hate the used game market?

[WorldCritic]

I don't mind the used games market. Hell I'm the kind of person who goes back and plays games I missed out on in previous generations and getting them used is pretty much the only thing to do, and I don't mind because I've bought some of my favorite games used.

 

[PettingZOOPONY]

...how in the name of Cthulhu would anyone hate the used game market at all?

Rich qqing people it seems.

I mean come on, not everyone can afford freakin 60$ for a game. In my country, it even gets higher, to about 80-90$.
40 used games = 5 full price games.

I hate the used market the gamestop has, I'm going to go get DA2 for 360 from a private seller for $20 instead of gamestops $55. Before gamestop came around you could go to used game sellers and get used games for 50% of new and they were 2 weeks old and may not come with a manual or box.

 

[Bakuryukun]

The used games market is broken because people are stupid enough to buy a game used even if the used copy is only like 2 bucks less. That crap needs to stop. Only buy used games if they are actually a good deal.

 

[Ewyx]

No, because it's legal.

This might sound a bit dickish, but that kind of reasoning is why we can't have nice things. People should always find a way to criticize their governments and the legal system. Blindly accepting something because it's marked as 'legal' or 'illegal' leads to being a docile citizen which will accept everything their leaders throw at them, which is the reason corporations are having such an easy time lobbying for strict laws that take away freedom from the consumer and into their hands. This is terrible from several standpoints, since it hinders creativity and innovation. This means corporations can spew out average crap, without any worries, as long as they can pay off the FDA and other similar organizations, because people will consume without any thought to what's actually going on.

Not to say that this sentence represents your whole mentality, it's just one of those things that send me into a rage.

 

[Bakuryukun]

...how in the name of Cthulhu would anyone hate the used game market at all?

Rich qqing people it seems.

I mean come on, not everyone can afford freakin 60$ for a game. In my country, it even gets higher, to about 80-90$.
40 used games = 5 full price games.

hahaha no. That's not how it works at least not in North America, no you see if a game store thinks they can make money off a game used, they will sell it near full price, and yet if you sell a game to them, unless it JUST came out, you'll get like 2 dollars for it. I haven't seen a fair used game pricing in quite a long time. Now I just get used games off of Ebay or Craigslist, or find the occasional good deal at a store, but that option is by and far the rarest of the three.

 

[Jaded Scribe]

No becuase i cant afford to dish out £40-£30 for a new game. The money already went to the developer when someone else bought it so, how exacatly are they losing out?

Because when you buy used, that's money they aren't getting, for the same number of people buying their game. How do you not see where they lose out?

If a game sells 1 million copies, if they were all new, they made $60 million. But if half buy them used, then they make only $30 million. $60 million > $30 million.

Not buying new hurts developers. It gives them less money to spend on development of future titles.

I'm not saying buying used is bad. Even I buy used occasionally. But saying it has no effect on the industry is asinine.

Do the developers really see any money above the publishers set purchase price? I mean doesn't the music industry work much in the same way - the artist (dev) is typically paid a flat rate and the publisher gets paid based on sales?

The industry-standard contract tends to work like this:

Developer A goes to Publisher B and says "Here's our game idea. It will take 3 years and $30 million to make. We have a production schedule and have divided development up into 6 phases of 6 months each, with each phase costing $5 million and ending in a milestone for the project."[footnote]Obviously, in the real world the prices and times for each phase/milestone will vary rather than being equal chunks, and not all the numbers will be so easy to work with.[/footnote]

Publisher B says "Ok. Here's $5 million to get started. Call us when you hit the first milestone."[footnote]Publishers tend to be more involved in development, but you get the idea.[/footnote]

Developer A says "Ok, we reached the first milestone, things are looking good. Yada yada." Publisher B says "Great, here's your next $5 million." (obviously, there is usually issues with adjusting deadlines, increased budgets, etc. But I'm trying to keep this simple.)

This continues with the publisher giving money every milestone until the game is finished. (This way, if something happens and the project falls apart, they've only paid for work completed, rather than paying the full cost up front and having half the game get finished before its scrapped.)

Once the game is done, the publisher sells it, and the developer get 15% of the sales. (In some cases, 15% doesn't start coming in until the publisher makes back their investment, but the former case is what developers tend to push for.)

So the developer only sees a profit from game sales.

 

[Stammer]

There's obviously nothing wrong with it, especially since places like GameStop merely offer a venue for selling and buying used games.

But I personally can never bring myself to do it. Parly because if I want to buy the game that means I like it, and if I like it I want to show my support to the developer. And the other reason is because I just feel bad buying used games.

 

[rokkolpo]

Well, the used games I buy are no longer for sale by the said developer.

If I want the game and they are not willing to provide me with a copy I'll get it somewhere else.

 

[moosek]

I usually buy new, but sometimes I pick up something old/unavailable anywhere else.

The industry reacts to used games by punishing the consumers that buy the used games. The average consumer isn't think about how buying used is going to hurt gaming as a whole. He just wants to save some goddamn money. And by shoving these stupid code-sheets into games, companies are just creating hurdles for the reason we buy games in the first place. We just want to play the game. I don't give a shit about pre-orders bonuses, project $10, or DRM. I just want to play the game.

 

[rokkolpo]

...how in the name of Cthulhu would anyone hate the used game market at all?

Rich qqing people it seems.

I mean come on, not everyone can afford freakin 60$ for a game. In my country, it even gets higher, to about 80-90$.
40 used games = 5 full price games.

hahaha no. That's not how it works at least not in North America, no you see if a game store thinks they can make money off a game used, they will sell it near full price, and yet if you sell a game to them, unless it JUST came out, you'll get like 2 dollars for it. I haven't seen a fair used game pricing in quite a long time.

Wow, that sucks, getting 2 dollar for a game...
I can easily fetch 10-15 euro here in The Netherlands.

 

[Xanthious]

I actually think Gamestop has a lot to offer the thrifty gamer. Would I ever trade any of my old games there? Not a chance. That's a fool's bet right there. However, they do have a pretty good used game policy.

For starters they have a seven day no questions asked return policy. That's returned for either cash or credit. You buy a game and don't like it then just take it back. Buy a game and beat it six days in and get bored with it same thing applies. That's a pretty sweet deal if you think about it considering new games, once opened, are unable to be returned unless defective and then only for the same title.

Now as for anyone that thinks that game developers have this inalienable right to deserve some kind of monetary gain from secondhand sales? Well bugger that. Seriously, no other maker and seller of goods enjoys this benefit why under god's hot sun should video games be any different?

Honestly, right now the video game industry as a whole leaves a horrible taste in my mouth. I think it is driven by greed rather than innovation. Where once companies focused on putting out a quality product for a fair price now exists a line of companies only interested in how to squeeze as much of the consumers' money while giving them as little as possible. I think another industry wide crash is long overdue.

 

[Bakuryukun]

There's obviously nothing wrong with it, especially since places like GameStop merely offer a venue for selling and buying used games.

But I personally can never bring myself to do it. Parly because if I want to buy the game that means I like it, and if I like it I want to show my support to the developer. And the other reason is because I just feel bad buying used games.

More like offer a venue to rip you off. The only way you can get even half value, is if your selling them a game you just bought from them the week before. It's frankly ridiculous.

 

[FangShadow]

I mainly buy used when looking for older titles, or games I wanted to play but passed up for something else I wanted more.

But I do agree that as system should be implemented so that the used sales do give some kickback to producer and developer. I'm also for something like the first Real DLC (Not on the disc already day one stuff) is discounted or free for new buyers

No, because it's legal. If the publishers want to work around it they should find ways to make people carry 'licenses' to sell their used products (kind of like cars) so they can get a piece of the used money.

Something like this might also work.

I see nothing wrong with used games on the consumer end, more on the retail/developer end.

 

[Bakuryukun]

...how in the name of Cthulhu would anyone hate the used game market at all?

Rich qqing people it seems.

I mean come on, not everyone can afford freakin 60$ for a game. In my country, it even gets higher, to about 80-90$.
40 used games = 5 full price games.

hahaha no. That's not how it works at least not in North America, no you see if a game store thinks they can make money off a game used, they will sell it near full price, and yet if you sell a game to them, unless it JUST came out, you'll get like 2 dollars for it. I haven't seen a fair used game pricing in quite a long time.

Wow, that sucks, getting 2 dollar for a game...
I can easily fetch 10-15 euro here in The Netherlands.

Yeah, it's because the used market is SO over-saturated here, because Gamestop bases their entire business model around it, it essentially means they can evaluate there own worth of a game based on how many copies of the game they already have in stock, it's actually a really sound business model, but it's still pretty bullshit for consumers.

 

[Stammer]

More like offer a venue to rip you off. The only way you can get even half value, is if your selling them a game you just bought from them the week before. It's frankly ridiculous.

Well to be fair they're just trying to run a business. They'd make no money if they bought and sold the used games for the same money.

And really, with the length of a lot of games out there these days (6 hours... 4 hours... 1 hour...) taking it back within a week of buying it is pretty easy to do. lol

 

[veloper]

Bits of data are in infinite supply, so logically a used copy, or *any* copy for that matter, has no value.
So there's no value beyond the medium(disc) it's printed on and the box and manual that maybe come with it and that's just a couple cents.

What you're doing when you buy a copy new, is giving money indirectly to the company that invested lots of money into developing that game.
If enough people do it, the guys who really made the game you liked, maybe won't get fired. Also, enough first buyers means publishers may want to produce more of that type of game you like.

That's the whole deal.
You're effectively giving something back charitably to people who worked hard to make something you enjoyed. Afteral, the option to copy it for free is ALWAYS open.

Buying games used is like giving a random person money for something you can get for free just as easily. You're not supporting the devs or anyone who'll make more games for you; you're basicly just giving money away.

The only real difference then between pirates and people who buy used games, is that pirates are smart.
(Sure it may also be technically illegal, but realisticly nobody will ever come knocking.)

(edit: and before I get antoher warning, I'd like to add that I buy legally)

 

[Bakuryukun]

More like offer a venue to rip you off. The only way you can get even half value, is if your selling them a game you just bought from them the week before. It's frankly ridiculous.

Well to be fair they're just trying to run a business. They'd make no money if they bought and sold the used games for the same money.

And really, with the length of a lot of games out there these days (6 hours... 4 hours... 1 hour...) taking it back within a week of buying it is pretty easy to do. lol

I don't really do that personally, If I bought a game, then I plan to keep it. I've been burned to many times, by selling a game, and then having the urge to play said game again like...2 months later, or even 2 years later sometimes, and there's no guarantee it will be as easy to find later on.

 

[esperandote]

I love it. I almost only buy used, partially because I almost only buy previous gen games and becuase I buy them for collection pourpuses and rarely for playing them.

 

[RAWKSTAR]

I do like paying less for shit.
It means I have more money for sweets and lard.