Pre-owned games banned? Are you cool with that?

[ExileNZ]

Not in the slightest.

Books are allowed to be resold.

DVDs are allowed to be re-sold.

Pretty much everything is allowed to be re-sold.

Why the fuck would it be okay to ban re-selling games?

They're just being greedy. Period.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

And I am also a PC gamer. I just laugh at all you nonsense prophecies about the future of consoles when games start to be bound to an account or such.

You mean like when my Steam account got suspended without so much as a "because ________", taking with it hundreds of Euro of legitimately bought games that I still own yet cannot play?

Yeah, 'cause that made me wanna invest in PC gaming like crazy!

And to the people claiming to be ripped off by Gamestop employees, guess what: we're gamers just like you. EXACTLY like you, in fact. If we can help you, we will go out of our way to do it. I used to do stuff for our customers that would've gotten me in trouble, and so did everyone else at my store but the manager, the only one of us who was NOT a gamer. And it PISSES ME OFF to see our work and good will towards fellow gamers just casualy dismissed simply because we work for a Big Name.

I don't get the hate, Game down in Australia had done nothing but be super-cool dudes who give honest recommendations, good prices on both new and used titles (especially for Aus) and more importantly have been welcoming and professional.

And no, the banning of used games can die in a fucking supernova.

 

[Ian Howell]

I think this idea blows.
the idea of preowned games helps boost initial (first hand)sales because people feel that if they buy a new game and it ends up being a pile of crap they can make back some of there loss.

if preowned games where effectivly abolished then smaller developers wouldnt make as much money and some games wouldnt be as popular because consumers would be to afraid to waste there money on original ideas.
also i feel if pre owned games are stopped then so should DLC its a bloodey cheek for gamers to buy a game at full price then have to spend additional money on dlc that was planned before games were even finished if they are going to force us to pay full price then i want a full game for my money.

 

[Vivi22]

As for the "industry", fuck them. EVERY OTHER industry on the goddamn planet has to deal with a secondhand market that nets them nothing but recognition. And the bullshit about used sales killing the industry is just that. It did just fine all the way up through the PS2 era. In fact, I think the PS2 age was one of the most prolific periods in gaming history.

Couldn't agree more. When companies like EA and Activision are no longer raking in huge piles of cash every year then I will start to give a shit about whether or not I buy used. Though to be honest, if I'm not buying used I'll buy fewer games anyway, or wait a year, so they're not going to do any better.

I actually said this a short time ago in another thread, but if people can't trade in games they no longer play to be able to get the new COD, Elder Scrolls or Mass Effect on day one, what the hell do they think is really going to happen to their sales? I certainly don't see them going up, especially for the lesser known, or less popular developers (I'm looking squarely at Volition on this one).

 

[halfeclipse]

Don't care? If I'm not willing to buy a game at 70, the saving of 5 on a used copy isn't going to make me run out and buy it. By the same token, if I'm interested enough in a game to pay 65, I'll gladly shell out the extra 5 so money actually goes to the people making the game.

 

[idarkphoenixi]

I'm wondering what happens to the poor bastard who buys a ton of brand new games and has his console break down.

 

[Vegosiux]

So with the exception of Portal, it's pretty much "Make your game open-world or die?"

"Adapt or die", right? That's what we keep getting from the anti-used crusaders. How is it on the receiving end of it, hm?

See, that's the thing. If there's a used copy for sale somewhere, that means someone, somewhere was not satisfied with the game. That's the issue the industry should be addressing.

"Why are people not happy with our games? How can we make sure people want to keep playing our games?"

Give people a game they won't want to part with for life, and you've just eliminated the used market for it - because people won't be inclined to sell their games!

But nah, that takes too much effort and work, it's easier to just pump out GENERIC SHOOTER #4235 at retail price then blame the pirates and the used market when it flops, right?

 

[Macgyvercas]

Like in all the threads: I have next to no love left for used games or people buying used. You are supporting a chain of stores which are run by assholes, abuse their customers, employees and the one industry relying on first hand sales through them.

And I am also a PC gamer. I just laugh at all you nonsense prophecies about the future of consoles when games start to be bound to an account or such.

I'm both a PC and a console gamer (though admittedly, PC has taken up all my time recently. Damn dragons.), and quite frankly, I don't have a problem with used games. Yeah sure, the stores are run by jerks, but then again, that's why the internet exists. Besides, the guys my The Exchange are rather pleasant, and have helped me on more than one occasion to track down stuff I couldn't find at reasonable prices (NGE: Death and Rebirth, and End of Evangelion, in addition to some PS1 games, in case anyone was interested).

Besides, I'm a college student, so my disposable income is quite low. Used games are a freaking godsend.

 

[phantasmalWordsmith]

I'm probably wrong on this but pre-owned games probably make up the bulk of my local shop's income so I'm kinda worried for what's going to happen if they actually ban pre-owned games

And to cap it off, it'd be the end of one of my favourite pass times; I love walking into my local game shop and looking through the racks of preowned games, just looking for something that catches my fancy. Also, I'm on a tight budget right now so fresh-off-the-shelf games aren't really an option.

 

[Kennetic]

Like in all the threads: I have next to no love left for used games or people buying used. You are supporting a chain of stores which are run by assholes, abuse their customers, employees and the one industry relying on first hand sales through them.

Nice troll, except for one problem. Gamestop is FAR from the only one selling used games. In fact, anyone who's got half a brain knows that you sell directly to the buyer. You get more money than GS would give you, buyer pays less than Gamestop would charge them, and maybe the site (Amazon or Ebay, e.g.) takes a small cut that doesn't change either of the above two facts.

As for the "industry", fuck them. EVERY OTHER industry on the goddamn planet has to deal with a secondhand market that nets them nothing but recognition. And the bullshit about used sales killing the industry is just that. It did just fine all the way up through the PS2 era. In fact, I think the PS2 age was one of the most prolific periods in gaming history.

The only reason you're seeing this garbage now is because the console makers had to go and hook the boxes up to the internet, which gives these whiny bastards a way to dip their fingers into secondhand sales. It's a power/moneygrab that they didn't have the means of doing before, and has nothing to do with "an abused industry."

Consider your blatant apologism "called out."

^ This. I wish I could say more but you covered it perfectly

 

[superstringz]

I do not value the entertainment provided by a video game at $60. I don't care how much it cost to make the game, as that is not my problem. If used games are banned, I will simply stop buying AAA games.

We (the Americans in here anyway) live in a mostly free market. To compete, you must provide a superior service(ie: convenience), lower prices, or a combination of both. If you cannot compete, then you deserve to fail.

I think there is a lot of entitlement and arrogance coming from the industry, not only on used games, but a whole host of other issues. I see no reason to go out of my way and make a charity case over these people, especially after how they've treated my patronage in the past. If they are in fact, failing, then really, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Spoiler

Im looking at you, EA

tl:dr | Quit bitchin and learn how to run a business. Book publishers have had the same problems since time immemorial, you deal with it too.

 

[WhiteRavven]

Banning them completely is just foolish. They should do what THQ did with Space Marine:

You can buy Space Marine used but if you want to play it online (or anything other than the single player campaign) you have to spend ~$5-10 on a key to activate it.

You get cheaper game, knowing that there is an additional $10 charge, and THQ still gets a big of money for the work that they did.

I'm sure rental companies could get a special formatted coded disk that doesn't require the extra-activation.

 

[WhiteRavven]

I do not value the entertainment provided by a video game at $60. I don't care how much it cost to make the game, as that is not my problem. If used games are banned, I will simply stop buying AAA games.

We (the Americans in here anyway) live in a mostly free market. To compete, you must provide a superior service(ie: convenience), lower prices, or a combination of both. If you cannot compete, then you deserve to fail.

Yes, because there are NO costs to running at business at all! None! At all! It's all entirely based on service and the price - oh, and by the way, most Americans are dicks (yes I am one) who will still go for the cheaper prices even if the service is crap.

There is a reason why smaller stores/non chain stores are getting blown out of the water. Because big companies can take the loss while their franchises are busy running the other stores out of business.

Yeah, that small business totally deserves to fail because a big, heavily backed franchise can come in and undercut them: and if they try to compete they can't make their cost of operation.