TheKasp said:
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.
The only problem I see with that is the assumption that everyone only buys used games from gamestop or the like. Out of the 102 console games I posses between 360 and PS3, my breakdown runs as follows.
7 purchased day of release or while still at max price
31 purchased new when the price had dropped to a reasonable price.
3 purchased from gamestop used (All three were old sports titles. Total equalling up to less than 10$
12 purchased used online via amazon/glyde/ebay etc
49 purchased via local methods such as pawn shops, local video stores, garage sales, trades with friends, but im uncertain on exact figures of each.
So while that breaks down to 38 games that the developers saw money from my purchase, and 64 times when they didnt that still breaks down to only 3-15 times(Dependent on what your considering evil corp) that a chain store run by assholes who abuse everyone they come in contact with got money in favor of the 38 times the developer saw my money. The remaining 49 instances? was supporting a local business that helped the local economy, and was helping people I have went out drinking with in the past. Practically half the time I was choosing to support friends and my local economy.
So I dont think it is safe to say that if you are buying used, your buying from a gamestop or national equivalent. I think it is safe to say that most people who buy a lot of games, will buy from a wide variety of sources. You simply cannot use tunnel vision to look at the video game industry, because the developers and publishers are only a tiny fraction of what the industry actually is. No different than any other industry.
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Now on topic, Im not cool with that. I do not think it will happen, but I have been wrong before. But obviously as my numbers above indicated, I have a vested interest in used gaming. So honestly, If the next generation goes anti used, I wont be buying that console. Simply put it is absolutely wrong for the manufacturers to think they are entitled to secondary sale profits. No physical industry is able to do this. There are laws that protect the secondary sale industry as well as consumers rights to buy and sell unwanted items. Industries that are digital centric are not exempt from playing by the rules simply because they have a means to work around those rules.
There is only one way I would ever consider buying a console that is anti used. That is if every single piece of software sold for that console is automatically sold for half the price as the console being anti used automatically removes literally half the value of any and all software sold on it.
One other thing people seem to forget in all this. This hypothetically would not just effect gamers who buy used. This would effect every single gamer period regardless of if you buy used or not. Just paid 60$ for that shiney new copy of Generic brown FPS? Want to take your copy to your friends house and play split screen? Better be prepared to dig through the octopus like mound of wires behind your tv, and untangle it all disconnect your box, Pray the moving it does not damage your system, lug it to their house, unhook theirs, hook yours up... all just to play with a friend something you legally purchased and supported the developers by doing so.
EDIT: So in short people want to get mad at people supporting used because it allows the developers and publishers to secure more money. Understand some things. That position will secure developers and publishers LESS money. That position will hurt local small businesses, that position will hurt the industry as a whole. That position is completely illogical for any gamer to support because it hurts all gamers and basically all commercial industries.