Why do people buy used games?

[zelda2fanboy]

I agree with all the anger and resentment directed towards the Xbox One and I'm definitely not going to be buying it with those ridiculous demands on the consumer. However, I'm still baffled as to why the "used game market" is this sacred thing to be maintained at all costs. Used games aren't that cheap. I've gotten "new" copies of old-ish games for less than a used copy would cost, pretty much all the time. I just keep an eye on deals. I got XCOM Enemy Unknown for $15 from Best Buy brand new in sealed packaging. Currently on amazon, the cheapest used copy comes in at $16 plus shipping. On gamestop, it's a whopping $38. It's free on PS Plus right now. I saw Far Cry 3 on sale at either amazon or best buy a few days ago for $20. Far Cry 2 is maybe a five dollar difference between used and new. Same for Fallout 3.

I just don't get the hubbub. I never buy used for fear of getting a scratched copy. Again, I don't want DRM and maybe one day I'll want a used copy of an old game. Why do people act like used games are the biggest point of contention in the industry? It's not exactly consumer friendly model either and it just means a retailer acted as a middleman who pocketed more money than usual by facilitating a transaction.

I mean if anything is hurting the game industry, it's the game industry. That level of competition is tough and when you have multiple AAA games at $60 a pop every few months that all get gradually discounted as they become less popular, it really tightens one's profit margins. Why else would we have so many preorder bonuses?

(And to reiterate, I'm not a MS fanboy since I don't want to have to rely on an internet connection to play a game and I didn't really like my 360 all that much. That, and the fact that Infamous Second Son is a thing, pretty much decided my purchasing decisions before the console war even started.)

 

[Severian]

What happens when a publisher stops producing a game? No other option except to buy it used if you ever want to try and play it.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

First, it is one of the last bastions of ownership in this industry. If you can't sell your games then the producer officially holds all the chips. DRM becomes more pervasive and the concept of ownership slowly dies. It really becomes about them selling you a license to play their game. You no longer own anything. You are purchasing a service.

Secondly, games like SMT: Nocturne are ridiculously expensive to buy new. New copies of games become scarce after a while and used becomes the only way to buy them.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Buying used is, essentially, an easy way to save money. Sure, if you know where to look and aren't too stressed by waiting a bit, you can get new copies for very good prices. Most people, however, aren't interested in that. They don't want to look around and they most certainly don't want to wait. The $5 savings on a used game at GameStop makes it worth it for them and they won't even consider any impact that may have on the industry because, hey, $5.

Of course, there certainly is the case where a game just isn't being produced any more and the only way you can get it is to get it used, but that's a different topic altogether.

 

[Pink Gregory]

Because if someone has extracted all they want from a game, why keep it? And why throw it away?

 

[MrWunderful]

Because if someone has extracted all they want from a game, why keep it? And why throw it away?

This. I find no point in keeping games I didn't like, and don't want. Sure there are some that I keep for the collector/sentimental value, but reselling games is something that helps keep the cost down for me personally.

Plus going to a garage sale and seeing SNES games for .50 cents is awesome!

 

[Pink Gregory]

Because if someone has extracted all they want from a game, why keep it? And why throw it away?

This. I find no point in keeping games I didn't like, and don't want. Sure there are some that I keep for the collector/sentimental value, but reselling games is something that helps keep the cost down for me personally.

Plus going to a garage sale and seeing SNES games for .50 cents is awesome!

Admittedly, with the information the internet can give, older used games just go right up in price unless they sold like gangbusters at the time, which is a shame.

Plus, as much as money is involved, what's wrong with sharing? "I didn't like this, perhaps someone else will."

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Dude, they're cheap. And sometimes you can't find a new copy. Why else?

 

[shrekfan246]

What happens when a publisher stops producing a game? No other option except to buy it used if you ever want to try and play it.

Boom. Right here.

I didn't get into Metal Gear Solid until... well, long after the fact. About two years ago now. I wouldn't have been able to play Metal Gear Solid 4 if I couldn't find a used copy, unless I wanted to go trolling through Amazon (and quite frankly, I don't like putting my trust in the post when I can help it, no matter how reliable Amazon specifically may be).

Physical game disks will always eventually stop being produced. I like having physical copies of my console games. If it's a game or series I'm unsure of, it'll probably be long after they stopped mass-producing the game and I'll buy used because it's a lower risk:reward ratio. If I end up liking the game and a new one in the same series/by the same company gets made, I'll be more likely to buy their new game... new. Like I did with Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, Metal Gear Rising, and will do with Metal Gear Solid 5.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

As was said, they're cheaper than a new copy, and sometimes you can't get the game as it comes out (for whatever reason), so getting it used is the only way you'll get it at all. Sites like Ebay are a godsend for old games, and many of mine come from there (all of my Gamecube games, and plenty of PS2 games, too).

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

As was said, they're cheaper than a new copy, and sometimes you can't get the game as it comes out (for whatever reason), so getting it used is the only way you'll get it at all. Sites like Ebay are a godsend for old games, and many of mine come from there (all of my Gamecube games, and plenty of PS2 games, too).

They're often way cheaper, no less. Sure, if you go the day after launch and find a used copy, Gamestop will only knock off $5 for a used copy. But that hardly represents all of their used games, most of which are under $20, let alone under $55.

And as you pointed out, Gamestop is far from the entire used market. They may have the major dedicated retailer part of it locked down, but they're not the only option or even the best option for cheap used games.

 

[Ninmecu]

because Poverty is a thing that I live with. So, to quote MS, Deal With It.

 

[krazykidd]

First i always ask to see the disc of a used game . If it's not to my liking , i will not buy it .

Why do i buy used games? Depends . I bought Mass effect 3 used out of spite . Yes , spite towards EA . Other times because it's cheaper . It coulf range from 5$-20$ cheaper depending how old the game is . If it's only 5$ it usually isn't worth it for me ( unless it's an EA game , then spite away!) so i'll buy it new for 5$ more . The third reason is because new copies are nowhere to be found . Then i have no choice . But like i said before i ALWAYS look at the disc , scratches and/or fingerprints are a big no no .

 

[EstrogenicMuscle]

On Gamestop, it's a whopping $38.

Nobody likes Gamestop. I use Amazon a lot of the time. And yes, it is consistently better than buying most stuff new at most places.

There's also the principal of actually being able to own what you buy. Should I simply not have the ability to play a game I paid for 10 years down the line? Should I have less rights over what I have purchased rather than more? What if I want to sell the game to a friend for $5? What if I want to have an inalienable right to play the game I own?

I have a copy of Pokemon Red. What if Nintendo, were able to tell me, 10 years from now, that I no longer have the right to play Pokemon Red since my license has been revoked? I wish to have an inalienable right to simply play Pokemon Red, from now, until the time that I die. And I want to be able to have the right to give someone else that right. And right now, I can do that. I simply hand them a copy of Pokemon Red.

Simply put, if you can't sell or trade or otherwise exchange your games, you don't own them. And people deserve to be able to own games.

It's not exactly consumer friendly model either and it just means a retailer acted as a middleman who pocketed more money than usual by facilitating a transaction.

So it is consumer unfriendly and there's a bit evil middleman if I sell a copy of Pokemon Yellow to my neighbor for $5?

No, it's consumer unfriendly to not allow me to sell a copy of Pokemon Yellow to my neighbor for $5. You're acting like all used video game sales are Gamestop. If I can't do this basic thing, I don't own the game. I don't have a right to play what I've paid for.

Are you telling me it is consumer unfriendly for me to own and the right to a copy of Pokemon Red?

Secondly, games like SMT: Nocturne are ridiculously expensive to buy new. New copies of games become scarce after a while and used becomes the only way to buy them.

People who think that buying used "isn't that cheap" really aren't looking at the right part of the industry.

 

[nevarran]

I think the process of selling your games adds to the value. Usually the people who buy used games, also sell their games.

 

[Maximum Bert]

Points have always been mentioned so I will be repeating a bit but reasons I may buy used games (and I dont often) are:-

They can be cheaper.
I may not be able to get the game new either because its rare or it isnt even made anymore.

But really why used games are most important to me is it gives me more choice I dont like being increasingly restricted especially for no reason and its removal or as good as is not good for the consumer. I hardly ever buy preowned and never trade in (because the price isnt worth it) but its nice to have the option and I dont like being told what I can and can do with my copy of the game I have purchased and I am not counting obvious cheating such as hacking a games multiplayer.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

Because if someone has extracted all they want from a game, why keep it? And why throw it away?

And with one sentence, you've pretty much described my problem. I still have almost every game I've ever purchased, all the way back to the SNES.

I have a copy of Pokemon Red. What if Nintendo, were able to tell me, 10 years from now, that I no longer have the right to play Pokemon Red since my license has been revoked? I wish to have an inalienable right to simply play Pokemon Red, from now, until the time that I die. And I want to be able to have the right to give someone else that right. And right now, I can do that. I simply hand them a copy of Pokemon Red.

I guess I should have clarified that I'm talking about Gamestop, Best Buy, Wal Mart, and Amazon. There's no reason to use them when you can sell used direct to people. The internet just seems to act like using those retailers as a source of used games is the backbone video game retail, which doesn't really make sense when you think about it. They're just recouping the losses on new games that they themselves marked down. It's goofy.

because Poverty is a thing that I live with. So, to quote MS, Deal With It.

Me too. The internet is a godsend when it comes to getting new games cheap, and classic games really cheap. I just don't why everyone is so concerned about gamestop, as if games will cease to be if they go.

 

[Little Gray]

I buy used because if I see two functionally identical copies of a game and one costs $10 less i am going to go for the cheaper one.

I also dont see the point in holding onto a game that i will never play again. The ability to buy used also means that I have that ability to trade in/sell those games. Its not even about the amount of money I will get for them its simply a matter of me not wanting to waste space on crap I will never play again. Its one of the reasons I threw out all my old pc games. I cant resell them and since I am not going to play them again they are garbage.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Why do I buy used games? Two main reasons:

1. The game cannot be found new in stores anymore. So basically, everything 6th gen and older, though there are also many early 7th gen games that have become hard to near impossible to find new.

2. The game isn't worth ?60 in my eyes. I'm quite happy to lay down money on a new game, especially one from a dev I like, but only if I think/know I will get my money's worth out of that game. If not, I will wait until it goes down in price or I'll pick up a used copy should I come across one.

That a lot of publishers and developers in the games industry don't like used games is not my problem. I don't owe them anything as a customer, I will not be held responsible for their problems and I'll spend my money how I see fit.

Unfortunately, the games industry is an odd one where companies seemingly demand customers cater to them, rather than the other way round.