Video gaming is not just a hobby for most of us here at Destructoid, it’s a life style. The problem with having video gaming as a life style is that it can get pretty expensive. Both PS3 and XBOX360 games all cost $60 brand new, and with so many quality titles coming out recently, like
Metal Gear Solid 4 and
Grand Theft Auto 4, buying all these great games can easily add up to hundreds of dollars a year. One of the ways around this, to help ease our wallets and pocket books a bit, is to buy and trade used video games. However, I didn’t come here to talk about why you should buy or trade used video games. I want to tell you why you shouldn’t.
Why People Buy and Trade Used Games
Let’s face it, one of the easiest ways to lighten the burden on your wallet when being a hardcore gamer is to trade in your old used video games, and then buy a used game. Let’s say you wanted to trade in your used copy of
GTA 4 for a used copy of
MGS 4. If you go to
Gamestop today they will give you $20 of trade in credit for
GTA 4 and then charge you $55 for a used copy of
MGS 4. That means you only have to spend $35 to own what is essentially one of the best games of the year. You essentially just saved yourself $25, so how is it that buy and selling used games can be such a bad thing? Well let’s look a little deeper at this transaction and see what really just took place.
Why Game Stores Want You to Buy and Trade Used Games
When you purchased the used copy of
MGS 4 not a
single penny of the money you spent went toward the developer
Konami. Developers, like
Konami, do not get any money when game stores like
Gamestop sell used copies of their games. Instead
Gamestop is banking all of the profit and keeping it themselves. It’s actually in
Gamestop’s best interest to sell used copies of games. If you look at the their financials from 2007 you’ll see that they made $650 million in gross profit by selling used games compared to only around $425 million for selling new games. That’s because when
Gamestop sells a new game for $60 they only make about $13 in profit. If they sell the same game used for $55, they are making between $30 and $35 in profit. That’s almost 300% more profit for selling a used copy of the game over a new copy. It’s in
Gamespot’s best interest to sell you used games.
Why You Shouldn’t Buy Used Games
Gamestop however does not make games, they only sell them. It’s the hard working developers like
Squaresoft, Insomianc, 2K Games, DICE, and
Konami that are actually making the games. They are the ones that deserved to be paid for their hard work, not
Gamestop[i/]. When you are buying used games you are not putting any money in the pockets of these developers who slave away for years making you quality games. You are putting it in the already stuffed pockets of the [i]Gamestop board of directors and stock holders. Do you really think they care about you? Absolutely not! They care about one thing and that’s finding ways to make them selves even richer then they are.
Developers are out there working themselves as hard as they can, sometimes 80 hours a week, so that you can have an incredible gaming experience. Do you think anyone could make quality games like
MGS 4 or
GTA 4? No, only the best of the best working long and hard hours could make these extremely high quality games and they need to be rewarded for their efforts. These are pretty big developers though. What about the little guys like
Double Fine Productions who made
Psychonauts. This was an incredible game that unfortunately didn’t have very good sales. It’s games like these that we especially need to buy the “new” copies of so that we make sure we are putting money into the developers pockets to thank them for the good job they did, because not many people are. You only put money in the developers’ pockets, where it belongs, when you buy “new” games, not “used game”.
Why You Shouldn’t Trade In Used Games
Trading in used games isn’t any better then buying used game, because when you trade in your used games you are doing yourself and the developers a disservice. First of all by trading in your used games you are enabling places like
Gamestop to sell them to someone else, instead of a new copy of the game. Essentially you are taking away money from the developers of the game you are trading in by allowing
Gamestop to sell it to other customers.
You are also doing a disservice to yourself by taking such a low trade in value from places like
Gamestop. It has been only 2 months since
GTA 4 came out and already you can only get $20 of trade-in-credit for the game. That’s only 33% of the new price of the game. That’s like a slap in the face. Take some pride in these games that someone worked so hard to create. I would rather keep a game then get only $20 for it. It just makes me feel very disrespected when a company like
Gamestop offers me so little for such a great game. They only charge you so little because they can and because they want to make more profit. These are the reasons why you shouldn’t trade in your used games. Just keep them.
Conclusion
So as you can see I have laid out my reasons why you should not buy or trade used video games. I am sure many of you agree and many of you disagree. It’s hard not to buy or trade used games if you make so little money, or if you have so little disposable income. It’s just the nature of the beast that to keep the lifestyle of a hardcore gamer up you need to find ways to save money here and there. I implore you though to step back a moment and think about the harm you can cause by doing this. All you are doing is putting more money in the pockets of places like
Gamestop and less money in the developers’ pockets, the guys who worked so hard to make the games. We need to support the developers in their efforts to make higher and higher quality game that enrich our gaming experiences. Think about that next time you are in a game store and you are thinking about whether to buy the new copy or the used copy of a game.
This sounds nice in theory... but then again.. it really helps out the people that are looking for that long lost gem that cant be found. If everyone kept their games, I wouldnt have a nice copy of Final Fantasy 7...
This goes for consoles as well since I collect them. It sounds good in theory tho.
Nice write up.
It's hard to resist a $20 discount on a game when all I have to do is give them some game I probably won't play again. Plus, you know, I'm poor.
Good post and I agree with you in theory, as dephect said.
So what's the solution for buying games that are 2-to-30 years old that you can't get in stores? I guess you want us to just lament how we missed the game the first time and hope for a re-issue?
Post has a holes big enough to drive a mack truck through.
But I'z po. I caint affode no new game.
I always look for a good deal on a new game first. That hardly ever happens though. The last deal I got was a new Zack and Wiki for Wii from Toys R Us for $10. I have never traded in a game. Who knows when I'll want to pick it back up and play again.
for fucks sake. EBAY GUYS
benefits: You get more for your used game, but the purchaser still pays less for the used game.
The only problem is you have to move around a little bit.
There are quite a few games in my collection that I feel truly sorry for buying used. But on the other hand, I currently have around 87 or more games and I'm only 16. Almost all of them were bought with my money, and buying used has saved me a lot of money.
As for trading in my games, how do you think I got 87 games? Not by using trade in money, that's for sure.
I guess the lesson to be learned here is buy games new, but if they are impossible to find new or are just way too overpriced, buy used.
Also, NEVER trade your games to Gamestop! If you want it gone, use eBay. You may even make more than you paid in the first place! Or Goozex.
p.s. I liked the graphs.
lol you should've referenced my blog
I only buy used when the games are old or hard to find.
The only "newer" game I have bought usedwas Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3) for $34 US (used) when I was on vacation becuase in Canada it's still $60 new and $54.99 used...thats a slap in the face.
There are good reasons to buy used other than the obvious cost-saving, such as the identical benefits of recycling. It's true that no one benefits from the sale of used games except the seller, but either way, when a person decides it's time for a game of his to go, he's going to get rid of it somehow. Better someone sells it rather than him just deciding to throw it away. If GameStop isn't going to sell it, he might decide to do it himself, and he would get all the money. He could choose to give it away, but frankly, our economic system just doesn't work like that. He paid for it and he is going to find a way to recoup some of the cost. The only real way around all of this is to buy and sell directly to and from the publisher, and how many people do you know do this regularly?
I've heard this argument alot, but honestly, I care alot more about myself than I do about a company, even if that company makes games. Plus, I doubt that it's the actual developers that profit when you buy a game new, it's their employers. As I understand it, games are "work made for hire" - so while Square, EA, etc might be making more off new games, the actual individuals they employ aren't.
And while I agree that trading in games at EB and the like is usually not profitable, it can be if ypu do it right. For example, at the EBs here in Canada you can trade in any 3 games with a $8 TIV to get a new release. Blockbuster video often has a buy 2, get 1 free deal, where you can get 3 games of that value for about 30 bucks. So essentially, you Get to play 4 games for $30 bucks, if you do it right. That's more than enough incentive for me to support the used games market.
I always check major outlets (Best Buy/Target/Wal-Mart) for game titles before I resort to Gamestop. Unless I want pre-order swag, damn those devils and their freebies.
While I mostly agree, what about trading in a game that didn't live up to expectations? I personally didn't enjoy GTA 4, so I just traded it in today and payed 30 bucks for Soul Calibur 4. I felt bad when I did it, but personally I see nothing wrong with trading in a game.
But, I do not buy used games. Trading them in feels wrong enough, but if the game isn't that good or I don't like it, then what else am I going to do with it? But otherwise, it's not good the industry and because of this I only purchase new, no matter how much the used copy is. And if the game is obscure and there are no new copies, then there is nothing wrong with buying used.
Other than that, thanks for writing this blog. Some people still don't realize the effect on the industry when you always buy used.
Used is for retro purchases. Where possible I always buy games new and I always shop around to get the best price I can.
When I do trade in a game, its usually for a big purchase, like a new console. Also I never trade in games at the big chains, always go to an independant if you must trade stuff in.
GOOZEX is the answer; it gets rid of any middleman and directly connects you to other gamers.
I try my hardest not to purchase any shitty games, but hey, it happens. I don't have any sort of attachment to games that suck, so giving them to other people for them to find out that it sucks is easy as pie.
awesome. you just explained retail....in general. cept gamestop version.
I really don't go in there now unless it's to look around and steal any rare games there. Otherwise, I shop online for used games. Though it's hard to buy used rare games online with gamers jack the prices up higher than they are in used retail stores.
At £40-50 ($80-100) new, principle dosen't really come into buying games for me sorry.
The-Excel also makes an excellent point. If a significant number of used games sales were converted to purchases of new games, what sort of effect would that have on the environment?
OK, there are quite a few people who show no remorse for used game purchases. Like I said, I buy new but do trade in sometimes to save money. What you've got to realize is that the publisher and the developer are losing a lot of money. Personally, I would feel wrong depriving a company like, say, Capcom of cash. Why? Because they mostly do things right, and they make good games on a consistent basis. Why would I want to hurt them financially? I want more of there games, so I support their product the best I can.
If there's no money, they won't keep making the games we love.
Two word: goo sex.
sorry, one word: Goozex
Keep in mind guys I'm not trying to say that you should 100% of the time always buy new games. Obviously there are situations in which you cannot. As someone pointed out when it comes to retro games you have to buy used. There is no way around this. If you are a 16 year old kid and you only make $200 a month it's also hard to warrant spending the money for a new game.
The point is to really get you to think about where your money is going when you buy and trade used games. I personally don't scorn any person who buy's or trades used games. If I did I would be a hypocrit because I used to do it myself.
Eventually one day I sat down and thought about it a lot and it occured to me I really want to support the developer in the end, and the best way to do that is to buy "new". It also helped that I graduated college at this point in time and started making lots of money.
@SilverDragon1979
I made $1000 (before taxes) this summer, I think that's a little more than $200 a month.
But that and the fact that I'm saving up for an HDTV (720p to save money) I'll be buying used for quite a while.
I think this is an interesting subject but I the same line on it. I as a fairly hardcore gamer reserve and buy most of my games new and rarely sell my games even if I bought one used. But I don't think used games are a bane of gaming either.
Most really great titles hold peoples attention for a long time and take a while to leave gamers hands as a trade in. I did not feel sorry for games like Kane and Lynch when there were copies on the shelf in less than 24 hrs. I actually think it is sort of a measure of quality. And lets face it if a game comes back to the store within a short time did the person that bought it really get their moneys worth out of it shouldn't they be able to recoup their loss did the game, did the game deserve the new sell in the 1st place. I had a friend use Goozex to get rid of an abortion of a game Alvin and the Chipmunks for Wii that he had bought his daughter. I actually agree it is stupid 99% of the time to trade games at Game Stop cause there are better ways.
We could get into all sorts of ethical debates but just cause a person likes Toyota should they only buy there cars new(so the company gets money) and should they not sell that car at fair market value and have it destroyed instead. If I cannot sell my games(even if I won't) they have no value other than nostalgia and that is not enough for some games. Its fun to know My copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga and Radiant Silvergun I bought not knowing they would be valuable are in fact worth more than I paid for them and its fun to know I have over 120 Dreamcast games even if there are quite a few that are not that great.
Games have been rented for a long time and it hasn't killed the industry yet but it has to be every bit as evil or more so as the game makers get one sell and for a small fee I get to play a game beat it and throw it to someone else to do the same.
In closing I feel there is a value that comes even if not even a single dollar is exchanges and that is brand recognition. If my friends are playing a game I am going to as well even if they bought a used copy(some will by used and some will buy new). If 10 million people want to play the game online 10 million copies will be sold. At least this is true in the games time of popularity. Sure this is a lot worse on the shorter games that don't have a lot of replay value but it still holds true to an extent. I think the fallacy here is used games kills games like Psyconauts but in fact we gamers with our heads up our asses in conjunction to poor marketing are to blame(I did buy Psyconauts at launch though I missed Beyond Good and Evil).
Gamestop cheats you.
The local gamestore does not, and that's why I trade there
So in theory, we just need to avoid buying used games at Gamestop, right? Already waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay ahead of you on that one.
This is probably one of the reasons why they keep upping the costs of their games. I mean now we're paying $60 in the US for new games, not counting special editions. Watch the next generation of consoles, well Sony and Microsoft anyway, watch their games cost like $70 for the regular versions.
now that i've finally got a full-time job (and work in the industry) i've started thinking like this more. i buy new when i can, but it's still tough when the games are over a year old and the used prices are so GOOD.
In America (and the rest of the Western World), you essentially 'vote' with your dollar. Whenever possible, I chose to support a game developer (and unfortunately the necessary support of their publisher) buy buying new copies, and using digital distribution if it is a PC title.
I agree with you most of the way. I've cut down on my buying of used games, but every so often there's a tough to find game that isn't out there new.
I like Steam's idea of "weekend deals." They are like crack and they've gotten me to plunk money down on titles I would have otherwise ignored. Heck, I like the idea of rereleasing games in downloadable format, period. Some publishers are starting to go nuts with this, I can't wait for them all to.
Nice article. I try to buy new games I "know" will be worth my money. If it's a game I'm unsure of, then I'll often buy it used or get it off of Goozex. The other problem with buying games new, for PC gaming at least, is that you can never return anything if you don't like it.
Publishers know that the secondary market is HUGE right now and the definitely want to change that flow of money so it starts heading their way. Companies have already taken steps to make it harder to get your games into the used market. Any Valve game is essentially worthless in the secondary market (not that I'd want to sell any of my Valve games). Company of Heroes and BF 2142 both permenantly link your CD key directly to one online multiplayer account/email address. This makes buying those games used a bit more risky as its next to impossible to get those accounts reset.
I wouldn't be surprised if we see this happening on consoles in the future. The specific game you purchased could become linked to your online multiplayer account, making it worthless, concerning multiplayer at least, to anyone else.
This is really an article about why you shouldn't go to GameStop as opposed to a general argument for why selling used games is bad. As shown by research at GDC, there's a billion dollars in revenue for the gaming industry that comes *entirely* from the proceeds of used game sales. People buy new, play, sell, and reinvest the proceeds in gaming. The turnover is higher. Those developers actually *make more money* because of the used game trade.
If you don't want to go to GameStop, patronize your local independent store, sell on eBay, sell on Dawdle (disclosure: my site), sell on Craigslist, or have a yard sale.
Nice try buddy but if I see a good looking game for a good discount for a price then I'm going to take it. I don't give two shits about who makes a profit off it.
Fuck off and cry more while you ride the Gamestop hate bandwagon.
@Konchu
Post your game collection if you haven't already good sir *hasn't checked yet*, as I do wish to see some Radiant Silvergun love.
@Rest of the people
Being a previous employee of EB Games (up here in Canada), even the employees know that people who trade in and buy used are suckers. The biggest issue is, most people don't think too deep into things like this, like most of us do on this site. If there's a chance for something to be cheaper, or they're not hardcore collectors and want to play a game, then they're always going to go for the cheaper option. Buying old school retro games like SNES games and such, you'll pretty much have to buy used, but for the most part of newer releases and such, I would suggest people buy new.
In terms of purchasing used games, I would suggest pawn shops or local game stores, as they'll give you a better deal, like of the 600+ games I have in my collection (which is posted on my blog), about 250 of them are used, but the majority are from a place called Cash Converters! I could pay $45 for a new copy of New Super Mario Bros., $35 for a used one at EB, or I could pay $20 for a used one at Cash Converters, on a game that really should be cheaper by now, and that you know isn't going to disappear.
The biggest issue is, people should try to buy new if possible, unless they don't have the means to do so, and I don't think nearly as many people would be opposed to buying used games, only if Gamestop/EB Games weren't such jackasses about it, by SUPREMELY lowballing the customer, then remarking it up massively and not giving what I would deem a "fair" price in reselling.
@Funktastic
And for the guy who lives in the middle of abso-fucking-lutely nowhere (god damn local video store won't even sell their PS1 games for crying out loud)? I don't really like EB but I ain't gonna drive an extra 15 miles just because OH NO EB/GAMESTOP IS SO EVIL GUYS NEVER SHOP THERE THEY'RE SUCH BAD PEOPLE BLAH BLAH BANDWAGON FAGGOTRY YOU GOTTA SUPPORT THAT MOM AND POP SHOP.
And no, don't say buying online. I don't like buying a game online then waiting for it to arrive. I'd rather pick up the game while I'm already out and about.
Considering that the American economy is in a recession that has significantly increased the price of food and gasoline while losing tens of thousands of jobs, I really don't blame people for spending $30 on a game, as opposed to $60.
I used to trade in games, but now I'm a collection whore. I still buy second hand sometimes, but only if it's old or I'm not very excited for it. If I want it badly, I'll buy iy new first day. (See GTA4, Oblivion etc) I'm not paying €60 for Hitman: Blood Money on 360, but I was glad to buy it for 30. I think this is more an issue of pricing really.
GAMESTOP IS THE DEVIL!!
Seriously.. They SUCK
I dont trade in games because I like to keep them. But if I did, i would do it at Blockbuster or another store. BB averages about twice the trade in value of GS & they guarantee theyll beat any other trade in value. That's why Gamestop wont give you values over the phone.
I have gotten some games ultra cheap in clearance bins ($2-5) & traded them in sometimes because I get to play them for free that way. But that's the only time.
Also... If you guys need to trade, do it at CheapassGamer.com they have a good community there & you dont get charged fees. It uses a iTrader feedback system similar to eBAY & you can also judge by peoples post count.
Are you against used clothes, used CDs, used videos, used furniture? Are the evil Goodwills and Salvation Armies of the world putting the entire American economy into recession?
I understand encouraging people to stay away from Gamestop. They suck and I applaud your effort.
But c'mon. The secondary market is an important facet of economic life. I think it's important as humans not to be wasteful. If we didn't share and resell things that we're done using, can you imagine how much worse the environmental situation would be now? For every person that doesn't buy used, that's more plastic that needs to be created in a factory somewhere.
Besides being good for the environment, the secondary market of used goods helps create economic entry points for people with less money into the video game hobby. They buy something cheap and used, they get into a certain developer, they might just want to buy their next release brand new, the day it gets released. Without the entry point of a cheap used game, they may have never grown into a faithful supporter of a developer.
I buy a lot of my games new, but if I sell a used game, guess what? That gives me more money to ... you got it ... buy another new game! A new game I might not have been able to afford if I hadn't gotten rid of old shit I didn't need anymore. And how do you think small mom and pop stores stay in business? You know, the ones we're always lamenting get shut down by the big ugly Gamestops of the world? They do so largely from the trade in used goods. This money helps them stay in business and provide that wonderful collection of new artsy titles for you to buy. The great circle of life continues.
I like that you put so much effort into your article, but the issue's a lot less cut and dry then you make it seem.
The issue is a lot
The only problem I have with your post is when you say "don't buy used". You mean "don't buy from gamestop or any mass-retail used dealer" but you say it different. We should buy used, but from individuals (meaning friends or even single one-on-one transactions across the web. Thus ebay, goozex (they charge a small, next-to-nothing fee), purchases from friends and even small-time mom and pop stores (including small chains and local stores) shouldn't be discouraged. As stated above, this is the only way to obtain some games (particularly retro titles).
Also craigslist, goodwill, garage sales and flea markets.
I buy a lot of used games to fill up my previous generation libraries when new copies aren't really available anymore. But I will go out of my way to hunt down copies of games like Zack and Wiki that really deserve my money when possible.
@Tristero:
Looks like your post was truncated. I want to read the rest of it.