Looking through my collection of games, I noticed a startling trend. It was something that had crept into the back of my mind when I went out looking for games for purchase, and it was something that set off a light bulb when I would drop the sixty plus dollars for a new game. This trend? DOUBLES of games. Specifically, its what I call "games repurchasing". Even more specifically, the repurchasing of the exact same game title- whether for a new generation of systems or the virtual console.

Having played games for over twenty five years, I have absolutely no problem supporting companies that make great products by purchasing their products without batting an eyelash. Oh, Nintendo is coming out with a new Mario game? Sign me up. A cell-shaded Zelda game? Fuck yeah, here's my pre-order as a sign of good faith that the game is going to be kickass.



(Oh, Link to the Past is coming out for Gameboy? Hell yeah, it's going to have some special features and shit, right? Oh no?! Well, its going to have revamped graphics maybe? No?! Well, its still Legend of Zelda, so um, I'll purchase it. Now I can play it when I sit outside on the porch. That's something I guess.)

Fast forward a bit. Link to the Past is out on the virtual console. At this point, I already have two versions of the game. I know, I know, its a classic. Having it conveniently on the virtual console will make it so I don't have to dust off the SNES. Its still a lot of fun. But I can't in good conscience purchase this game a third time. First time it was purchased- about fifty bones. Second time it was purchased- thirty five smackers. Purchasing the game a third time would mean that I will have dropped a hundred dollars on this title. (To some its worth it- fans of the series, those that just love to be completionists with specific collections, neurotics. In this economic climate, for misers, cheapskates, and poor folks, its definately not worth it.)

Another example is Final Fantasy III. My favorite RPG of all time. Will probably be in my top five till the day I die. Saved my money years ago, and purchased it at the now defunct FedCo store for $84.99, before taxes. Well worth every penny I saved to buy it.



Years later, I hear that Final Fantasy VI (III) is going to be released on the Gameboy. Fuck yeah! In this instance, I am more than happy to repurchase this title. Could it be that I have a repurchasing threshold of two, and any more triggers some sort of economic sanction in my brain? (Maybe so, but does it explain why I purchased an extra copy of Final Fantasy VI [III]? Doesn't that mean that my true repurchasing threshold is three? And if it is, why couldn't I pull the trigger for a third copy of Link to the Past? As I love that game too)

So I've come to the conclusion that I am willing to repurchase a rerelease of a game just once. Any more and I feel that I'm being ripped off. In fact, I think that purchasing a game just once should be enough. The money from buying an extra copy could be put to better use- like for instance, a totally new game. Anyone else out there more than happy with "games repurchasing"? Or is once enough?



(As a sports fan, don't get me started on the yearly iterations of Madden, Tiger Woods, Baseball, Boxing, and Hockey. That's its very own subtopic about wasteful spending on slightly up to date roster tweaks.)