The debate over second-hand games rages on, and if you are a regular reader of Destructoid, you'll quickly learn that most of us don't quite see eye-to-eye with EA, David Braben and Epic on this one. Second-hand games are awesome, and the games industry should stop trying to be the exception to one of the most basic rules of trade. Simple as.
Unsurprisingly, Gamestop is also a big supporter of second-hand games, probably because it makes a lot of bloody money from them. Of course, the retail chain is dressing it up under the guise of looking out for the consumer, stating that a lot of customers will be upset should used games cease to exist.
"I think it creates contention not only for us, yes, but also for the consumer," claims CEO Dan DeMatteo. "Anything that limits the transferability of a game from consumer to a friend of theirs, to selling it on eBay, to exchanging it and trading it with one of their friends, or selling it back to GameStop - I think is a bone of contention with the consumer."
DeMatteo states that the consumer is "trained" to see residual value in videogames, and that nowadays more than ever, such value needs to exist. Now, one of the first things I've learned from my American adventures is that Gamestop's trade-in rates are abysmal (they have nothing on Gamestation) but I do fully agree. Again, this goes back to the argument that beyond videogames, everything has residual value, unless it's food or diapers ... but hell, even someone will take used diapers off your hands if you use the Internet. The games industry loves Capitalism, but starts pissing and moaning when it comes back on them. You can't just pick and choose that stuff.
Contest:
8:46 AM on 11.26.2008
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You can get much better returns on a title if you post it up on ebay.
When will companies learn that policies can't stop human nature?
Although when I do buy games I check the disk for scratches before I pay. I'm also enough of a dick that I require the original case (in good to near perfect condition) and all of the manuals. I'm sick and tired of finding a used game that I really want, only to realize that someone let their dog chew on it or a 5 year old tried to make a peanut and butter sandwich out of it. I think gamestop should enforce some sort of requirements for trades, I know they give you less for loose disks (not that they pass the saving on to you) but seriously. When I trade in a game that I bought new, it still looks new. A gamestop employee had a nice giggle when I traded in my LE Halo 3... not only was the plastic slip case that was still hard to get off but the disks had no scratches on them (which is a surprise since most of the disks came prescratched due to crappy case design)
I rarely buy new games from gamestop because of their dumb ass policy of taking new games out of cases. I'm not going to pay 60 bucks for a 'new' game that is not in shrink wrap. I have actually had an experience when I bought a 'new' game that way and when I took it hope it had scratched on it, now I flat out refuse their modified new games.
I am all for expanding the ability to transfer property rights but I would really like to see the creative team get their money too.
Gamestop and other used game sellers serve two functions that benefit developers: for frequent consumers of new video games, video games just got half as expensive. Buy a game, play it for two weeks, and trade it in for $25 - $30 (unless it sucks). That goes towards the next new game, repeat cycle. Twice as many new games sold to those people, and having worked at a Gamestop, there are more high-volume retail buyers and resellers than you would think.
Then, all the people who aren't interested in paying $60 on an unknown quantity can get the chance to learn if they like a game for cheap, and they don't have to wait months for the price to drop (by then, the game will be old news). When the next one in that series or from that developer comes out, they're more likely to buy it new if they liked the used one.
So...
$60
versus
$55 - $5.50(edge card savings) = $49.50
Savings = $10.50
So saving 10.50 and being able to return the game if it is a lame duck doesn't seem too bad. If it is a game, like Gears of War 2, that you would plan on buying new anyway, a 10.50 discount might be a decent deal (assuming that no one took a brillo pad to it)
The system sucks but it is better than nothing.
and even if hard copy versions continue into next gen systems, big deal, be glad there's a market for your game, new or used, at all! There's plenty of hackers out there who can share their work arounds via .torrent. Less people paying for games = less Gamestops (or name your used outlet preference) = less stores buying your brand new copies. And those stores/chains that would buy, would buy less copies...
in other words, for now, it ain't broke so why bother complaining on trying to "fix" it...
Unfortunately, Gamestop's tailored business setup puts a kabosh on a Best Buy or Wal-Mart from storing all of that content with everything else those stores carry.
Do your part and support small chains/local stores! ;)
Americans claim to hate "The Man" and Gov't regulation, and then it asks for this?
If you ban second hand video game sales you'd have to ban thrift stores, consignment shops, pawn shops, used car dealerships, etc., it's just ridiculous.