If you happen to be the type of person who prefers the used game market in lieu of paying full price for your next fix in what amounts to an already expensive hobby, then Free Radical's David Braben has a few choice words for you. While you might be saving yourself some change, David wants you to know that developers are ending up on the short end of the stick when it comes to the second-hand gaming market. While absurd to most of us, his logic behind this is simple. Developers only get paid once for every title released, while retailers get 100% of the profits for themselves, every time a used game changes hands.
“Clearly from the developer and publisher point of view, the second-hand market is a real problem. The shops are essentially defrauding the rest of the industry by this practice, whether they intend it or not. It also means that while newly released games do still sell well, it is only a matter of a month or so before pre-owned stock often saturates the channel – with a single copy rumored to go around the sale/return/sale loop ten or more times – amounting effectively, to rental.”
Now I'll be the first person to scoff at how these specialty stores sell used games for just under the price of a sealed copy while giving you pennies on the dollar for trade-ins, but the thought of giving a "cut" back to developer/publishers (which is more or less what is being alluded to) sounds more like something out a Mafia novel. Best of all, just who exactly is going to pay for the difference? The customer, of course.
This brings to mind a few interesting questions: Are we looking at a future where all games will go the way of the MMO and require individual keys to unlock them each time they change hands? Does this give more ammunition to electronic distribution, and does it hasten the death knell of the already fragile rental market? Most of all, is anybody stopping them from selling used games? If this is such a big issue, then why not throw their hat in the mix, and offer us an incentive to sell our games back to them.
[Via MCV]
Contest:
12:33 AM on 10.29.2007
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It always made me sick how GameStop had us hawk up the sale of used titles, only because they know they'll receive every cent and not have to give any of it to the people who worked on it. Buying used is a great way to find discontinued or rare games, but if possible, people should just spend the extra five bucks and give back to the developers.
Not to mention, the used copies are always scratched the fuck up and never work.
Yes, physical copies will be things of the past soon enough.
This is also a big problem for CDs but they made it through. Everyone will manage in the end.
Then, when everyone's not looking?
...in the butt.
Guess what market comes after them? Mexico. Yes, I'm shure developers want to cut off that entire market. It may not be the most anti-piracy one, yes, but they are still makin' money.
Until the world enjoys an inexhaustible series of tubes from sea to shining sea to shining sea, leave your dreams of digital delivery with Steam and your future self.
So, legal, within distribution rights, and the only way many people will ever play it?
Also, get over it Publishers.
Every market has used products. Imagine the car market without used cars. Sure, that'll happen.
The problem that Gameboi is trying to point out with his article is that places like Blockbuster and Gamestop are selling the same game 10 times over, making $500~, and only paying the developers of the game the first time (X number of dollars.. lets say 20). If this trend kept its pace, developers would only be able to produce a limited amount of copies for the game, and then we would be lined up around the block waiting for some shmuck to finish playing, sell it back to Gamestop so they can sell it to us.
What you need to do, to stop this downward spiral, is just take the fucking middleman out. New game costs 60. Used copy at Gamestop costs 50. Trade in CREDIT for the game is 20. You can see who these (reasonable) numbers favour.
Instead of buying used games from gamestop, give your XX bucks (somewhere between 50 and 20 from my above example) to a friend for his used game. You get your cheap used game, he gets CASH (for crack), And gamestop doesnt.
I have friends that work in the video game industry and I appreciate the hard work they do, but what are we as consumers supposed to do?
/Devils Advocate
Sorry, If I can save even $5 bucks on a game when I should be buying groceries, I will :)
The consumer doesn't need a change in behavior as much as the industry needs a change that matches developing technology.
Games cost too much for people to afford all they want these days. Not to mention all the old games youl'd want to pick up you can't get at retail anymore. Having publishers take back their old games to resell is actually a pretty cool idea.
As for used games, get them off Goozex, or just pirate them outright, rather than get them from Gamestop. Yes stealing games is BETTER for the industry than supporting Gamestop. You're not helping it, but at least you aren't hurting it at that point. And above all else NEVER trade in your games to a Gamestop. EVER.
Run all games in a steam style fashion, buy your keys direct from the developers, which means a bigger cut for them OR cheaper prices for us,(think of the orange box, basically 1 game 2 expansions 1 extra teaser AND a full multiplayer game for $50, which in Aus is about half price for launch date games). What with the ramping up of speed + quota of the internets it barely hurts to download a game these days.
Heres another idea: don't like the internet buying system above? Go into a shop like we would now, and buy the key through them, for a small markup they could burn a DVD for you with the content on it, or even transfer it to a hard-drive you brought with you!. ahh the future smells sweeter for gamers the world over.
and why would or should we ever give up physical media? that's one more level of control we have over what we've rightfully bought. once you move to streaming, we no longer have control. as much as some of you might hate the thought of physical and social interaction with people in the real world, it's a necessity that probably shouldn't be done away.
as for the used gaming issue, what you're actually paying for isn't the physical media, it's what's on it, right? what fucking idiot collects used games for their pristine packaging? that's pretty lame.
There are tons of games out there that just aren't worth their new price. I know, I made a couple of them.
I have an interesting view on the future of our industry, and it's not very bright. Somethings going to give when the consumer is tired of paying 70 bucks for disappointing game after disappointing game.
On the other hand, I felt guilty when the only copy of Psychonauts was a second hand copy. I felt like mailing $40 to Tim Schafer.
it really pisses me off that I'm not "buying" games anymore, but rather, just a license to play said-games... especially if there's a physical media, in a box, with a manual, on my shelf.
Then there are some used that can't be avoided.my Recent Purchase of ICO and Jade empire. nobody sells brand new Xbox games anymore
@Hamza CTZ Aziz-
Half of the time what you say is already true... Most new games are $50 or 55 used. It's worth $5 more to get a copy that's pristine. The worst part is that you know that they only gave the person $20 for the game. On some titles, like old PS2 greatest hits titles, they sell the used version for $2 under the price of a new game. >_<
Good Article. Interesting points. Much better than what I came up with.
If developers really want people to forfeit their right to trade / buy titles, they'd better start dropping the prices of the downloadable versions of their games. Sell the downloadable game for $35 and the physical game for $50, then let the consumer decide which format they wish to buy based on the strengths and weaknesses of each format.
Because I'm pretty sure that dude is willing to make some sacrifices, you know.
At Gamestop, I got to know two or three police officers VERY well. Why you ask? Because of the lewd amount of STOLEN media that the store received, usually for drug money or the other occasional illegal dealings. Occasionally you would get a legitimate person trading in for cash, but over half of the time I was dealing with someone with stolen goods, and trust me. I don't live in the boonies. What exactly is Gamestop's stance on this? Keep taking it. As stated in the article, Gamestop makes a massacre on used goods, taking in games for a mere fraction of what they sell them for. The company also trains its employees to push used games over new, especially during the holidays (C'mon, who wants to receive a smegging used game for Christmas?)
On top of that, the company progressively pushes harder and harder for employees to jump through hoops and keep up with subscriptions, as well as reservations (Hai! Give us your $5. . . you get this nice piece of paper and we invest your money nom-nom-nom. Complete bullshit.) The company is honestly building a kitten murdering plant, I saw the schematics.
Just don't buy used games. Your money deserves to go to the people who worked hard to build you the software, not the douche-fags at Gamestop who have made a business from selling opened new (which always made me laugh a little, and die inside. . .) and used games. I understand that people don't have money, trust me- I'm a college student so I know what it feels like to be piss poor, but I'd rather be piss poor and spend an extra $5 on a game, because I know that chances are that the used copy of that brand new game is stolen.
2nd being a canadian were shafted right off the start with buying new games , with our dollar value hovering near US dollars now were still paying $10+ bucks higher then US prices , and dont even get me started on Books and gaming magazines.
3rd when a company that creates a game releases it they have already been paid , its the publisher thats losing out on the selling of used games , companys such as EA , like they need my $60.00 bucks ($80.00 in Canada), if they want our bucks for a new game stop putting it in packages with oversized boxes , and 14 pounds of advertising ,a life size map of azeroth , and 40 14 day membershps to try their game for free.
lower the amount they spend on the advertising and the games will go down , after all when i get a new game home i tear into it like a fat kid on a smartie and the box often sits on the floor being stepped on repeatedly until its non existant
rant\
And Reaprar, ffs you cant 1 minute BITCH about how Gamestation wont take in your junk, then moan that you have found used "promo" copies of games on the shelf, the stock we have on the shelves is USED which means it has been taken in for cash/credit previously in that store. We take in anything that isnt damaged or missing something, thats how promo copies end up on the shelves, if they still fecking work then stop blubbering like a vagina.
/rant
The fact that in the UK the two market leaders in specialised video games are GAME and GAMESTATION make MOST of thier week by week turnover through the used medium, it is ridulous to suggest forcing people to never be able to sell thier own items on or buy them second hand, this would crush the biggest retail video game brands in Britain.
Why dont the developers just campaign to make games cheaper rather than the stupid prices they are currently at?