Wow, another pros and cons? Maybe I need a category for that. But anyway, there is a LOT of talk online about online passes and their games. Mostly gamers complaining about the fact that they exist. Personally, I can’t get behind that. Online passes only effect used games sales, and if you truly want to save money, you’ll buy new then. Or the used game market will adjust for the price. But that’s why the online pass is there: to combat the used game market.
Now the used game market, on it’s own, is neither good or bad. It’s a required part of the capitalist market. But it does have it’s pros and cons (just like the title of the article!) and lets dive right into those.
Pros
Used games can lead to more NEW games purchased
This is the most obvious of all the pros for the used game market. The fact of the matter, some people DO trade in games to purchase new games. Game are more expensive now than they were the previous generation of systems, and even more expensive than the previous generation before that. So the fact that people can trade in games, to help new copies get in the hands of the gamers that would enjoy it, IS a good thing. The more copies of a game in gamers hands, the better.
Helps you get rid of games you no longer need
How many games, do you pull out years later and go “Man, I love this game”. Chances are, it’s only a handful. Personally, I have games I have not touched in a year or more. Some of the games, I haven’t played in about five years, or longer. And honestly, I don’t know if I’m ever going to play it again. When I can turn it in, to help me pick up a new game, it at least provides a function.
Now there ARE games I do pick up after a year or so, and really want to play later. Mostly fighters. But there are games I’ve beaten, and I have no desire to touch the game again. Even though I haven’t completely finished it.
It’s our right to have used games
We have a right to used games. It’s the First-sale doctrine. This is to make sure when we purchase something, we aren’t stuck with it forever. We have a right to get rid of it, and to even sell it if we want. We can sell it to our buddies, or a Gamestop as long as we legally purchased it. It’s our right.
Cons
Now that the pros are out of the way, now we have to look at the cons of the used game market. And this is going to be a little bit longer, it requires a bit more explanation in this part.
The used games, are pushed instead of new
This is a big problem of the used game market, as it exists now. Very few industries, are the used copies of a disposable product is sold nearly right NEXT to the new. Not only that, the stores that have them, will push you to buy the used game, rather than the new. For them, they get a larger profit off the game (more on that later) and it makes sense on a business level. The more money a store can make, the better for them.
When you have a sixty dollar game, sitting right next to a fifty five dollar version of the game, a lot of people will try to save that five dollars. So that could potentially be one new game purchase not done.
Gamestop gives you horrible rates
Now, I’ve turned in stuff to Gamestop, and honestly, I’ll probably do it again, but really they give you a HORRIBLE rate on the games. The percentage they give, for a game can be as little as 25%, for controllers and the like, it can be as little as 5%.
Now, this is a true story, as I knew one of the managers of the Gamestop in my mall. We talked often, and we would often talk business, comparing our two business, or even just shooting the breeze. One day, it was a launch day of Too Human, and a guy came in asking for a used copy of it already. This perplexed me, as it’s launch day, and there couldn’t be someone turning it in within the few hours. Well, they didn’t have one, and I asked the manager how much a copy of Too Human would give in credit, that day. Her answer: “Twelve dollars”. Now this is a game that would sell for fifty five dollars used. If we do the math, it’s 22% of the selling value given to you as credit. If they sell it, they make nearly five times as much as they gave you for it. That is a huge mark up. And like I said, for controllers, it can be worse. I personally, traded in a guitar controller for 360, and got one dollar in credit for it. Now, I didn’t need it, so I didn’t care too much, but I literally turned around and saw how much they sell it for. How much was it? Twenty dollars. That’s twenty times the amount of credit. I know they’re harder to sell, but the mark up is insane.
Really, you’d have a better time using Craigslist or eBay to sell things. It would take longer, but you’ll get a higher value.
Developers lose potential sales
Now, they say a developer gets twenty three dollars, for every new game sold. How much do they get for a used game sold? Nothing. Are they entitled to it? Well, no, but that used game sold, is a new game NOT sold.
Again, as stated earlier, Gamestop makes a LOT of profit off used games. So they want the used games purchased. The more used games sold, the more money they make. It’s the capitalist way. But, for the developers it’s harder. They don’t want to see the customers screwed over, but they want to keep their doors open. They want to make more games, and make sure we gamers enjoy their products. The only real way to do that, is to have new games purchased. Or now, they expand it more with DLC and the online passes. This way, they make some money off a used game. But, the fact of the matter, with people thinking these are rip off incentives, it tends to actually make the situation worse.
Really, that’s about it, in a nutshell. While the used market wasn’t intended to be hurtful to the industry, but with the market the way it is, more and more publishers will want to make sure their investments (MILLION dollar investments) are profitable. And the used market makes it harder and harder. While it’s good that the market keeps new games able to be put into the hands of gamers, but that’s going to come to the fact there will be more DLC and more online passes, to make the used games profitable to the companies that make them.
