Analyst: Used Game Boom Correlates With New Sales Decline

[DeadlyYellow]

Question: When was it that GameStop was buying out the vast majority of competitors?

Owning most of the market might contribute something to the totals.

 

[Coldsnap]

You know I try not to do this for studies and other things that discover really obvious things, but I can't resist for this one.

Hey guys, during times of recession, economic uncertainty, and high unemployment, people will try and find cheaper alternatives to get the products they want! Now where's my money for this shocking result?

 

[Dioxide20]

This just in, a recent study shows that a lack of rain causes drought...

Derp.

 

[SimuLord]

Remember kids, when you spend $60 on a new game, the publisher and your beloved developer get most of the revenue. When you spend $45 on a used game, all the money goes to Gamestop. You might as well just pirate the fucking thing and go whole hog.

Also, you want to save money? Become a PC gamer and learn to love Steam.

 

[Insanum]

Well in all fairness, If im looking to get an older game, I'd look straight in pre-owned, Not new, As why should i pay £40 for a game thats a year old, When i can pick it up for £20?

 

[DividedUnity]

Stating the obvious. Also that picture is of the gamestop from the shopping centre here haha.

 

[Orcus The Ultimate]

That's some heavy Bull-turd! it's just like those articles that used to say that CD's would put at risk Tapes, or that the Movie industry couldn't pay their luxurious golden toilets because of pirating...

hehehe, it's all the same to me...

 

[asinann]

It couldn't be that the 20% decrease in sales is related to the 20% increase in price could it?

 

[asinann]

Fine, but did he take into account first hand prices of games going from $30-40 to $50-60+ in that same period of time?

... what? As long as I can remember, new games have always been $50-$60. From the n64 carts, to high profile disc games.

Which means, if anything, games have actually gotten cheaper due to inflation...

So... seriously, what?

Yes "what?" as in "what are you smoking?" No way new games were 50/60 in the N64 generation, I clearly recall games being in the 30-50 range at that time.

New games were $50 in 1985 and were in most cases $50 until THIS generation. Nearly every PC game is STILL $50.

 

[poiuppx]

As anyone with a bit of forethought who isn't trying to sell you something will explain, correlation does NOT equal causation. As has been said earlier in this thread, you need to dig deep to get all the factors; how did the recession effect these numbers? Has the number of used games sales increased proportionally to the number of new GameStops being opened up? Did they perform any forms of survey to analyze consumer sentiment? There's so many holes here, just blanketly declaring 'Nah, it's the used games and those silly high console prices' is flat-out intellectually dishonest.

It also is worth noting something; not every gamer is out to feed the habit constantly. Casual game buyers are more likely to buy cheaper for a fix. And what system came out that caters to the casual crowd in those intervening years...?

 

[Blind Sight]

Fine, but did he take into account first hand prices of games going from $30-40 to $50-60+ in that same period of time?

... what? As long as I can remember, new games have always been $50-$60. From the n64 carts, to high profile disc games.

Which means, if anything, games have actually gotten cheaper due to inflation...

So... seriously, what?

It depends on where you live really. For example, here in Canada, PC games used to be around $30-$40 at an EB games until about 2004. Now, they're around $60. When I had my N64 back in the day, I could get a new game for thirty dollars. On a current generation console, I usually have to pay around seventy or eighty dollars (damn those import fees). On average, game prices have gone up.

At OP: Really, people are surprised that a market that offers the same products, but cheaper is doing better then the initial industry? It's called business/capitalism people, competition drives prices down in order to generate more sales. I'm so sick of the games industry thinking that they have a monopoly on their goods, one a product is on the market, it's a tradable commodity. Of course, copying a product is completely different, but trading used goods for a reduced price is a completely practical idea. The gaming industry simply doesn't get the fact that it's alienating its consumers, so they're turning to another market for their product.

"In a capitalist society, all human relationships are voluntary. Men are free to cooperate or not, to deal with one another or not, as their own individual judgments, convictions and interests dictate." -Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, by Ayn Rand.

 

[Double A]

"and says that eventually consumers will accept these types of programs as the norm."

Just like how I accept global warming.

By the way, I think global warming can go fuck itself, if anyone's curious.

This person, as well as EA, are in dire need of stabbing. And what the hell, Bobby Kotick too!

 

[Asehujiko]

Why the fuck should game publishers have any right to receive money from second hand sales, unlike, you know, the rest of the world which is doing completely fine with them for ever since trade was invented about 5000 years ago?

"Piracy is bad because it doesn't involve giving us money" Solution: BAAAW about it in the propaganda machine and bribe judges to outlaw it.
"Buying a game used is bad because it doesn't involve giving us money" Solution: BAAAW about it in the propaganda machine and cripple the game itself.
"Buying something else is bad it doesn't involve giving us money" Solution: ???
"Being broke is bad because it doesn't involve giving us money" Solution: ???

Is the kind of vibe I'm getting from them.

 

[BanZeus]

Yes "what?" as in "what are you smoking?" No way new games were 50/60 in the N64 generation, I clearly recall games being in the 30-50 range at that time.

Uh, no? Multi-disc games were always upwards of $50, carts were always upwards of $50. I mean, best I can figure is you were always buying used, you just didn't know it.

Of course, the range specified was when large chains started buying out all the mom&pop game retailers.

This makes me feel old: when I got Chrono Trigger, it was about $110 Canadian.