GameStop Says Gamers Won't Buy Consoles Without Used Games

[Catrixa]

Totally hypothetical, but what would you folks think about this: Consoles without used game support (it would be tied to your console and/or your gamer profile) but new games cost $40 on launch. Thoughts?

If content was tied to your gamer profile (instead of the console, since those can break/become outdated with enhanced models) and an "always online" connection wasn't a requirement, I'd be all over that. It would be markedly better than Steam, which is what I currently use for most of my gaming.

Now, if content was locked to the system, I'd be a bit more wary, because why buy the Playstation 4 now, when the Playstation 4 Awesome edition could be coming out in a month? I can wait a month. But then they could announce the Playstation 4 Amazingly Awesome edition right after the Awesome edition and I can wait for that, right? I don't want to have to re-buy my library every time I want to upgrade my console, so unless they're going to start releasing modular upgrades (hard drive, graphics, chassis if they're feeling ambitious), I'd probably want to wait a long time before actually getting it. I wouldn't want to deprive myself of options.

If content required an always-online connection, this would be unfortunate, but possibly not a deal-killer, depending on what was on the system at the time that I'd be interested in. If it's mostly single player games or games with local multiplayer, I'd probably try to find a system with those games that doesn't require an internet connection to work. Yeah, everyone should have internet by now, and the games would most likely be downloadable anyway, but sometimes I want to drag my gaming equipment places where wifi costs too much per hour or there's a TV, but no internet. My Xbox sometimes just likes to drop its internet connection, because it's bored with it. If I were ever in a game when that happened on an always-online system, I'd be miffed with that alone.

 

[Sam17]

I find it astonishing that people still play consoles at all


inb4 "but couch gaming!!"

 

[Mortuorum]

So guys, how many of you would refuse to buy a console that didn't play used games?

Not me. I don't buy used games, particularly from GameStop, and rarely trade them in. The one time I bought a used game from them, I took it home and it wasn't playable. I took it back and requested a trade-in for same same game that... you know.. worked and they didn't have any more. I asked for a refund and the manager looked me int he eye and told me that they wouldn't have sold me a game that didn't work. He then offered to buy it back as a used game at about a third of what I paid for it. Yes, right after I told him it the disc was unplayable.

GameStop can kiss my ass.

Back on topic, several developers have come forth and stated that being able to sell games that can't be resold would enable them to charge lower prices, since (presumbaly) they would sell more copies. I'm not sure I believe that. However, it might keep prices from going up further anytime soon, and that would be good enough for me.

 

[00slash00]

Well let's not forget about the used console market as well, right? There's lots of ways to reduce cost. And it all depends on how you spend your money. I work at a library, not a millionaire, but I almost never spend anything I make so it stacks up. Maybe someone's in a situation similar to mine but has to pay for their... ooo, old car's gas, or to feed their child. Or maybe they live in a place where new games don't exist/are sick overpriced.

The most common thread I've seen lately is "Women: Question"

well as i said, people have had different stuff to complain about recently but this used game debate is something that just never dies. people sometimes stop complaining about it for a couple months but then it always comes up again and i can remember many weeks where used game debate threads would make up 100% of the threads displayed on the front page and thats just ridiculous

and in cases like the one you described you can simply wait for sales, lower the amount of games you buy, buy games online where they are usually cheaper. as i said, if you are in such a tight situation that a video game is going to wreck your budget then video games should not be a high priority. used games are not something that have been around forever. its a relatively new market and people managed just fine before they existed. the only reason this is a big deal is because now people have become used to the idea of used games and no longer think of it as a good deal but rather as a necessary part of gaming, which it isnt. i dont know when used games first showed up but i dont remember seeing them until the gamecube and xbox days, and maybe not even then

 

[Easton Dark]

and in cases like the one you described you can simply wait for sales, lower the amount of games you buy, buy games online where they are usually cheaper. as i said, if you are in such a tight situation that a video game is going to wreck your budget then video games should not be a high priority. used games are not something that have been around forever. its a relatively new market and people managed just fine before they existed. the only reason this is a big deal is because now people have become used to the idea of used games and no longer think of it as a good deal but rather as a necessary part of gaming, which it isnt. i dont know when used games first showed up but i dont remember seeing them until the gamecube and xbox days, and maybe not even then

It's not about breaking your budget, I never accept that argument. People on some tight budgets can afford the used games, they can't afford to buy the new ones, and they do want to play games.

Say they want to play the latest call o' doody that never go on sale or lower their price much at all. Only avenue is the used market. There's no reason they couldn't afford to play it if they bought it used, and it would make them very happy to do so.

Or maybe how people base purchasing decisions is on borrowing a friend's copy, or maybe hand-me-down games to siblings.

And uh...

used games are not something that have been around forever.

They've been around since the first home consoles/pc games, what do you mean?

 

[00slash00]

and in cases like the one you described you can simply wait for sales, lower the amount of games you buy, buy games online where they are usually cheaper. as i said, if you are in such a tight situation that a video game is going to wreck your budget then video games should not be a high priority. used games are not something that have been around forever. its a relatively new market and people managed just fine before they existed. the only reason this is a big deal is because now people have become used to the idea of used games and no longer think of it as a good deal but rather as a necessary part of gaming, which it isnt. i dont know when used games first showed up but i dont remember seeing them until the gamecube and xbox days, and maybe not even then

It's not about breaking your budget, I never accept that argument. People on some tight budgets can afford the used games, they can't afford to buy the new ones, and they do want to play games.

Say they want to play the latest call o' doody that never go on sale or lower their price much at all. Only avenue is the used market. There's no reason they couldn't afford to play it if they bought it used, and it would make them very happy to do so.

Or maybe how people base purchasing decisions is on borrowing a friend's copy, or maybe hand-me-down games to siblings.

And uh...

used games are not something that have been around forever.

They've been around since the first home consoles/pc games, what do you mean?

and thats my point. if your budget is so tight that a $60 game is out of your price range then you need to re-examine your priorities. its the same argument some pc gamers make. they cant afford the game they want so theyll just pirate it instead

maybe used games have been around forever where you live, but i didnt start seeing used games until around the time of the gamecube, and maybe even later than that. my point is that people act like used games are necessary and the whole industry would just fall apart without them, and yet somehow me and everyone i grew up with who played video games managed to survive without used games for many years

 

[Easton Dark]

and thats my point. if your budget is so tight that a $60 game is out of your price range then you need to re-examine your priorities. its the same argument some pc gamers make. they cant afford the game they want so theyll just pirate it instead

maybe used games have been around forever where you live, but i didnt start seeing used games until around the time of the gamecube, and maybe even later than that. my point is that people act like used games are necessary and the whole industry would just fall apart without them, and yet somehow me and everyone i grew up with who played video games managed to survive without used games for many years

They want to play games and right now they can afford to do so. It's why you don't buy the expensive dish at a restaurant when you know the cheaper one is just as good. It's a waste.

It's great what you were able to do, but there are people whose entire game collection is used games. So for them, used games were necessary. The market will not fall apart for everyone, I use steam heavily, all my games are "new", but that statement is not true for every person who has gaming as a hobby.

 

[ReinWeisserRitter]

The elimination of used games honestly wouldn't bother me too much... except when the game is no longer available new. And that's going to happen, and Sony and Microsoft wouldn't give two shits, because it wouldn't be money directly into their hands, but it would be a deciding factor for some people, more than I think has been considered by most, and that's a factor. Secondhand is the only way to get many games, many games that were excellent and deserve to be played, that will cease to exist one day because of money-grubbing nonsense like this.

Think about it: If developers had their way and used games, emulators, piracy, and the like simply ceased to exist, so would whatever games they don't feel like re-releasing on a later console. Forever. That alone is enough to tell them to fuck right off for most people, and I'm one of them.

There's also something to be said for people just looking to make a buck - some of them in genuine need of said buck, and having leverage to do so via their games collections - that would be left out in the cold.

If the games were always and indefinitely available, I'd get used to it; I'm quite selective with my purchases, and absolutely everything I buy is something I'm either positive or almost positive I'll enjoy enough to want the developer to be paid for their work anyway.

But every game won't always and indefinitely be available, and companies like Sony and Microsoft won't give two shits. That makes this a bad idea, not to them, sure, but to us, and it's our money the bastards want with such feverish glee, and while I'd love to see their greed bite them in the ass so hard it takes the rest of them with it, it'd be easier on everyone if these major corporations would just take a longer-term view on things instead, and stop trying so hard to find ways to bleed more cash out of us.

 

[00slash00]

and thats my point. if your budget is so tight that a $60 game is out of your price range then you need to re-examine your priorities. its the same argument some pc gamers make. they cant afford the game they want so theyll just pirate it instead

maybe used games have been around forever where you live, but i didnt start seeing used games until around the time of the gamecube, and maybe even later than that. my point is that people act like used games are necessary and the whole industry would just fall apart without them, and yet somehow me and everyone i grew up with who played video games managed to survive without used games for many years

They want to play games and right now they can afford to do so. It's why you don't buy the expensive dish at a restaurant when you know the cheaper one is just as good. It's a waste.

It's great what you were able to do, but there are people whose entire game collection is used games. So for them, used games were necessary. The market will not fall apart for everyone, I use steam heavily, all my games are "new", but that statement is not true for every person who has gaming as a hobby.

yeah you buy a cheaper meal, you dont sample the leftovers of other people instead of paying the restaurant for your own meal

im aware that some people have entire game collections made up of used games but there is no reason their games have to be used. you can wait for a price drop or space out how often you buy games

 

[michael87cn]

Games have never been worth more than $20 to me, and for a long time now used copies were the only way to get them for that price.

Also, having bought at least 35-40 used games for my Xbox 360, I've never had a single one have a disc related problem.

A SINGLE ONE.

As for "saving a few bucks"? Try a few hundred. There are several games in my collection that I love, that I got for 3 dollars. 3 DOLLARS. And while I love them, they are NOT worth 60 dollar.

In short? I won't buy a console without used games and always on internet connectivity to play single player. Not unless games BRAND NEW start selling at $20.

Game devs can take a pay cut for all I care, they're grossly overpaid anyway.

 

[Easton Dark]

im aware that some people have entire game collections made up of used games but there is no reason their games have to be used. you can wait for a price drop or space out how often you buy games

There's no reason they have to be new either.

They're playing used right now. They don't have to wait, they don't have to space it out. They don't have to take these extra steps you suggest. I see nothing that benefits the consumer from taking away used games.

What do the people who buy new already get from taking them away?



edit: Actually now that I think about the restaurant analogy, it'd be more like someone buys the expensive... er, hamburger, takes a bite, decides they don't like it, and manage to nearly perfectly craft the hamburger back into form but with a bite mark, and then try to sell it for much less than the restaurant. Ewwww. Games industry and food analogies don't work.

 

[00slash00]

im aware that some people have entire game collections made up of used games but there is no reason their games have to be used. you can wait for a price drop or space out how often you buy games

There's no reason they have to be new either.

They're playing used right now. They don't have to wait, they don't have to space it out. They don't have to take these extra steps you suggest. I see nothing that benefits the consumer from taking away used games.

What do the people who buy new already get from taking them away?

besides knowing that they are helping to support developers of content that they enjoy and the fact that every time you buy a new game you are basically voting for what kinds of games you would like to see more of in the future, absolutely nothing

 

[Easton Dark]

besides knowing that they are helping to support developers of content that they enjoy and the fact that every time you buy a new game you are basically voting for what kinds of games you would like to see more of in the future, absolutely nothing

When buying console games, you're giving your money to where you bought the game from. The publisher was payed on the first day when these stores ordered the games.

When a game is bad and doesn't sell, the store wont order nearly as many copies of a developer's next game in the series, or advertise if they had done so (you see these things like cardboard cutouts and posters for Mass Effect 3 and Skyrim mostly, not new or unpopular IPs).

If the game is so immensely popular that after the first week or two (majority of sales time) and there's still high demand, then the stores would order more. If it is that popular though, did the developer really need the extra support from the used gamers?

edit:

On the PC and Xbox Marketplace/PSN/Nintendo Store/App Store/whatever, you have that point in your favor completely. Developers get the money from every purchase. Thing is, no used market exists for them.

 

[00slash00]

besides knowing that they are helping to support developers of content that they enjoy and the fact that every time you buy a new game you are basically voting for what kinds of games you would like to see more of in the future, absolutely nothing

When buying console games, you're giving your money to where you bought the game from. The publisher was payed on the first day when these stores ordered the games.

When a game is bad and doesn't sell, the store wont order nearly as many copies of a developer's next game in the series, or advertise if they had done so (you see these things like cardboard cutouts and posters for Mass Effect 3 and Skyrim mostly, not new or unpopular IPs).

If the game is so immensely popular that after the first week or two (majority of sales time) and there's still high demand, then the stores would order more. If it is that popular though, did the developer really need the extra support from the used gamers?

edit:

On the PC and Xbox Marketplace/PSN/Nintendo Store/App Store/whatever, you have that point in your favor completely. Developers get the money from every purchase. Thing is, no used market exists for them.

i didnt really follow most of what you said but in any case, call me crazy but id much rather give my money to the people who created the product, rather than just to the store that actively discourages people from buying new games

 

[Easton Dark]

i didnt really follow most of what you said but in any case, call me crazy but id much rather give my money to the people who created the product, rather than just to the store that actively discourages people from buying new games

It'd be best then to mail those $60 right to the developers and ask them if they could give one of the numerous copies they'd have around the office.

If bought at a store, you're paying the store, the publisher, and then the developers.

And sorry. I'm tired maybe I'm not typing ideas clearly :L

edit:

Stores order a certain number of games from the publisher. The stores hopefully sell those at full price to make money. If not, reduce price to recoup some loss.

If they don't sell all the games at full price and order more from the publisher, buying new or used at that point makes no difference. Developers and publishers get no more money at all.

 

[Olas]

I know it's too late now but this thread REALLY should have had a poll asking if we'd buy said console to compare Gamestops claims to reality. Oh well.

As someone who buys used games a lot, trades games with friends, and practically treats them as a form of currency I would never buy a console that doesn't let me play physical games unless literally no other options existed. That being said my 2 consoles are the PC and WiiU so Microsoft and Sony can do whatever the hell they want for all I care.

 

[Epona]

and in cases like the one you described you can simply wait for sales, lower the amount of games you buy, buy games online where they are usually cheaper. as i said, if you are in such a tight situation that a video game is going to wreck your budget then video games should not be a high priority. used games are not something that have been around forever. its a relatively new market and people managed just fine before they existed. the only reason this is a big deal is because now people have become used to the idea of used games and no longer think of it as a good deal but rather as a necessary part of gaming, which it isnt. i dont know when used games first showed up but i dont remember seeing them until the gamecube and xbox days, and maybe not even then

It's not about breaking your budget, I never accept that argument. People on some tight budgets can afford the used games, they can't afford to buy the new ones, and they do want to play games.

Say they want to play the latest call o' doody that never go on sale or lower their price much at all. Only avenue is the used market. There's no reason they couldn't afford to play it if they bought it used, and it would make them very happy to do so.

Or maybe how people base purchasing decisions is on borrowing a friend's copy, or maybe hand-me-down games to siblings.

And uh...

used games are not something that have been around forever.

They've been around since the first home consoles/pc games, what do you mean?

and thats my point. if your budget is so tight that a $60 game is out of your price range then you need to re-examine your priorities. its the same argument some pc gamers make. they cant afford the game they want so theyll just pirate it instead

maybe used games have been around forever where you live, but i didnt start seeing used games until around the time of the gamecube, and maybe even later than that. my point is that people act like used games are necessary and the whole industry would just fall apart without them, and yet somehow me and everyone i grew up with who played video games managed to survive without used games for many years

Agreed! If you can't afford a new car,then you should just walk and don't go renting a car or taking a taxi/bus either because that too would be denying money to the auto industry. Don't go thinking you can help subsidize the cost of a new car by trading in your old one either, your old one won't work for anyone else so it's has no value at resell.

 

[00slash00]

Agreed! If you can't afford a new car,then you should just walk and don't go renting a car or taking a taxi/bus either because that too would be denying money to the auto industry. Don't go thinking you can help subsidize the cost of a new car by trading in your old one either, your old one won't work for anyone else so it's has no value at resell.

because walking is the only option to people without a car. oh if only there existed some sort of public transportation...

that example is a little silly. if video games are as important to you as the ability to get from place to place, then you definitely need to reexamine where your priorities lie. as someone who is primarily a pc gamer these days, explain to me why its such a big deal that you cant trade in console games. ive never been to a used game store (including gamestop) that allowed me to sell my old pc games (not in a very long time anyway, not since the days of eb games). but when i buy a pc game, be it physical or digital, i have never thought to myself "i wont be able to sell this when im done so whats the point?"

 

[Judgement101]

Are they joking? I've bought 1 used game only because they had only used copies in stock. Seriously, gamestop is awful now.