GameStop Wants to Sell Used Digital Games

[Drakey]

I continue to stand behind my right to resell my properties. Even properties that are access to the use of other properties. This is quite a bold endevour, but really the exact same thing someone does when they loan or sell a game on disk. Your reselling or loaning your right to use the software.

The only difference here is that finally people can set aside their fear of a disk that was in someone elses disk drive. No resurfacing needed, just simple change over of titled deed to the license. or whatever XD.

This might be a long time comming, but its been comming. I want to be able to resell my digital copies some day when im done playing.

Gamestop is just the middle man. This is a way they can ENABLE the rights of their customers. They are enabling them to resell their properties. Enabling them to do this allows them access to flexibilities in this market that they used to have to be shady and crooked to do before. A person could now legitimately and over the table change the rights to use this software to another.

Gamestop is a business like any other. As well as the middle man between the software publishers and their customers. To consider them a villain in this is only as classic as any reseller of any goods. No they didnt write the stuff themselves, but they gave the writters a fun store in the mall to sell their stuff in. And they gave the average person who enjoys these products a place to find it fresh from those writters, and also a place for them to share with other customers. Equally.

So all can go home with either a paycheck or at least more of their paycheck left.

And play games.

Win win. Win.

 

[magter3001]

Hopefully GameStop spends all their money on this and they go bankrupt.

Then how will I buy steam wallet cards?

I don't like gamestop like the next person but I still have memories of buying my first game there and all that sweet stuff. Let them stick around a while longer.

 

[Vausch]

First thing I'm selling is Brink.

 

[Rednog]

Hopefully GameStop spends all their money on this and they go bankrupt.

Yeah, just what we need: A premature death of retail.

Gamers: Cutting off their noses to spite their faces since 1983.

But it really wouldn't affect most PC gamers at all. Most gamestops' abandoned PC gamers long ago because they didn't see PC games as profitable, and since the digital market has boomed there really is no point to go and purchase a retail copy of a PC game.

Hell I visited a gamestop for the first time in years because I was hunting down a copy of Silent Hill 2, besides something like that I as a pc gamer have absolutely no use for Gamestop. Even though they've just now started putting in a select few PC games, what is the point? Oh do I want to order Borderlands 2 from Gamestop for $59.99 or just preorder a digital steam key from Greenman Gaming for $40.

 

[likalaruku]

Where I live, GameStop doesn't even carry PC games anymore. Sometimes I like to mess with them by asking them for Genesis,SNES, & PS1 games.

 

[rob_simple]

This sounds dodgy as fuck, it's like one step above piracy. Actually, I'd go as far as to say it's worse than piracy; at least the people who share files illegally usually don't make money from it.

 

[Beautiful End]

Spoiler: *Rant*

Fucking same argument all the time. "Waaah, GS doesn't pay publishers! Waah! GS is ripping us off!". Yes, they pay publishers a share with their used sales. Otherwise, it would be %100 illegal and they would have stopped years ago. No, you don't have to sell your shit to them so you're only ripping yourself off. Are we good? Okay.
Whoever is thinking of countering this argument, don't bother. I know what you're gonna say already so just ignore me and pretend I never said anything. Heck, tell you what: I'm not even going to reply. I'm not doing this dance anymore.

From an ignorant point of view, I think it would work like this:

-You get some kind of code from the game itself. You know, like a serial number or something that's embedded into the game. Don't know how yet; maybe they'll figure that out later.
-You walk to your local GS and give them the code. It's a unique code so if it goes through, then you're good. Attempting to use the same code or falsifying one wouldn't work. That's just how their coupons work (I've seen this firsthand).
-I assume they'll have a set price on a game you trade in (I.E: Journey gives you 5 bucks no matter what) and it will only go down if the game goes down in price.
-Maybe they won't take some games. For example, Gotham City Impostors is $15 but PSN users get it for free. They would essentially get $15 out of GS for something they got for free. So maybe they wouldn't take it in?
OR:
-GS just won't take digital games after a limited amount of time/if you didn't buy it originally from them.

Anyway, that's just too much. I know they're greedy but it's fine, GS. You don't have to be involved in every aspect related to videogames. There's still plenty of people who buy and like disc based games. You don't have to try and be "perfect" about everything. Just give it up.

Also, they're just gonna open a can of worms they don't wanna deal with. As it is, most people who buy DLC at GS don't know what they're getting (For example, a teenager buys Rezurrection for Blops. Then he looks at the receipts and asks for his disc. When he realizes it's just some DLC, he demands his money back. But GS cannot refund DLC because...well, it's DLC. Then a fight starts. I've also seen it happen tons of times).

Then there's the argument about giving them less money for the game, which is what people complain about as it is. They go in expecting to get a full refund and they get 1/3 of the original price they paid. But again, no refunds so...another fight breaks off.

It seems highly impossible to happen BUT if it does happen somehow, I wouldn't mind getting some DLC at a cheaper price. But again, I doubt it will happen.

 

[Yopaz]

The weird thing about 2nd-hand digital copies is that, well... what sets them apart from 1st-hand digital copies? When buying a physical game used the buyer understands that it has been used before and may come with issues due to that fact (scratched disk, missing instruction booklet, standard wear and tear, etc.). How does this translate into the digital market?

You get the product another person owned before. It's that simple.

If it is as simple as you claim. Explain it to me. What is the difference between a used digital game and a new digital game? Digital data can't be "used" in the same way physical objects can. There's no loss of data, there's no damages.

Seriously, this just sounds like GameStop is trying to earn money from piracy.

 

[Dr_Fred]

It's absolutely baffling how many people seem to think this is "impossible" or "crazy". It really bugs me. The concept of "digital used product" that some seem to be struggling with could obviously work perfectly well (wether or not that would be a Good Thing(tm) is a different story, but that's not the point).

I'm pretty sure some of those who say they don't understand know about that neat little thing called "money". Surely they have a bank account ? Perhaps they even transfered money from it once ? There. This is how it works.
The only difference is that you may still have a copy of the data somewhere. Which can be handled by a trusted client software, subject to a Steam-like DRM and would, anyway, be no different (legally or technically) from the copies of that data you could get anytime from a P2P network.

Personally I think it could work. For good measure, i'd add a small fee (a slight percentage of the exchange price perhaps) to pay for the service, and cut the developpers a part from the profits. Of course, it'd be a shift in the way the system currently works, since Steam is relying more and more on its awesome sales, but if the can work with Valve and devise a system that works for them both well... good for them. I have nothing against big, old companies as long as they prove able to evolve with their time.

 

[Rude as HECK]

You know, there's this website called Green Man Gaming. It's becoming quite a popular digital retailer.

it does digital trade ins, quite successfully. The idea itself is quite plausible...

 

[Clearing the Eye]

Before this article: "Wouldn't be great if Steam had used games?"

After this article: "This is a stupid idea. Way to ruin games, Gamestop."

This community is so bias and fickle.

 

[Drakey]

I continue to stand behind my right to resell my properties. Even properties that are access to the use of other properties. This is quite a bold endevour, but really the exact same thing someone does when they loan or sell a game on disk. Your reselling or loaning your right to use the software.

The only difference here is that finally people can set aside their fear of a disk that was in someone elses disk drive. No resurfacing needed, just simple change over of titled deed to the license. or whatever XD.

This might be a long time comming, but its been comming. I want to be able to resell my digital copies some day when im done playing.

Gamestop is just the middle man. This is a way they can ENABLE the rights of their customers. They are enabling them to resell their properties. Enabling them to do this allows them access to flexibilities in this market that they used to have to be shady and crooked to do before. A person could now legitimately and over the table change the rights to use this software to another.

Gamestop is a business like any other. As well as the middle man between the software publishers and their customers. To consider them a villain in this is only as classic as any reseller of any goods. No they didnt write the stuff themselves, but they gave the writters a fun store in the mall to sell their stuff in. And they gave the average person who enjoys these products a place to find it fresh from those writters, and also a place for them to share with other customers. Equally.

So all can go home with either a paycheck or at least more of their paycheck left.

And play games.

Win win. Win.

Ok a few things.

Any game that involves a server isn't just your property. It is a service as well. If not fully, then at least partially. You property rights do not apply to services. This is why the different publishers try to tie in various online components.

Second problem
Gamestop as you pointed out is a middleman. He doesn't ad anything. He just facilitates. With Gamestops current method of handling used games from the console market they effectively cut out the producers of the goods. This is a problem in the long run due to the nature of games because A: a digital product doesn't follow the laws of entropy making a used product the same as new, and B: Unlike other goods, games dont earn money per unit sold, but rather after X units sold. With Gamestop taking sales they can effectively kill the producer meaning less games in the future.

Thirdly
Publisher are already trying to cut out used sales from the equation. With Digital distribution that is a whole lot easier. To change games from a good to a service is not only within their rights, but also easy to do. You have a right to sell your property, but you dont have a right to sell a large amount of your game accounts.

First. The online components are established by how many use them. You cant make a realistic server based on how many 'might' use it. Thats fortune telling, so you go by how many use it. If i resell my rights, the number hasnt changed (most likely). Someone has taken my spot. So if the price of admission doesnt include how long a user may use it, then not my problem. Servers arent my problem. The end user could be anyone.

Second: If its quantity they need, than make a product that you can make pooperloads of what we want to keep to the grave. Then you can make this structure work, otherwise get back to being apart of a structure that cycles, and reuses itself. A linear ending structure of you buy it and thats it. end game. dies. kinda like it is now. its kinda like a no sex cult, lets see how far it goes...

Third, Yes you just described how they want to end our right to resell. How short sighted
Lets change things so we can make things work. Start middle end doesnt work

I continue to stand behind my right to resell my properties. Even properties that are access to the use of other properties. This is quite a bold endevour, but really the exact same thing someone does when they loan or sell a game on disk. Your reselling or loaning your right to use the software.

The only difference here is that finally people can set aside their fear of a disk that was in someone elses disk drive. No resurfacing needed, just simple change over of titled deed to the license. or whatever XD.

This might be a long time comming, but its been comming. I want to be able to resell my digital copies some day when im done playing.

Gamestop is just the middle man. This is a way they can ENABLE the rights of their customers. They are enabling them to resell their properties. Enabling them to do this allows them access to flexibilities in this market that they used to have to be shady and crooked to do before. A person could now legitimately and over the table change the rights to use this software to another.

Gamestop is a business like any other. As well as the middle man between the software publishers and their customers. To consider them a villain in this is only as classic as any reseller of any goods. No they didnt write the stuff themselves, but they gave the writters a fun store in the mall to sell their stuff in. And they gave the average person who enjoys these products a place to find it fresh from those writters, and also a place for them to share with other customers. Equally.

So all can go home with either a paycheck or at least more of their paycheck left.

And play games.

Win win. Win.

Ok a few things.

Any game that involves a server isn't just your property. It is a service as well. If not fully, then at least partially. You property rights do not apply to services. This is why the different publishers try to tie in various online components.

Second problem
Gamestop as you pointed out is a middleman. He doesn't ad anything. He just facilitates. With Gamestops current method of handling used games from the console market they effectively cut out the producers of the goods. This is a problem in the long run due to the nature of games because A: a digital product doesn't follow the laws of entropy making a used product the same as new, and B: Unlike other goods, games dont earn money per unit sold, but rather after X units sold. With Gamestop taking sales they can effectively kill the producer meaning less games in the future.

Thirdly
Publisher are already trying to cut out used sales from the equation. With Digital distribution that is a whole lot easier. To change games from a good to a service is not only within their rights, but also easy to do. You have a right to sell your property, but you dont have a right to sell a large amount of your game accounts.

Thanks for responding. Opinions do that.

All three points draw a picture where the only reason digital distribution is used is to protect the idea of a linear sales system. Beginning (creation), Middle (use), End ( thrown away or forgotten). In my opinion this is a defective design. To simply create something to just simply end defeats the purpose of creating it. By all means make any statements you wish.

Your first point: Services. Am I reselling a service, perhaps not. I am however reselling my right to read the story someone wrote. Apples and oranges.

Second : The new games market makes its money back during launch week. Again, make any statements you wish. Its similar to a movie during its Theatrical life span. Its time at the theater determines its prosperity via boxoffice. Any remaining earnings are gravy. One can increase that gravy by options such as toys, Home theater, clothes etc. But the people make it back during launch. Once its out there, its the consumers decision what to do with it. Burn it, Love it, Take it to the grave....

Resell it. Sorry man, no matter what argument there is, its a reality.

Your third response: You have just reiterated why companys make a linear sales system. and one with blocks for legitimate resale. Greed. taking away a persons ability to resell a property makes money for the company in the short term but makes it worth less in the big picture. not worthless, but certainly worth less. Why do I want a bar of gold if I cant resell it? Its is now worth less.

Basically this linear structure devalues a product and makes it not worth while in the long term. We like to see our stories in this media as art, tales of heros and villains we want to pass to the kids. Yet we dont value it. we only want to value it for a week or two. Its sad really. that we can only value the years of efforts, the liftimes of ideas for two short weeks.

That was sarcasm

 

[Keltrick]

But wouldn't that imply new licenses of the game would also lose the same amount of value? Why does it matter if the license was pre-owned if you are getting it in the same time frame?

But original licenses were available earlier. That's the difference. That they're both available after a point does not cancel the fact that one was available earlier.

But we're talking the same time frame. Once they ARE both available, it doesn't matter to me anymore. There is no difference.

Provided I can still buy a new digital copy at any point I like (and why shouldn't I, its not like they have to produce them) then what is different? I am getting the exact same product whether I go to Gamestop for a used copy, or the producer. Availability is only an issue for Gamestop in that they have to acquire the game keys and are therefore artificially limited on how many they can sell.

If I decide I want Skyrim and I can get the files from Gamestop (provided they have one to sell) OR I can get the exact same files from Bethesda ... what incentive other than price do I have for either? Just because its 'used' doesn't change the product I'm receiving at all and therefore shouldn't lower the cost. Yeah he first week Gamestop may not have many keys to sell, sure, so the producer may have a temporary monopoly and be able to charge what the like, and I'll have to buy from them, but once the codes are out in the market and gamestop has many to buy/trade/sell then the difference is gone.

Then it isn't new or used, its just two people competing to sell the same product.

 

[Keltrick]

Seriously, this just sounds like GameStop is trying to earn money from piracy.

This sounds dodgy as fuck, it's like one step above piracy. Actually, I'd go as far as to say it's worse than piracy; at least the people who share files illegally usually don't make money from it.

While I don't run to Gamestop with open arms, and this is a bit morally grey, its a far cry from piracy.

Piracy implies that a product is being created/duplicated/acquired without the producer being compensated, but that isn't what Gamestop would be doing here.

Lets say I have a copy of Hello Kitty Island adventure, that I love, but have grown tired of... I mean, that I want the world to be able to experience. I go to Gamestop, and sell them my copy. Once I've done this, and have the money, I can no longer play with Hello Kitty and her friends.

They then take my game and sell it to some gentlemen. He gets the key and now has access to my game (HIS game). I do not. Only one copy of the game is being experienced, and the producers of HKIA (HelloKittyNewWorldOrder Inc) have been paid for one copy.

Its exactly how it works now with all games on disc. They, in the beginning, were bought from the producer, and thus no more can be played without paying them. This just removes the disc as the means of moving the files.

Off Topic: Having the captcha be adverts is just ... really sad

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

The weird thing about 2nd-hand digital copies is that, well... what sets them apart from 1st-hand digital copies? When buying a physical game used the buyer understands that it has been used before and may come with issues due to that fact (scratched disk, missing instruction booklet, standard wear and tear, etc.). How does this translate into the digital market?

Exactly. This is just Game Stop being a bunch of greedy cunts. People can already sell their digital games by selling their accounts to other people. Why would anyone use Game Spot for that? They want money for being the middle man in an area of business that doesn't require the existence of a middle man. They want money for doing nothing.

Before this article: "Wouldn't be great if Steam had used games?"

After this article: "This is a stupid idea. Way to ruin games, Gamestop."

This community is so bias and fickle.

No! Nobody is asking for used games on Steam. People just want the ability to trade some of the games they have for some of the games they don't have. Just like trading retail games with your friends. Nothing wrong with that. What Game Stop wants is more money for themselves and less for everybody else, without doing anything to actually deserve it.

 

[Yopaz]

Seriously, this just sounds like GameStop is trying to earn money from piracy.

This sounds dodgy as fuck, it's like one step above piracy. Actually, I'd go as far as to say it's worse than piracy; at least the people who share files illegally usually don't make money from it.

While I don't run to Gamestop with open arms, and this is a bit morally grey, its a far cry from piracy.

Piracy implies that a product is being created/duplicated/acquired without the producer being compensated, but that isn't what Gamestop would be doing here.

Lets say I have a copy of Hello Kitty Island adventure, that I love, but have grown tired of... I mean, that I want the world to be able to experience. I go to Gamestop, and sell them my copy. Once I've done this, and have the money, I can no longer play with Hello Kitty and her friends.

They then take my game and sell it to some gentlemen. He gets the key and now has access to my game (HIS game). I do not. Only one copy of the game is being experienced, and the producers of HKIA (HelloKittyNewWorldOrder Inc) have been paid for one copy.

Its exactly how it works now with all games on disc. They, in the beginning, were bought from the producer, and thus no more can be played without paying them. This just removes the disc as the means of moving the files.

Off Topic: Having the captcha be adverts is just ... really sad

I don't have anything against selling used games. I don't believe that is called piracy. However when you distribute a digital file which has been paid for by someone else, such as me sending you my digital copy of Appeal To Reason after I have already made use of it is something else entirely. In that case you are in fact allowing the existence of duplicates. If I charge money from transferring this content to you then I am making money on duplicated copies.

This is how digital distribution works. There's no control on anything about it. Unless they make their own digital distribution service like Steam which can actually control that they can no longer access the game this is not far from piracy.

You also indicate that the producer is being compensated. I have to require a source citing this or I'll assume you're simply saying this to make a point.

 

[Lex Darko]

You know, there's this website called Green Man Gaming. It's becoming quite a popular digital retailer.

it does digital trade ins, quite successfully. The idea itself is quite plausible...

If you go to Green Man Gaming BF3 sale page [http://www.greenmangaming.com/s/us/en/pc/games/shooter/battlefield-3-na/] you will notice that it says next to the price "this game can not be traded in."

Like I said this idea is already dead in the water. The only thing publishers would have to do is link activation codes to a customer-relations account and poof goes this idea.

For GS to get this to work with new/future games, they would need publishers to allow them to do this.

Something tells me that isn't going to happen.

What should really surprise people is the fact that publishers have not worked with MS and Sony to add activation codes to console games that link to the player psn/xbl/console the account is on.

This is probably how MS and Sony are going to "kill" used games in the next generation; it won't be hardware solution but the same software solution used in pc games right now.

 

[Al-Bundy-da-G]

Someone... please explain this to me.

I'm thinking that they buy your licence to the game not the actual game data itself. They then disable your use of the content and resale the licence again. They'll most definitely need their own digital distribution system like Steam or Origin too pull it off though.

To be honest I really wouldn't mind this. There are some digital games that I've bought that I've regretted purchasing, but since there's no real way to get your money bac, I've pretty much had to get over it.

 

[Don Reba]

This sounds dodgy as fuck, it's like one step above piracy. Actually, I'd go as far as to say it's worse than piracy; at least the people who share files illegally usually don't make money from it.

What if there's Steam-like convenience to it? Then they would be selling you a service.

 

[TheKaduflyerSystem]

To figure out a system that would worldwide, legal, impossible to dupe and profitable will be nearly impossible. But I urge gamestop to try, that way they'll bankrupt sooner.