Jimquisition: Used Games Have A Right To Exist

Jimothy Sterling

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Apr 18, 2011
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Used Games Have A Right To Exist

Publishers would have you believe that used games are the biggest threat to the games industry. Even gamers will sympathize with these huge companies and equate the used market with piracy. Unlike piracy, however, used games have plenty of right to exist and are not the demonic entity others make them out to be. Jim Sterling, naturally, has the band-aid of reality to plaster over your fantasy cuts.

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ImSkeletor

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Feb 6, 2010
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Thank you Jim for speaking the truth. It ticks me off that people say that I am as bad as people who PIRATE just because I LEGALLY sell my games and buy used games. Am I a bad person if I freaking sell my car to someone after I buy it?
 

Ragnarok2kx

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Nov 18, 2009
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I have to say, most of the points in the video have been said before a thousand times over.
Also, curse you for using "You're not Alone!" as a background. That particular tune always makes me tear up like a little *****.
 

NinjaDeathSlap

Leaf on the wind
Feb 20, 2011
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Best episode yet Jim! It's just sad that so many people need this spelled out to them. The hypocrisy of publishers, crushing all sense of fair business in their path like the tyrants they are, and then turning round whenever we buy a used game and whimpering like schoolgirls "It's not fair! What about wickle old me?"

Fuck. That.
 

gphjr14

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Aug 20, 2010
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It is a shame people don't realize they're being fucked over by DLC and online codes. When the game is bought brand new that is all the publisher is entitled to not one cent more.
 

BgRdMchne

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Jun 24, 2011
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When I saw the Bullfrog logo, I got a little depressed. Then I thought of what EA did to Origin Systems and I cried a little.

On topic: This whole episode was irrelevant to me, as I'm mostly a PC gamer and the industry managed to shut down the used game market there a long time ago.

Also, where I'm from, it's an infraction to put money into someone else's parking meter. Big Bro gets more money from tickets than from the meters.
 

Dr. Crawver

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Nov 20, 2009
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I like how jim has actually turned from making rather useless points to actually ones of real value. The guys at extra credits are still doing it better, but it's good to have someone else actually chipping in things of worth
 

esperandote

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Feb 25, 2009
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Croc of shit indeed. Publishers need to stop selling uncomplete games and then charge again for the rest to the game or like capcom, release a the game multiple times *cough*SFIV/SVC3*cough*
 

Hitchmeister

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Nov 24, 2009
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Terrible terrible argument. "I can waste as much money as I want on crap games, thereby encouraging publisher to keep making even worse games, because I can turn around and resell them to some other sucker who will also hate it. It doesn't matter how bad games get because of the lemming-like churn of money to be made off cycle bad games around the toilet of current gaming."

Show a little self-control and don't give publishers your money for games you hate and you won't need to be able to resell them to to the next poor sod.

But don't cry because you're too stupid to recognize crap after being sold it repeatedly. And don't blame the publishers for thinking that what you really want is more of the same crap you've resold time and time again. They can't hear you over the piles of your money they're busy counting.
 

alinos

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Nov 18, 2009
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I;m only against Used games, When they are sold through the same retail store that sells the real thing.

If you want to buy used games it should be through craigslist,Ebay, or a cashconverters(not sure of the american equivilant(or if there is one))

This way there isn't that checkout conversion that everyone who has been in a gamestop or EB hates. of "You can get the used copy 5 dollars cheaper" Being able to have a last ditch attempt to divert a customer that was going to buy the new copy to a used is the biggest issue in my mind.

If you remove used games from the gamestores that sell them, you put the onus on the customer to go and find a copy(even if it means Gamestop were to open a used game's shop chain) seperate it from the new purchases.

And while i have no conclusive evidence to back up this claim. I expect that when someone buys a used game even if they were going to buy it new, the fact that it's a used copy means it is much more likely to be sold back to the same place it was just bought from.

The fact is that everyday people can make far more than Gamestop will ever give them for their used titles, and at the same time gamers can get a reasonable price instead of the minimum amount gamestop believe needs to be taken off the title to make it appealing to buy
 

shrekfan246

Not actually a Japanese pop star
May 26, 2011
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Catchy Slogan said:
I Agree.

Also, what was that mech game at around 4:50. Looked pretty good.
If you're talking about the multiplayer matches with the armored jetpacks, I think that was Killzone 3. Not entirely sure, because I never spent too much time actually playing the multiplayer, but it looked like it to me.

OT: Thank you, Jim, I agree with everything said in this episode. I don't want to say any more because I don't feel like getting into an argument with any anti-used-games people.
 

Still Life

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Sep 22, 2010
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I'm a PC gamer and digital distribution is now the consumer model for PC Gaming. Unofficially, but the corporate suits can go fuck themselves up the ass because retail tells only a fraction of the story.

Your arguments really drive home the sorry state that retail has become in lieu of the war waged by publishers and retailers. Fortunately this model will die out and I hope that digital distribution follows the example set by Steam. It will be interesting to see whether or not the next console generation will be able to adequately take advantage of digital distribution and in a way that provides optimum value for customers and profit-turnover for publishers and developers (mainly developers).

I also have to wonder how Cloud Gaming will impact on the industry, as its model is becoming more and more popular and I see this as another retail killer. Cloud Gaming could possibly be the shape of things to come.

Another point worthy of note is that law-making in regards to the business of computer gaming is a largely untested area and more needs to be done to address the sheer Fuckery (with a capital fucking 'F') that the publishers are putting customers through these days. There simply has not been enough legal scrutiny of the industry outside of ideological-driven politicking of pseudo humanitarians, who only care about their political agendas and not so much about the amorphous 'the children' descriptor.

I would predict, that if there were to be another VG industry crash, it would be in large part due to publishers chocking the industry through its consumer policies.

*Edit*

What I would really like to see in terms of distribution models, is one where developers launch their titles from their own server network. I believe Frictional did this with Amnesia, by having the game downloadable from their main site. It was also on Steam, but I think it highlights quite a bit more flexibility than traditional publishing models.
 

alinos

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Nov 18, 2009
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Oh and JIM.

As i know you play PC games, the fact is that if we make a purchase that is shit, we do have to keep it for ever.

It's why Pirate-to-Demo is so fucking prevailent. Especially when the developers refuse to release a proper demo(either before or on release).

I dodged a bullet with Homefront because i got hands on my brothers copy before i was going to buy it.

although ironically due to a steam sale i now own the thing anyway since it essentially came free with the other THQ games in the sales Pack
 

Tturbo

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Mar 10, 2011
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Yes publisher wants more profit and to make more and more money to always have exponential growth... That's the capitalistic idea... They,re just applying what's good for their wallets. Buying used games isn't just questionning the industry, there's more to it behind it (an ideology maybe ?).
 

PeePantz

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Sep 23, 2010
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cpt blackamar said:
I like how jim has actually turned from making rather useless points to actually ones of real value. The guys at extra credits are still doing it better, but it's good to have someone else actually chipping in things of worth
No they're not, they just talk fluff and wrap a pretty bow on games being ultra important to society. Jim Sterling does not. He's blunt. This industry needs more Jim Sterlings. While a lot of people, like the EC team, try to justify video games as contemporary pieces of art, once in a while (refreshingly), there are those who just commentate on games without speculation.
 

Soviet Heavy

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Jan 22, 2010
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Catchy Slogan said:
I Agree.

Also, what was that mech game at around 4:50. Looked pretty good.
Killzone 3. The Mech and the Jetpacks are available in Multiplayer. Pretty fun game.

And I will say, thank god for Jim Sterling. Keep laying on the vitriol man!