Poll: Do you buy pre-owned games?

[Idsertian]

Regularly. Why? Price usually. £60 is just way too much. Also EA. Unless it's a new game that I could do with reviewing, in which case I either try and get my boss to wrangle a review copy from somewhere (pretty hard, given our site is so small), or I bite the bullet and hand over my sou...sorry money to the devil.

 

[TehCookie]

I almost always buy used. By the time new games come down to $20 in price they're impossible to find. If I want to support the devs I'll buy new, but it has to be a pretty damn good game for me to spend $60 on it.

 

[Xanthious]

Heh, well "buying" at this point isn't really what I'd call it. I bought a used game a year and a half ago. The next week though I returned that game, thanks to Gamestop's no questions asked return policy on used games, for another game I wanted to play. Then the next week I returned that game too for another game and the next . . . well you get the point. Needless to say I've made it a point to make a trip to one of our local Gamestops every weekend to exchange my game and I'm proud to say that I've legally played every console game I've wanted to play in the past year and a half for a one time fee of 55 dollars. Who said gaming is an expensive hobby?

 

[Snoozer]

£60 for preowned for wait a few months and play it for £20...no real competition really.

As for Extra credit's plan for games to have half on the disc and half as DLC do that the developers get something from everyone who ever owns the game, forget that idea. Terry Pratchett keeps most second hand book shops open (at least in the UK) and never sees any money from all those second hand sales, same with films, why are games developers so special?

If "the medium" wants to be taken seriously, then maybe "the medium" shouldn't be pillocks.

can I make a point that the cost of writing a book is a lot smaller than making a game. Its the same reason you wont hear that piracy being the same problem with written media. You cant and shouldn't compare the 2 different mediums.

That may be true, but does it change the legal situation? No!
It's legal and they really shouldn't try to make it immoral just because it serves their prupose. The costs are higher, but so are the game prices.
I would really like to see some numbers on that issue. As far as I know, the game studios are making profit and they can pay their employees. It's pretty much like hollywood, they produce save shit, make their money and then complain that it isn't more.

 

[Stormfire Rebellion]

Only through Ebay from another gamer if I can't find a new one, but usually I'm pretty good about staggering my 'games-to-play' list a few months behind new releases, since studies and work still keep me busy enough for game time to be more of a day-off or study break luxury than a 'whee look how much time I have and all these games to play through' joyous binge...soon though...just finish thesis and....I'll be broke and looking for work.
But I still won't buy from Gamestop. Local, independent Gaming stores though, yes, if only to support the local nerd-haven.

 

[Gudrests]

Yup. But not when its like $5 less than brand new. At that price I would rather buy it new.
I will buy used if its like $10-20 or if its something rare and hard to find.
But yeah, I got a whole fucktonne of PS2 games for like $5-10 each used.[footnote]Back when PS2 was in its prime.[/footnote]

^^ dis guy got it ME2 for 14 bucks when the new version of it was 40....WHATTTTTTTTT...word

And I always ask to see the cd becuse I've gotten a CD once that looked like someone went iceskating on it before returning it.

 

[krazykidd]

I voted no since the only games I'll buy used are from years back in the previous console generations.

I don't consider a $5 saving worth it for a second hand copy.

This . But i usually buy second hand copies of games for ps2 or ps1 ( yup i'm one of those guys that don't care about graphics) . Also , rarely do i buy games new for the full price of 60$ , i usually wait till the price drops to 30 $ or 20$ . Does that hurt the gaming industry?

 

[mgirl]

No, I have had problems with pre owned games in the past, so I avoid them now. Generally, I just wait a few months after the initial release of new games, and get them cheaper in stores or just wait for them to go on sale on steam. Either way, i avoid pre owned as much as I can.

 

[CoL0sS]

Almost exclusively. Games here are pretty expensive ($100), so I'm limited to few sites that deliver games to this East Bubmblefuck that is my country (namely game.co and shopto.net). Lately it's been hard getting my hands on games I want to play since most of them are out of stock. Oh well, there's always Steam.

 

[Sam Warrior]

Simply put I'm too skint to buy most of my games new, if I really want one and the used copy is only a few quid cheaper then I'll buy it new but most of the time I wait for games to drop in price before I buy them.

 

[Sovvolf]

Yeah I buy used games... why? because money doesn't grow on trees. If I really want the game I'll buy it new on release day. However if not, I'll just wait for the price to go down and save me a bit of money.

 

[Derek_the_Dodo]

But what developers don't take into account when bitching about people buying preowned, is that if someone owns and likes the game then chances are they'll buy some DLC for it.

Plus they may buy the sequel new on release day of they've had a chance to play the first one.

 

[Pandabearparade]

It all comes down to if the game is one I have to have on launch day. I'll buy Skyrim brand new at midnight the day it comes out. The same goes for almost all of Rockstar's games and any forthcoming Fallout titles. I -may- buy Catherine new, because it's cool and original, but the vast majority of games I'll get pre-owned and I don't give half of a rat's ass if the developers don't like it.

 

[Little_Deirdre]

I buy used all the time. I just ordered a new xbox (my first) and the console cost so much (Gears of War Limited Edition one) that it wasn't really feasible to buy the games new. I have no regrets because if I really want a game, like DE:HR I'll preorder I'll order the collector's edition, it evens out.

 

[minuialear]

£60 for preowned for wait a few months and play it for £20...no real competition really.

As for Extra credit's plan for games to have half on the disc and half as DLC do that the developers get something from everyone who ever owns the game, forget that idea. Terry Pratchett keeps most second hand book shops open (at least in the UK) and never sees any money from all those second hand sales, same with films, why are games developers so special?

If "the medium" wants to be taken seriously, then maybe "the medium" shouldn't be pillocks.

can I make a point that the cost of writing a book is a lot smaller than making a game. Its the same reason you wont hear that piracy being the same problem with written media. You cant and shouldn't compare the 2 different mediums.

However, movies DO share similar costs and they also don't have as much problem with used sales.

Entertainment media has this thing tho... the large scale chains that sell movies OR books don't sell used movies or books. This is something that is strictly restricted to video games, and as a direct result, they have a problem with this.

It's almost like if the manufacturers actually did -something- about their distibution chains they might solve the issues in the industry resulting from their distribution chains dicking them over.

Although Blockbuster/similar locales sell/sold both new and used films (and games). Alongside all the movies they simply rent(ed). And Blockbuster/etc were arguably as big as Gamestop is now, if not more so. And film producers weren't unilaterally calling for the demise of Blockbuster/etc.

Granted they didn't have the whole trade-in thing, but honestly, I don't think that's actually big enough of an incentive to convince people who aren't already going to get rid of their games somehow to do so. The only difference I see is that there are more people buying used in the game industry because of the significant difference in investment per game, in comparison to the investment necessary per film.

You are talking about a scenario that might happen as if it has happened. Please use an actual world example of piracy of books being an issue, rather than a made up one.

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/interview_we-lose-20pct-of-our-profit-to-book-piracy_1281423

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/technology/internet/12digital.html

His/her scenario was quite real.

 

[Amondren]

I usually do if its more then 5 bucks cheaper otherwise its pointless.

 

[Blow_Pop]

Half my games are new and the other half are pre-owned. I'm notorious for waiting a few months for the price to drop and then buying the game. Mostly pre-owned. Theres a few games that I got new but it was also pre orders too....

 

[Kinokohatake]

I generally buy used because I am picky with my games and the used usually give me a longer time to try the game out. Of course this would all be useless if the companies would put out demos more often. Seriously when I can beat the new Medal of Honor in an afternoon, then I am glad I bought used.

 

[necromanzer52]

I used to buy a lot of new games, as well as old. Now I'm a broke college student.

 

[Michael Logan]

The problem I have is that the local GameStop is quite small, and at any one time they only have, at most, 5 or 6 new titles.
If I want something more than one month old, I HAVE to buy second-hand...

Same here, either way I buy where its cheapest, if thats pre-owned then so be it.