Poll: Do you buy pre-owned games?
- Thread starter tthor
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Yeah of course, but only if A- I cant find a new copy, B- I find it MUCH cheaper (Like new £40 but preowned £20-25) or C- I dont think the developers deserve my money. I plan to buy Deus Ex, which i can probably get preowned, but i vote with my wallet so im gonna get it brand new so they get some of my money for their hard work.
At lot of my more recent games have been pre-owned. The copy of FF6 on GBA I have was 20 bucks used at gamestop. My DA2 copy was used. My copy of M&L: SS for GBA was used. I have no problem with the whole pre-owned thing, except for the fact that people selling games back to a store like this don't get much back.
I considered taking my copy of Darksiders back, in the hopes of getting money for something else due to the fact I got stuck and didn't play it for months. I've since beaten it and have no desire to sell it now, but that's beside the point.
I considered taking my copy of Darksiders back, in the hopes of getting money for something else due to the fact I got stuck and didn't play it for months. I've since beaten it and have no desire to sell it now, but that's beside the point.
Back during the PS1/PS2 era, I didn't purposely buy used games, but the used game piles tended to have more games that appealed to me, and for a cheaper price. Typically my options were- 2 games I KNEW people said were high quality games at only $10-25 each, or a $50 game that just came out, and "loooooked" good, but I did't actually know (I didn't have the internet back then.) Of course the better deal was to buy used. Of course I bought some used "duds" before that didn't work. I had to return 2 copies of FFIX before I got one that actually functioned.
But with out reliable sources for reviews, I ended up with some REALLY crappy games I paid full price for. Just remembering them give me nightmares... I'm getting the shivers right now over how bad they were.
Today though, used games aren't priced well enough. Usually the good used games are maybe $5 cheaper, even if its several years old. And you have to sift through so much Shovel Ware that finding decent games in the used piles is tedious. All that work isn't worth it if the game I end up with has scratches, a crappy generic Game Stop Cover, and a missing game manual.
Because of this I just don't buy very many games anymore at all; but it could just be I've gotten so picky with games, and I'm more of a nostalgia gamer. With that said, I voted "only if I can't find it new," since most of the games I get anymore aren't sold new.
But with out reliable sources for reviews, I ended up with some REALLY crappy games I paid full price for. Just remembering them give me nightmares... I'm getting the shivers right now over how bad they were.
Today though, used games aren't priced well enough. Usually the good used games are maybe $5 cheaper, even if its several years old. And you have to sift through so much Shovel Ware that finding decent games in the used piles is tedious. All that work isn't worth it if the game I end up with has scratches, a crappy generic Game Stop Cover, and a missing game manual.
Because of this I just don't buy very many games anymore at all; but it could just be I've gotten so picky with games, and I'm more of a nostalgia gamer. With that said, I voted "only if I can't find it new," since most of the games I get anymore aren't sold new.
I buy about half of my games used.
I feel about the same level of guilt as my dad feels for buying his car used. Or my brother for buying his cricket bat used. Or my sister for buying second-hand DVDs. Or my mum for borrowing books from the library (where the publishers only get paid once even if HUNDREDS of people borrow and read the book).
Funny how you don't hear any of THOSE companies complaining.
I feel about the same level of guilt as my dad feels for buying his car used. Or my brother for buying his cricket bat used. Or my sister for buying second-hand DVDs. Or my mum for borrowing books from the library (where the publishers only get paid once even if HUNDREDS of people borrow and read the book).
Funny how you don't hear any of THOSE companies complaining.
I prefer to buy games new, for the obvious reason of less risk of there being a problem of some kind, and the like, but if it's a particularly old game, or it's going away dirt-cheap, then I'll buy used.
I don't buy into this notion that used-game sales are harming the developer at all. Bear in mind that the vast majority of people buy games from retailers, such as Gamestop, HMV, Wall-mart, etc. Those retailers will buy their stock of games in bulk, making the cost back on their pricing of the game. When you buy the game at a retailer, no money actually goes towards the developer, the only thing that goes to them is the information that another one of their games has been bought, which leads them to calculate the overall profit they've made from the game based on number of new copies sold by retailers. Used-game sales are a transaction exclusively between buyer and seller. The only way sales of a game would harm the developer would be if they weren't paid for the stock by a retailer for NEW games. If they were putting EXTRA copies of the games that were then being sold-off at used-game-prices, then they would have something to complain about. But used games are sold so cheaply because they are USED. The developer has already gotten their money out of it, and it's simply up to the customer who didn't see the worth in keeping it to make some of that money back from someone else.
I don't buy into this notion that used-game sales are harming the developer at all. Bear in mind that the vast majority of people buy games from retailers, such as Gamestop, HMV, Wall-mart, etc. Those retailers will buy their stock of games in bulk, making the cost back on their pricing of the game. When you buy the game at a retailer, no money actually goes towards the developer, the only thing that goes to them is the information that another one of their games has been bought, which leads them to calculate the overall profit they've made from the game based on number of new copies sold by retailers. Used-game sales are a transaction exclusively between buyer and seller. The only way sales of a game would harm the developer would be if they weren't paid for the stock by a retailer for NEW games. If they were putting EXTRA copies of the games that were then being sold-off at used-game-prices, then they would have something to complain about. But used games are sold so cheaply because they are USED. The developer has already gotten their money out of it, and it's simply up to the customer who didn't see the worth in keeping it to make some of that money back from someone else.
I'd rather buy them new for obviously reasons. But I love the cheapness of preowned games.
You mad gaming companies? I'm not scared of you pricks.
You mad gaming companies? I'm not scared of you pricks.
This sums up my own stance nicely. I generally buy new, except in those cases where it isn't an option or where I feel the game isn't worth full price.Nuclear_Suspect said:
We are talking about non-proliferation of game licenses here. Any other product can be used any number of times by any number of people as long as they aren't being used at the same time. I can lend my lawnmower to my entire community, or have it get sold around the entire community, fairly. Same thing with any individual license of the game. Pirating a game would be like somehow using Replicators to scan and duplicate my lawnmower, so I can distribute it freely from a single point without giving up my own mower.Draech said:
But, we aren't talking about piracy here. You are allowed to completely transfer your license of a game to another customer. It says so in every EULA. The company shouldn't get bent out of shape over people abiding by their own conditions.
That's a falacy. There is no evidence that any of those who bought a pre-owned version of the game would have bought a new copy. And he said nothing about the profit margin of Heavy Rain. He was saying it was the developer or publisher's business to figure out how many copies they need to sell at what price. They sold two million. There are two million copies in circulation, not three million.
If the developers of Heavy Rain wanted more new copies to sell, they should have A): Made a game that people would want to hold onto instead of trade in at Gamestop, or B): Not develop for a platform with an inherent used-game market.
Once someone sells a game, they can't play it again without buying another license.
Depends on what kind of game I want. If it's a brand new game that I'm interested in, I usually pre-order it and buy it new.
If it's a older game like say, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. I'd buy it used as it's probably the only way I'd get it now-a-days anyway. And even if it wasn't, I'd still get a used copy as it is cheaper.
If it's a older game like say, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. I'd buy it used as it's probably the only way I'd get it now-a-days anyway. And even if it wasn't, I'd still get a used copy as it is cheaper.
Yea!GiantRaven said:
I used to buy used all the time because I was poor (well...living off minimum wage ? I?ve been worse off) and gamestop had not yet established it?s monopoly and gouged the used market into absurdity.
Now I only buy used to make a statement; though I?m sure some would say it?s out of spite which I guess is also correct. For example when they decided Mortal Kombat would have online pass for multiplayer, I decided that I didn?t really want to play it online anyway (it?s the kind of game you play with friends on the couch). But even then, why shop at Gamestop when you can get it for much cheaper at Amazon, ebay, or anywhere else.
I agree with OP, that whatever problems they are having with the used market has more to do with Gamestop?s monopoly (fairly recent) rather than trade & used sales which has been going on since the 70s. All of a sudden it?s a problem? Give me a break.
More importantly publishers need to give those people who buy used (for whatever reason: it?s their business) a break, stop punishing used buyers, and go after Gametop?s market share: it?s not like they would have to even be that competitive ? a used game at gamestop is only a $2 savings.
Please. How many people are so cheap that they'll pay $5-10 less for a used, possibly non-functioning game without all of the bonus content? Most of Gamestop's money comes from (1) new games, (2) games that have been out for several months-several years and (3) ripping people off with those dumbass cards and subscription to Gaming Sycophant Monthly-er, I mean Game Informer, founders of the 7-10 ratings scale (7=crappy game). You may have noticed, the film and music industries, even the porn industry, have never ever bitched about this. Sadly, it seems that it is our industry that is the most permeated by whiny blame-tossers and finger-pointers.tthor said:
The economy sucks, extremely rich AAA developer CEO. Perhaps if in the last few elections you had voted for candidates who believed in regulating housing/war for profit, you wouldn't be suffering as much and neither would anyone else. Or perhaps you need to focus on making more games like Mass Effect and fewer games like Duke Nukem Forever and Call of Duty: The 5-Minute Campaign.
I never buy used (except for old PS2 games).tthor said:
As an artist myself (when I'm not teaching) I have a problem with the creators not being paid for something that they made. No matter how you justify it, that's what it comes down to. For me, that's enough reason to never buy used.
I'd feel differently if Gamestop kicked a portion of their massive used game profits back to the creators of the used games they sold. But they don't. Thus: screw Gamestop. I buy nothing at all from them anymore. I'd rather support Wal-Mart than Gamestop.
Edit: And in case you were wondering, no, I don't buy used books either if the author is still alive.
On used DVDs, I don't worry about it, because the actors/writers don't get a cut of DVD sales, and often the directors don't either.