Used Games v. Piracy

[BlackWidower]

I've bought games used, and I don't think there's a problem. The last game I bought used was Shadow of the Colossus. So I guess the issue is buying new games used. Ones that you could buy new, and buying them used.

Ethically, buying a game used is absolutely fine. Practically and logistically, it doesn't give money to the people who made the game, so that's a problem.

My biggest problem is they are using these damn DRMs that punish legitimate buyers, even those who buy new copies, like criminals.

 

[MajorDolphin]

It really exposes the developers as not really giving a damn about the artistic statements of their game, just obsessive over how much money they can wring out of the consumers.

Artistic statements only go so far, when your dropping tens of millions to develop big name titles you want a return for your hard work, not just a bunch of ppl wanting it for free because they think it's artsy. The game might be art to you, but it's just a job and product to another.

Here's the deal.

The pirates who get the game for free, will not be locked out of any content. Most games will be cracked within days of being released and any locked content will be available to those who wish to steal it.

The used game buyers, who pay for a game that has already contributed to the overall sales and profits of the company, are the only ones who are getting shafted. The pirates will be happily playing their stolen yet 100% complete games.

You basically did exactly what the OP was talking about. You somehow have it in your head that used game buyers and pirates are the same, which they're not. Not at all.

I don't see why anyone willingly accepts these practices. This is an artificial devaluation of the item you PAID for. The publisher (who is likely behind these schemes) is taking even more money out of our pockets. How is this acceptable? I don't see why people defend this.

 

[MajorDolphin]

The short story is this: Why are used game buyers equal to pirates in the eyes of game companies, when it's an awful policy that doesn't work for anyone involved?

Alright...I'm gonna assume you're a pretty smart guy. You seem to have at least a smidgen of research ability (You read something.)

Now, here's the deal. It takes a lot of money to make a game. Say you spend 25 million dollars on a game, then sell it for 50 dollars retail. Saying whoever invested the money gets 100% of all sales, they still have to sell 500,000 copies of the game (a lot.) Now take into account the dev maybe sees 20% (being generous probably) which means the publisher (the guys who toss the cash around) make 80% of all revenue from the title, at 25 mil, they see 20 mil. So they need to sell an extra 100,000 copies. Some games need to sell 1 million copies just to break even.

Now that we've broken down that bit (it's important) let's talk about revenue streams. Movies have Theaters, DVD releases, syndication and merchandising. Most of their money comes from the theater, which is a singular place in which a person must go in order to see the film. Second place is DVD sales, which they usually put out when the theatrical release is dying down. (in order to maximize revenue of the product) and then syndication if a TV station wants the rights to air the movie to the public. They get loads of cash for all of them.

Music has concerts, which is similar to theaters, and radio, which is similar to TV syndication.

Games have.......your computer/console. Maybe merchandising if they have the spare cash. They have absolutely NO MORE revenue streams. In order to make up the cash, they have to sell more product. Else we flip our shit like this. If you buy the game used, they see no money, the publisher does not, the developer does not. If you pirate the game, they see no money, the publisher does not, the developer does not.

Now that you understand that, let me get one specific point out of the way, it has to do with economics and business. If your business makes no money, and still has expenses. You don't really get to be a company for much longer. And we cease to have games.

It's not about treating paying customers as criminals, it's about trying to not go under. This is why we have loads of DLC, project 10 dollar, and other initiatives to try and make money off of used sales (Used sales are the largest chunk out of revenue). No one gives a flying fuck about it though, so what they're doing is trying to entice you (heavily coax.) to buy the game new, so they can keep making games you like.

...That's about a basic blanket statement to cover the issue and it's context....any other questions?

Interesting that you point that out. A used copy sitting on someones shelf no longer being played is less likely to generate revenue through DLC than a copy bought used at a store and played by someone who actually enjoys it.

A used copy of a game is a good that has already generated revenue for the company. What the end user chooses to do with that game is their business. I do not see why we need to have big publishers digging in our pockets for change. If they want their games to generate money they should create games people want or games that interest buyers.

Case example. Socom 4. That game is absolute garbage. Had they created a game worth playing they would have A) sold boat loads of copies B) sold tons of DLC and C) wouldn't need to worry about thousands of copies making their way to Gamestop.

I honestly hope this used copy punishment system takes off and is a huge success. I hope it spreads to other industries as well. It will be hilarious to see everyone justify why they had to pay Ford several thousand dollars just to drive the used car they bought from an individual. ("they have to make profits from the goods they already made profits from!")

I'm not one to throw this term around lightly, but I wouldn't be surprised if certain publishers had actual shills defending their cash grabs on forums like this. There are already companies built up for such things so its not a stretch of the imagination.

As for "trying to not go under", you cut fat and excess expenses or restructure your company. Not crap on your customers. Raising the price of goods, even with hidden costs, is not a solid solution.