meh. as long as my budget is smaller than the average man's urethra, i'll keep buying used games.
WHY are used video games bad?
- Thread starter tehweave
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Now a days the only reason used games "might" suck is because of the way they do the DLC. For example buy Dragon Age and various parts of the game are DLC. When you trade it in and they resell it the next person that buys this used game won't have access to that content without buying it. On newer games its a cost savings of $5 or $10 bucks but depending on the game your sometimes losing 1/4 or a 1/3 of the content.
Sorry to remove what you wrote, but otherwise the quote be most of my post. Yup. Good times.GothmogII said:
Anyways.
If no one buys new games cause they don't want to pay full price, the stores themselves buy less new games because they get sold less, so the devs make less money because ya know, they're getting paid less and then they might decide, "oh shit time to rethink our strategy for making money..." but let's be honest, based on their current actions, do you really think they'd actually think that through well enough? They'd more likely just make more and more clone games that do get them enough fanboy income and say "fuck you" to the rest.
That's what I mean.
Well curses. I stand by my point, but it was made in return to a point that wasn't even your point. But I agree that the prices are god damn expensive. All my recent purchases have been on steam sales because they make it possible for me to really afford 'em.StarCecil said:
I don't see what the big deal is anyway. I mean, sure, if one guy buys a game for 60 dollars and gets tired of it and sells it, another guy might be able to buy his copy at a store for, let's say, 50 dollars. But they're still buying the game!
Piracy is when someone buys an illegal, unauthorized copy of a game. But used games are perfectly legal, they were given to us by the developers themselves and they already got their share of their money. If I was a developer, I would prefer 50 people to buy my game used than have just one guy buy a single copy new. I know developers are not working just for the love of art; we all want the almighty dollar. But again, they already got their share. Where do you think used games come from? Not only that but it keeps the franchise afloat. You're still using their servers, you're still in love with the game, so you're still their customer.
Oh, and sometimes, it's the only way to find a game at a brick and mortar store. Go ahead and try to find Halo 3 brand new, factory sealed at a store. Or maybe Ico. You're gonna have a hard time.
I could go on but truly, there's no problem. At the end, it all comes down to the developers wanting a share of what the store makes for selling the game used. It's understandable that they want more money; that doesn't make them evil. And of course the brick and mortal stores also want a bigger share. If you ask me, I see no problem here but that's something that's never gonna be settled with words, only with money. Not aiming for a pseudo-philosophical bull here, but that's that I think.
Piracy is when someone buys an illegal, unauthorized copy of a game. But used games are perfectly legal, they were given to us by the developers themselves and they already got their share of their money. If I was a developer, I would prefer 50 people to buy my game used than have just one guy buy a single copy new. I know developers are not working just for the love of art; we all want the almighty dollar. But again, they already got their share. Where do you think used games come from? Not only that but it keeps the franchise afloat. You're still using their servers, you're still in love with the game, so you're still their customer.
Oh, and sometimes, it's the only way to find a game at a brick and mortar store. Go ahead and try to find Halo 3 brand new, factory sealed at a store. Or maybe Ico. You're gonna have a hard time.
I could go on but truly, there's no problem. At the end, it all comes down to the developers wanting a share of what the store makes for selling the game used. It's understandable that they want more money; that doesn't make them evil. And of course the brick and mortal stores also want a bigger share. If you ask me, I see no problem here but that's something that's never gonna be settled with words, only with money. Not aiming for a pseudo-philosophical bull here, but that's that I think.
Ahaha! No.Beautiful End said:
Let's explain this one more time:
1. the price of a new game is the publisher trying to recoup development costs and retail taking a big cut
2. the game and the disc it's printed on is worth cent
3. thus any copy of game, legal or otherwise, is almost worthless, not worth $50 used
4. the game can always be had for free, if the gamer chooses so.
Conclusion:
People who buy the game new are a minority of useful fools who carry the who game industry on their backs. They pay for the development of new games, for everyone to enjoy.
Pirates and people who buy used, are both cheap and contribute nothing, but the pirates are atleast being sensible about it.
Trading games for games with other gamers is a perfect legal alternative. No money needs to change hands.
Same as with piracy, the publishers don't gain here, but atleast no money gets flushed down the toilet (gamer budget been spent on supporting a developer they like).
From best to worst:
buying new >> trading 1:1 > piracy >> buying used at a store
That is a shockingly ignorant summation of what its all about. Developing video games is no longer something hobbyists do frequently, to make even mediocre AAA games (a la Halo: Reach), developers need an ass-ton of writers, artists, engineers, programmers, and administrative level services to get a product out the door. Not to mention the fact that nearly 100 percent of this work has to be done on computers, so that jacks the cost up more. On top of that, the developers have to find money to pay for hosting multiplayer servers so that you can play online whenever you want.tehweave said:
The notion of "companies being greedy" may have been true if game developers behaved this way in the 1990s (when games were frequently made by 10 guys when they got off their day jobs), but now games take a colossal amount of capital to even start.
There is a reason publishers keep having to shut down game studios- manpower is expensive, and if they don't behave in a way that is profitable, there won't be games.
Be less of an entitled little shit. Wanting to be able to pay the bills at the end of the day isn't greedy, it's common fucking sense.
Edit: This may sound unduly harsh, but accusing someone of being greedy for trying to have enough money so their employees can, you know, eat, deserves it.
Libraries are Theft! LOL!
Anyway I buy used games ALL the time! I've bought less than 50 used games out of the hundreds I have!
Anyway I buy used games ALL the time! I've bought less than 50 used games out of the hundreds I have!
As anyone with two cells to rub together should be able to realise: considering the responses I take it that many of those here are not exactly intellectuals so I'll put it into the simplest arguement possible: Reducto ad Absurdium: taking it to an extreme.
Say I am a development studio and I make a game. It costs me over several hundred thousand dollars to make. Say you buy it, being a good person. I get a share of your $60 USD, the rest goes to the publisher and the retailer. Now, no-one else buys the game new. I have my money, a total of $60 USD, which means I have less money than I need, I am not happy. Then you finish your game, and quite reasonably sell it back to the retailer. Then they sell it on again, for more than they bought it from you for, and close to retail brand new, undercutting the new game sales and encouraging their used sales. The game is only ever bought used from the store, one copy circulating around. I get no portion of this money, despite the fact that the distributor, a retailer like GameStop or GAME, did not have to put up the several hundred thousand aforementioned. Hence, they get money, and I do not. Thus, I cannot make games, and everyone loses.
Back to the real world: The same thing happens to a lesser extent: the only people who profit from used game sales are retailers.
The complaint is not aimed at the retail of games which are 2 or 3 years old, hard to find titles and the like. It is at the return policy of stores where new releases can be sold back for small amount of the cost of the game, and are then sold at near new prices. Projects like EA's Project 10 dollar are aimed at destabilising an unfair and illogical industry, and at the very least, paying the developer for the content they made.
Remember: All business is about making money. Money makes things happen. When I want my noodles, or I need to help chip in for fuel for my carpool, I need money. People deserve to be paid for their work, and since the aim is not to hurt you, but hurt the people scamming both you and the developers, try to think a little logically for once.
Say I am a development studio and I make a game. It costs me over several hundred thousand dollars to make. Say you buy it, being a good person. I get a share of your $60 USD, the rest goes to the publisher and the retailer. Now, no-one else buys the game new. I have my money, a total of $60 USD, which means I have less money than I need, I am not happy. Then you finish your game, and quite reasonably sell it back to the retailer. Then they sell it on again, for more than they bought it from you for, and close to retail brand new, undercutting the new game sales and encouraging their used sales. The game is only ever bought used from the store, one copy circulating around. I get no portion of this money, despite the fact that the distributor, a retailer like GameStop or GAME, did not have to put up the several hundred thousand aforementioned. Hence, they get money, and I do not. Thus, I cannot make games, and everyone loses.
Back to the real world: The same thing happens to a lesser extent: the only people who profit from used game sales are retailers.
The complaint is not aimed at the retail of games which are 2 or 3 years old, hard to find titles and the like. It is at the return policy of stores where new releases can be sold back for small amount of the cost of the game, and are then sold at near new prices. Projects like EA's Project 10 dollar are aimed at destabilising an unfair and illogical industry, and at the very least, paying the developer for the content they made.
Remember: All business is about making money. Money makes things happen. When I want my noodles, or I need to help chip in for fuel for my carpool, I need money. People deserve to be paid for their work, and since the aim is not to hurt you, but hurt the people scamming both you and the developers, try to think a little logically for once.
If you'd read my post, you might notice that at no point did I say anything about theft. I only indicated that it was bad practice and that calling it greed was stupid and immature.Larva said:
Used games aren't theft and neither are libraries, but that doesn't change the fact that as someone who enjoys getting huge epic games in high-definition resolutions, it's a colossally stupid idea to buy used because it is harmful to an industry with a fairly thin profit margin and an objectively large cost of production.
For the record, I don't use public libraries because I think that if I am going to enjoy the product of someone else's labor, I ought to pay them. That said, I don't think less of those who DO buy used/use libraries. The issue at hand here is whether or not wanting those services to go away is "greedy" and it isn't. Getting a fair pay for your work isn't greedy, that's how the world should be.
If you don't mind terribly, read the entirety of a post before replying to it, you'll look less foolish.
What industry is this? Because those $60 games have a huge profit margin, and they cost less than the average film to make.LaBarnes said:
You did pay for them; it's called tax dollars.
Also, there's a difference between a fair wage and an enormous profit margin. The problem here is that $60 is way too much for a product that is equivalent, on the consumer's end at least, to a DVD or a book. I can tell you now, if the game companies would cut prices to be competitive with DVDs, I'd buy a lot more new games.
Because I hate the idea of something owning what I want before me. I like my games to only have one owner, me.
Simple really.They're bad because publishers/developers tell us they're bad
In other words there's absolutely nothing wrong with used games but a surprising amount of people swallow the BS the companies tell them without question
In other words there's absolutely nothing wrong with used games but a surprising amount of people swallow the BS the companies tell them without question
Well, simply put, piracy is illegal. If buying used games was illegal, stores wouldn't do that. Do you think big retail stores would remain open for years and years if this was illegal? Even the government isn't that oblivious about this. And above all, the developers would do something about it. Right now, they're complaining but they can't do anything legal because, well, there are no laws being broken. Simple as that.veloper said:
Also, if I sell my friend a game I don't want anymore for 5 dollars, is that also piracy and illegal? Because, well, we all need to be handcuffed now.
The objections to used game sales have been pretty well covered so there's little reason to go into that, but what I do find funny is how so many posters seem to holding up used game sales as ways to save money.
I'm really not sure where they're buying their used games, but my local used game stores only sell used copies of games for about $5 less than new copies. I'm sorry but no matter what your budget for entertainment is, if you can spend $55 for a game then you can just as easily spend $60. There is no real savings in buying a game used unless it's really the only way you can find the game at all.
I'm really not sure where they're buying their used games, but my local used game stores only sell used copies of games for about $5 less than new copies. I'm sorry but no matter what your budget for entertainment is, if you can spend $55 for a game then you can just as easily spend $60. There is no real savings in buying a game used unless it's really the only way you can find the game at all.
Eh. I see where they're coming from and there is a hint of guilt in my mind whenever I buy a used game only because the developers don't get a penny of that and it all goes to the greedy fucks at Gamestop >.>
Still, this goes back to me saying again and again that $60 is way too fucking expensive for a game, so it balances out a bit. Developers like Treyarch and Infinity Ward don't need any help making money, but when small time devs like the guys who did Nier or Vanquish, I like to support them as no one bought those games. Me buying used just sets off a bit of guilt for me. Then I quickly forget about it once I'm playing, but still >.>
Still, this goes back to me saying again and again that $60 is way too fucking expensive for a game, so it balances out a bit. Developers like Treyarch and Infinity Ward don't need any help making money, but when small time devs like the guys who did Nier or Vanquish, I like to support them as no one bought those games. Me buying used just sets off a bit of guilt for me. Then I quickly forget about it once I'm playing, but still >.>