Why Used Games are Good for the Industry

gamrReview's Jake Weston: "At first, I didn’t really feel compelled to say much of anything about a recent patent by Sony that suggests they wish to cut used games playability from their next generation consoles. After all, there’s not much I could say that hasn’t been said in the plethora of articles that have arisen online in the last few days that have heavily criticize the patent, mostly arguing that the elimination of the used game market would be harmful to consumers and players. And while this is a stance I mostly agree with, I think there could possibly be a bigger issue at stake here. If Sony’s next console (and other next-generation consoles, for that matter) block out used games, it will not only be a pain in players’ sides, but detrimental to the games industry as a whole. "

[GaminGuys]

arisen online in the lastd few days < spelling error please fix for approval

[iamnsuperman]

Fundamentally I disagree with you. Used game sales hurt the industry. The publishers just are not getting the money from used game sales and so these developers get closed down because they do not meet the quota even though they really do but the sales are really not there because they buy used. This word of mouth bull is just that, bull. Same with people who say "I will buy the next in the series new". It just doesn't happen.

The only people who profit from used sales is retail but I wonder why does the gaming industry still relies on such an archaic system to sell games. It is software aka a digital product.

Big budgets and used games sales are the reason why so many studios have gone

[ronin4life]

Publishers are NOT hurting from used sales. They are not losing money because someone sells something THEY OWN to someone else.

Used sales don't evaporate either; they go back to the owner/store to be spent on more things... in the case of a game store MORE games. Many of which will be new, as these retailers can't relay on used sales that may not hold and publishers need outlets for their work(which is why that "archiac" system is still in place... the one that had exsited in humanity for thousands of years.). Used sales that require NEW SALES to exist in the first place.

So, if used is hurting publishers, how are they able to make new sales to provide for used sales at retailers they continue to support despite them putting these "poor" publishers out of business?

Publishers aren't hurting. They just want more control over their costumers. To "maximize profits"(the term anti used publishers love to use.) regardless of the effects to anyone else.

[Hicken]

Publishers and developers get paid the FIRST time that game is sold. In fact, they get paid when retailers buy them for their stock.

If developers are going out of business because they're not getting paid twice for their product, that sounds like something's wrong with their contract with the publisher. Either that, or they need to make better games to see the sales they want.

When you're at work, do you get paid twice for every hour you work? Not unless there are some special circumstances, like overtime or holiday pay.

Does that even make sense? It doesn't. It's ridiculous, and utterly so.

And you obviously don't spend much time in any game store that deals in used games, or you'd know what you said was a completely fallacy. MANY new game sales are subsidized by the trade in of a used game. or more.

Really, you didn't think this one through very well.

[iamnsuperman]

That is not what I have said. Retailers buy stock. Publishers get paid that way. But if there are a large amount of used games retailers do not need to buy as much stock because they have the used games so they publishers get less money. Also what give retailers the right to resale software and so get 100% of the profit. It doesn't happen with computer software and games are just that. Software.

"Either that, or they need to make better games to see the sales they want"

this is a non issue because people are buying used games regardless of quality because it is cheaper. I support my developers buy buying new. Some games are a disappointment I agree but they should get paid for my enjoyment. It isn't like your work comparison. It is more comparable to say Microsoft made Windows but do you think PC world should make 100% of the profit from something Microsoft made

[MikeMyers]

Your analogy is flawed Hicken. You get paid for your job for the work that you do. So if one is specialized in being a doctor and you worked at the hospital then that doctor would expect to get paid for serving his/her patients. Your analogy assumes that doctor should still be supplying services to their patients outside of that hospital for free. That's not how it works.

You see, the tricky part with games is they don't have a depreciation value like a car. Once that game is sold it can be replicated in sales over and over again and act like new while the original publisher only sees it as a one time sale. When someone buys a used console the consumer knows the risk of that hardware not lasting as long or the warranty is expired or won't be as long as buying new. What risk is there to used games? This is why online passes have come in. So if you support online passed then you shouldn't support the used game market.

I am not for or against the used game concept. The trouble with it all is its been in place for so long that consumers now expect it to continue on. What is drastically different now than say 20 years ago was that used game sales were harder to track down and people held onto those games longer. Now every Tom, Dick and Harry sells used games. You can buy them on E-Bay, stores at the mall and so on. The consumer is much more savvy to getting a hold of used games. I think the real issue is how quickly games fall off the sales chart and how quickly consumers trade and get rid of them. This is why there is such a push for multiplayer and DLC. They want the original consumer to stick with that product longer.

The downfall to abandoning the used game market is the people at top who do buy new games and who may also be the ones selling those games back into the used market. If they had no outlet to sell those games I would imagine they wouldn't not buy as many new games. None of us know if the lack of a used market would make up more new game sales because those looking for used games couldn't anymore.

It really doesn't matter at the end of the day, we are already heading in a direction of the used market disappearing. The PC market is a great example of that and so are games like Journey, Fez and The Walking Dead that have made most of their sales in the digital market. That will grow. Rumors are Sega is going to be going digital only in the future with their games. Either way publishers are going more and more to digital or online distribution.

[Double_O_Revan]

If it wasn't for used games and the ability to purchase Assassins Creed 1 &2 used, I would've never got into the series and purchased AC:B, AC:R & AC3 New. Same for buying Mass Effect 1&2 used to buy ME3 new CE. Same for MGS1 used which turned me onto the series to buy every game thereafter New.

The list goes on and on. If anything, used games Help the industry.

Why is the video game industry the only place where this argument holds any weight too? I never hear this debate from car manufactures, electronics companies, furniture makers, etc. Because the universal belief is, You bought it, you Own it.