What Happens if We Allow Used Games to be Blocked?

GamersBliss.com writes: "What happens if big companies get what they want? What happens if we allow used games to be blocked in the industry? Do we block used DVD’s or used CD’s… well maybe not the latter. Let’s discuss this topic and look at it in a little more detail."

[jc48573]

bad and I don't think it will happen. You have to think about the millions of money and plastic used to produce the discs, so you are looking at billions of discs to be disposed off every year. Imagine how that would be bad for the environment, so "blocking" is out of the question. "Unlocking" is something publishers want because they see the money making business opportunity.

[NukaCola]

Gamestop will take a huge hit. Gamefly, Redbox and other rental servies are gone. This on the disc code could start infecting into other forms of media. What is DVDs, Blurays, and CDs(lol as if they still exist) become locked to the devices we use them on? What if MS puts a code on this Halo TV show bluray set when it comes out that bars it from playing on any device other than an X1? Things could easily get out of hand if they push this, and it looks like they are pushing it hard.

[TruthbeTold]

GameStop won't take a full hit if they've worked out a deal to get their cut, which it sounds like.

[zeal0us]

Amazon and Steam will become my place to purchase my games from because I'm not about to pay $60 for every game I want. Green Man Games also tend to have some deals as well. Either those three, ebay or I will be waiting a year or two for the games to get heavily discounted.
---
While Gamestop wouldn't take a full hit but their main source of profit will be gone. No more buying games from customers for $20 or less then selling them for $40 or more. While MS said they would support the 360 for longer I doubt AAA titles will be hitting the 360 after a year or more(unless its cod).

[1OddWorld]

Wow, way to go with the fear mongering. You are all forgetting that we are at the beginning of the digital download age of gaming, and at some point physical media will be a way of the past. All games will be purchased to an account and that account will be able to access its games, movies and music. You will be able to try a demo of every game in the future through PlayStation Network, Nintendo and Xbox Live. Giving you a chance to try it before you buy it. Games will also not increase in price as some would lead you to believe. Gaming pricing models have been in the same pricing pattern for 20+ years. Contra cost me $60 when it was newly released and GTA4 cost me $60. I think we can all agree contra was the better game.

O-well continue to stir the stupid-pot until it boils over and infects us all.

[NameRemoved0017]

Digital Gamings been on PC for years already where have you guys been? Every new PC game thats came out for a while now is downloadable.

Companies like gamestop already have PC digital stores. They can't do that on the xbox since Microsoft has to make all the $$$$$$$$$.

[nix]

i've been thinking a lot about second hand games. i understand that lots of games are shared or bought second hand because of which the devs don't get the money they could have been got.

as much as i care for the devs, last time i checked, if i buy a second hand car, the car manufacturer never gets the money. same goes with the toothpaste that's shared. or the newspaper. i mean the manufacturers of every single thing that can be shared never gets the money from the second consumer so why are we treating the games differently?

it's just the thought though.

[lord zaid]

Forget gamestop for a minute. i have friend that owns his own little game shop. he can kiss his business goodbye. And if would be a sad day, because his shop has become more than just a place to trade games, its a regular hangout for gamers in the area, just to BS about whatever games we're playing.

[forcefullpower]

@Lord

If you mate that owns the shop can't sell second hand games what reason would there be for him to even bother selling the console either. Are we going to end up with only main stream shops selling the X1 and all the small shops selling only the PS because they can sell the used games for it?

That is under the assumption that PS will allow used games. A very curious question.

[theaceh]

People will get so pissed that they would start to consider other long forgetten forms of entertainment. Like playing catch outside.

[kirbyu]

Redbox wouldn't go out of buisness if this happened. They would still have DVDs.

[Sono421]

@lord zaid

Same here, we have a shop called gaming generations and they aren't big but they're getting there, they have 2 stores now... but now with all this.. so much for expanding.. now they'd be lucky to even have a 3rd store. Little stores like that thrive off of buying and selling used games/consoles... but now they can't sell used games.. and they've always been hard 360 supporters, I wonder how they're going to accept the change of ONLY being able to sell/make a profit PS4 used games. I mean sure they still have games from older generations to sell, but lets be honest most revenue comes from the most current consoles. M$ is fucking so many people over with this.. and now i hear that M$ get's all the money from this instead of the developers? bs.. you don't deserve it M$

[showtimefolks]

if both ms and sony charge game used fee(lets see after e3)than its time to buy wiiu

its such a dumb decision by any console maker, the day this industry goes all digital, i am done with console gaming. Unless valve will be running the digital market because all the other publishers and console makers will have the gamestop thinking and that's let's give $5 off and call it a deal of the day

MS you better not screw with people who made you successful otherwise we as gamers have options to go with other consoles makers

[Psn800]

I won't play anymore simply as !

[Godmars290]

What happens is that the market quietly shrinks. The "missed sales" which some devs have constantly complained about, like David Cage with Heavy Rain, never become real numbers. Or those people wait for prices of new games to drop if they ever do. Also the rental market goes away.

At some point big companies will have to lower or raise prices overall on AAA titles or stop making AAA titles altogether since fewer and fewer people will pay for $100 for a game no matter what bells and/or whistles it has.

[NameRemoved0017]

Honestly this just encourages more piracy.

[e-p-ayeaH]

unless price drops happen faster in every retail store which is a possibility.

[iceman06]

This is my fear as well. More people will be less likely to take a chance on titles. There will be no room for "risky" titles like those from David Cage, or a Journey, etc. The market will retract (as we have seen some signs of this already this gen). Most of the games will be sequels to the AAA blockbusters that have proven to sell like CoD, Uncharted, Halo, etc. Creativity will be all but dead and the industry of gaming will suffer.

[ginsunuva]

Yes, but if this used block does happen, I want games to be $45 each instead of $60.

[ltachiUchiha]

If it happens expect lesser sales in games & look for game prices to start going up because lack of game sales. Just my opinion.

[Count]

They'd raise game prices because games don't sell? That doesn't seem like a counterintuitive method at all.

[iceman06]

Lack of competition means that you can charge what you want as a company. The retraction of the games industry (shrinking of the amount of competition in games) could lead to and increase in the price of games. Right now there is competition, which is why we see the price of games going down almost the day they are released. Without the used games, the ability to take risks as a consumer, less games will sell. Eventually leading to less companies willing to take risk on new IP's. Meaning that sequel-itis will take hold (as we can already see now). If, by chance, it goes the other way. Then, publishers don't recoup their money and are eventually closed or bought out by bigger publishers...which leads to retraction of the industry...leading to...well...you see where I am going.

[PiTCHBLaCK]

Game prices are high if the game sells well, Low if it doesn't sell.

Guild Wars expansions were all around $20 to $30 for years all the way up until GW2 was released, because it Sold well. Same goes for The Sims.

Rift is going Free to play now because Nobody wants to pay to play it, Lots of Competition.

[Majin-vegeta]

Both sides loose. Gamer's can't borrow or lend games to each other.And many studios would close down cuz people won't take the risk of buying any unknown games and would just stick to franchises we know.

[PiTCHBLaCK]

Actually, on the PS4 you can try before you buy, Not sure if XBO has that feature or not.

[PiTCHBLaCK]

I'm not touching the XBO even if MS paid me.

[Theangrybogan]

I agree I wouldn't even take an Xbox one if it was free

[GameReviewGuy]

I hope it won't happen. I'm guessing it won't for a long time if at all cause look at music CDs which are still being made and sold as pre owned.

[PopRocks359]

I won't be playing very many new games anymore, I'll tell you that much.

[Delt4]

The only reason i bought Halo:ce in the first place is a buddy let me borrow his Xbox and that game. Same with portal, reddead, killzone and BF2. I'm still buying those games today because i borrowed them from friends first. If you think about it MS also sold a xbox because i got to play someone else's game for a weekend.

[esemce]

Yeah I think less people will take a chance on a new game if they know they can't get some money back by resale.

Or they will wait for it to get a massive discount or even worse just pirate the game, either way I think the industry will probably loose the same amount of potential revenue.

[forcefullpower]

These are some of the exact reason why we should be worried and I think the Devs are blinded by their publishers greed. I see a worse future from this. If their install base is lower to less people buying the game and also if I had not borrow borderlands 1 it would never have made me buy borderlands 2. I will also buy borderlands three because of this.

[madpuppy]

If I didn't take a chance on a copy of Uncharted 1 I would have never bought 2 or 3 new. same for bioshock, I would never have grabbed a copy of infinite (probably).

I sure hope this hurts the industry in ways that the greedy publishers and developers never foreseen. I hope preorders drop drastically, games languish on shelves for months until the price drops to half or better. I hope executives from game publishers get their salaries cut and eventually get let go for poor performance.

I would love to see console makers eventually eat crow and release a software update that removes this garbage and everything go's back to the way it should have been in the first place, with consumer rights restored.

[DarkBlood]

if that happen then id be sticking with my wiiu ps3 and the rest before it and just go buying retro etc and invest my money into other hobbies like comics and so forth

plus my movie blu-ray collection would just rise as well if gaming was to go this route in the future

[AWBrawler]

Same here. I got a helluva lot of dreamcast, ps2, and gamecube games i need to buy for my collection. And i will buy them Used.

[MAULxx]

Well said Dark Blood. Exactly how I feel.
There are alternatives to Sony & Microsoft & I will utilize them. I also would invest a little more in other forms of entertainment. Heck I might start playing table top games like Mutant Chronicles.
I would definately change my mind about the wii u.
Not only the death of used games but I also hate the kinect requirement for the xbone & the online check in.
Im holding out a bit of hope for the PS4 but if they do this used game online check deal (they probably are)then it's a deal breaker for me. I'll go to the wii u & retro gaming where the essence of console gaming is still intact.

[1OddWorld]

I hope used game retailers like Gamestop go bankrupt. They are such a scam. They give you $8 for a game then mark it up to $40. I will buy all my old games through digital download like the Wii has, and PS4 will have with Gaikai.

Final Fantasy VII
Gamestop sells for $30. Developer doesn't get a dime.

Platstation Network sells it for $10 "digital download" developer receives a royalty.

This is an easy decision to make. I will support gaming and save myself $20

The only thing we really will lose is the trade in value which wasn't much in the first place and retailers could implement easily. It would be smart actually because then the used game could be destroyed/recycled into a new disc/game.

[THESHAUNZY]

ever heard of Craigslist or Ebay?

[1OddWorld]

Sure have and both are great but my comment was about evil Gamestop. Sorry if you mistook my post as anti-used games.

[Count]

His point was that if they are such a scam then you can just not use them.

Nobody is forcing you to use GameStop. It seems pretty immature of you to want them to go bankrupt. Understand that GameStop is sustaining some of people's jobs and income.

[Hicken]

I'm impressed. A reasonable comment out of you not dripping with fanboyism.

Blocking used games is nothing but a bad idea. People like to compare the PC arena, but it's not the same market. The PC model just wouldn't work on consoles, where things like sharing games are part of the culture.

I could get more into why getting rid of used games is a bad idea for consoles, but I don't think it's necessary. If even someone like Count can tell it's a foolish thing to do, it should be evident to everyone.

[ziggurcat]

"Final Fantasy VII
Gamestop sells for $30. Developer doesn't get a dime. "

hey guess what:

used book stores sell old books, authors don't get a dime.
thrift stores sell used CDs/DVDs, musicians/actors/directors/stu dios don't get a dime.
used car lots sell old cars, manufacturers don't get a dime.

buying a used, physical copy of a video does not entitle the devs to get paid twice for the same copy. they already got paid for it, they made their money.

and you can usually get triple the trade-in value for games that are worth $8 or more. i often get $24 for games i trade in.

[SpinalRemains]

Used book stores?

Under this model, a library would be considered a bastian of piracy.

Wake up, guys. This is such inexcusable greed at its finest.

[otakukidd]

OK their are a couple of problems with your example.
1. GameStop doesnt sell final fantasy vii. They haven't sold ps1 games in years.
2. The reason why its more money is because its a rare effing ps1 game. OK not that rare but its usually 20 game shops.
3. Some people like to do something called collecting. And you don't usually do that with digital titles. So same demand with less supply. No shit it will cost more.

[strigoi814]

for me its the end of gaming if this happen

[tweet75]

wont miss it dont trust used disc based games too many scratched discs

[PiTCHBLaCK]

What about Game Rentals? like from Gamefly, or The Ability to lend your games?

[Oh_Yeah]

Blu rays don't really get scratches...or at least it's hard for them to get scratches. You'd have to take a knife to one, hard or put it on concrete and use the discs like skates.

[Wagz22]

If that happens I won't buy any system and just play on pc. I really want to get a PS4 but if they announce DRM...done.

[jessupj]

Same, I'd really like to get a PS4, but if this happens I'm going full pc.

[madpuppy]

I'm already looking at a better video card for my box, I have an old 8800gt.
I love console gaming but, I was a PC gamer for many years and going back is just putting on my headphones starting the game.

wait till these companies see that all the "lost" money from used sales was fueling a large portion of new sales. and that when that disappears those preorders that they live and die by will shrink considerably.

[r21]

Its gonna take me some more time to buy games if this happened. I kinda depend on selling some of my games for some newer games.

[PigPen]

The video game crash will be from that.

[fsfsxii]

And that one will keep us happy for another 6 generations

I don't have Gamestop around, so am i lucky?

[AWBrawler]

Creativity will die and new IPs will suffer because people will be afraid to try something the never heard of. Mainly because if it sucks all they can do is deao with it. No trade-in. No partial refund. No anything.

[madpuppy]

to be honest, what will happen is that PC gaming will start to explode again, there are a lot of developers that are making great products for real low prices and DRM free to boot, look at Apogee and interceptor they teamed up to release a rise of the triad remake and are going to sell it for 14.99. I think we will see lots of people from these large developers that are let go start self publishing the games they want to make on the PC. truly creative people that want to make interesting things aren't going to be stifled by what the big publishers and console companies are doing, they will just find a different outlet for their creative dreams to be seen and played.

[Tewi-Inaba]

I don't quite get it, the only ones to benefit from this are companies like GameStop
and people ussually HATE game stop.

Are people just afraid of inflation?
Obviously this doesn't happen, PC/Steam to be more precise is strickly a no return *i.e* no used games policy, and with devs moving towards digital distribution, used games WILL inevitably *DIE* but look at steam
50% off games
75% off NEW-ish games
These aren't exaggerations....
Devs can do this because they know that they'll get Profit off it 100%
not you giving money to game stop for 5% off
you given them money for 40% off...

I mean think about it, the things you're supporting aren't Gamer, it's Gamestop itself...You know...that company that LITERALLY FORCES DEVELOPERS TO MAKE EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FROM THEIR GAMES FOR GAMESTOP IN *YOUR* EXPENSE.

Seriously, I mean I know we all already have our pitforks out, I did too...Then I started to think rationally...

and realized... Used games only benefits games stop and other co.
They take the money off it.
Developers don't see a dime of it.
How is this not clicking to anyone?

Just saying...

[BeZdaBest]

its both sides of the coin..

on one side yea gamestop is "hurting devs"
but on the other you have devs pumping mediocre titles left and right..high prices for games that dont add up to the cost(6-12 hours of gameplay at best)

(i personally have been buying games less and less because everthing is starting to seem the same...)

devs are trying to squeeze money out of anywhere, blame whoever they want for the game not selling

they keeping making these games with outrages budgets set high goals and get mad when it fails to meet them..maybe they should reevaluate..

once again its both side at fault..when i buy a game it should be mine and i should be able to do watever i want with it..

[Tewi-Inaba]

What exactly does "other you have devs pumping mediocre titles left and right..high prices"
Have to do with 'used games'
are you implying people buy shit games at full price without reading anything about it at all what so ever and retruning it to gamestop for 20% instore credit?

That's a lose lose situation right there.
If that game was not returnable, people would be more cautious, know it's a bad game because there's obviously a community based around these things, hell we're on one right this moment.
No, a game like that in a steam market would see 75% to 80% off in DAYS, don't think this happens?
You've never had Steam.

"devs are trying to squeeze money out of anywhere, blame whoever they want for the game not selling "
This falls in the same effect as what I've just explained, If devs (Like people who develop on the PC and Steam *assuming it doesn't get pirated lol*) get all the money*along with the publisher.....* and thus wouldn't need to "squeeze money" I.E Gamestop/BestBuy/WhatevertheF* ck - Exclusive Armor/Item/Levels

This topic shouldn't even BE an argument.
It should be about people looking at the big picture and moving away from the giant crowd saying DOWN WITH DEVELOPERS LONG LIVE GAMESTOP
because that's literally what you're doing

The thing that makes MSs decision shouldn't be about Used games it should be about Kinect and it's blatant Spying and destroying of a persons privacy

[BeZdaBest]

ill be playing alot of wiiu then...

to be honest i think the ps4 is going to implement something like this..

gaikai(cloud services) you already need to be always online..
there were the only one of the big three to use online passes..

so i expect something...and if its not true good...

[Saucyknight]

You have my vote for president!

[Mr Scooch]

I'm really quite confused by all the uproar over not being able to play used games. Don't get me wrong, I really hope that used games are able to be traded in, re-sold and played for a long time yet. But the main problem at the moment is that soon everything is going to end up being played via download. And when that happens it will kill the used game market as there will be nothing solid to be able to trade in.
It also makes the whole lending of games argument redundant as, again, there'll be nothing physical to lend. Gaming is going to change a lot with the new generation of consoles. Shops like Game (in the UK) will only have an online presence.
It does also beg the question of whether games that are available via download will end up costing less as there will be no production (physical) cost, no shipping cost and no store overheads for retailers. I'm sure we all know the answer to whether costs to the consumer will go down though!
I'm not happy that used games might possibly become a finished market, but on the other hand I'm also not happy with Game charging me £40 for a new game and offering £15 a couple of weeks later to only sell it on at £35. MS and PS have enough capital and interest in the market to end up giving gamers a better deal than that with digital games.
And one last thing, and I could be wrong here as I haven't played PC games for a long time, but don't they all come with registration codes that stop them being shared among multiple PCs? (I appreciate that pirating games on PC has a way around this, but if everybody ended up pirating every game then it would be the end of the industry completely).

[rainslacker]

The music industry started adopting DD about 15 years ago. It was only this past year where digital downloads of music surpassed physical CD's. Movies have seen a higher adoption rate in the form of streaming, but actual DD purchases are pretty low comparatively. It's hard to judge game DD sales, because those numbers are always lumped into all content(DLC, MT, phone games, full game purchases, etc). The infrastructure to support the console/PC digital game market still has a long way to go.

While one day DD may replace retail completely, we just aren't there yet, and I'd be surprised if we're there at the end of next gen.

DD may one day be the future, but this is the present. Either way, there are always going to be people that want physical. Even today people still buy vinyl records. Cartridges have come back in the form of memory sticks. Nothing is absolute.

Pushing this DD future on the consumer before they're ready is just bad business. The market itself has to decide when it's ready. If it were ready we wouldn't even see retail discs for next gen, but MS knows that people place value in those discs, or they don't have the means to download a huge game. But to put the DD restrictions on those discs goes against the first sale doctrine.

It's also hard to say what an all DD future will bring. Even now user rights have been decided for the EU gamer. There's nothing to assume that these issues won't become more prevalent as fewer choices become available. One day people are going to take notice, and it will steamroll into a consumer rights issue. Us gamers are just seeing it well ahead of the time we should.

[Mr Scooch]

I'm not sure I agree completely. It makes more sense for all the console manufacturers to start pushing DD as much as possible in that the overheads of everybody involved in production would go down with no physical production of goods.
You look at how far and how quickly the use of DLC has come around this generation. Everyone would have been hugely up in arms about it had people been made aware of how prevalent it is now when the PS3 and 360 was first launched, but now it's just a way of life.
Again, I hope they don't do away with discs. I much prefer having something physical (and that's without the benefit of being able to trade a game in after I've played it).
You also mention about people still buying vinyl... That is extremely specialist. In fact when was the last time you bought a CD? I know for me it's been a good few years as everything is handed to me via download.
I do agree, however, that the DD market isn't fully ready yet. But who knows what will happen with the introduction of the new consoles?

[Bhuahahaha]

like many others i will be just buying just 1 or 2games per month instead of 2-3 )cant sell my old games little money left to buy a new one.. (hard to earn money these days)
and certainly not gonna gamble to a new ip games

[MultiConsoleGamer]

It will push a large portion of gamers out of the market.

Unless they buy an old console or the Wii U.

[MAULxx]

I think there's another point to make. Some people like to keep they're systems & play them long after their generation.
When the xbone/PS4 days are over then those collections instantly disappear. All games you buy for the next consoles will be vaperware. At least on PC you can reinstall them long after you've replaced your hardware. Games tied to your account is accepted on PC but I think its unacceptable on console. Part of the essence of consoles are that you can pop in a game & play, no muss no fuss. How can they expect people to buy a console system in which they have removed the very things that make it great. I think being able to play offline is expected & a staple of a console... as is used games. As is the system working with just a controller plugged in.

[obesq]

im not buying ps4 , end of story

[hazelamy]

simply put, if publishers need to violate my legally defined rights to be profitable, then they should just go out of business.
sorry if that's harsh for people working in the industry.
but i'm not going to give up my rights so your bosses can get their million dollar bonuses.

there's clearly something wrong with the way they do business if they can't make a profit within the framework of the law.

[SITH]

If used games are blocked, bye gamefly account.

[DevilishSix]

No more sharing between friends and family. But most importantly there would be no retro gaming years down the road on systems that block used games so those consoles in a sense would have no history.

[Thatlalala]

"The fact of the matter is a purchase of a video game whether it be DIGITAL or PHYSICAL has officially become the property of the consumer"

Nah, read your "Terms of Use" For PSN on LIVE, technically you own nothing, you have the right to play it, but they have the right to take it away at any time. Ask GeoHot, and failoverflow.

[SonyPS4]

People will be throwing their entire console and games collection into the garbage after the companies cut support, resulting in rendering all consoles and games into paperweight. More environmental waste, just as needed.

[SpinalRemains]

Its going to redefine the terms of a transaction and other media will follow suit if they can.

In short, it is a massive ordeal and we should resist to its overlords 120%.

[cunnilumpkin]

"What Happens if We Allow Used Games to be Blocked?"

"WE" won't decide anything

"you" won't "allow" anything

it will happen or it won't, you have ZERO say

sure you can "vote with your wallet"

but the mindless masses will flock to it regardless of drm policies for that sweet sweet "call of doot doot"

you, dear hardcore gamer, are no longer the target audience of any game making company besides a few indies and hardcore pc devs, other than that, pfffffff, we want them soccer mommies!!!

[S2Killinit]

gamers are the one's who get screwed the most.

[muffinbutton]

My friend and i would purposely buy different games and we would always swap games. now i might be forced to experience less games.

[Panthers]

If this existed when I was a kid, I would have never bought Gran Tourismo, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, and many others. I rented all of these games first.

Game rentals are huge for trying out a game before buying. Especially since a game can be a large investment for some.

[JeepGamer]

I would much rather see the money go back to the game companies than places like Gamestop but I don't see a feasible way to do it.

[swice]

GameStop will become Nintendo/Last-GenStop

[TBONEJF]

Another reason not too buy the XBOX ONE. and if they DO BLOCKED USED GAME ITS BAD FOR BUSINESS

[Decaf_PIxel_Kat]

I truly hope it doesn't come to this. I recently let a friend borrow the new Tomb Raider game and convinced her and her boyfriend to purchase the title. They were both skeptical of the direction the franchise was taking and wouldn't have given it a shot otherwise. I hope that developers and publishers realize how many customers they gain by allowing games to be shared.