On: Used Video Games Are Good For The Industry (It's J...

[Radix]

I've heard negative reactions from game developers before and think they should pay more for popular used games, so I'm not surprised by this. On the Dawdle blog there is this post which links to a Penny Arcade comic which shows this seems to be an on-going thing. http://blog.dawdle.com/2009/03/why-penny-arcade-is-wrong-abo...

I found this post from Dave Perry which I think sums up why the developer feel slighted by Game Stop. I sympathise with them. If Perry is right they'll begin pushing things like Steam and sharing profits directly with MS and Sony for downloads. I prefer hard copies though.

http://www.dperry.com/archives/news/dp_blog/used_game_night/

It's a short post so I won't excerpt.

[Tichy → Radix]

I must admit that I don't understand the issue. Why is it OK if users sell games, but not OK if shops sell used games (as dperry writes). I don't get it.

[Radix → Tichy]

I can only tell it from my perspective, that is, why I am wary of Gamestop whenever I hear a developer complain. There are two reasons.

1. As I said. I feel Gamestop should make a better offer for poplular used games that they resell, or sell them for less than they do. I have seen very popular games go for a measly $5 less. But, of course I can't do anything more than choose not to trade with them.

2. I feel a certain loyalty to developer that make games that I like. I want them to make as much of the money I spend as possible. The same as I want my favorite music artist to make as much money as possible and only want there lable to make what is absolutely necessary. The team creating the game is where everything of value comes from and if GameStop is, as Perry suggests, doing everything they can to keep used games being sold at a higher rate than new games while the developers "pay to put standees and posters everywhere" then I reason they are damaging the bottom line for the developers.

If I haven't been able to express my point of view adequately in this post then I need more practice writing and it is probably to subtle an issue to matter. Competition and technology will eventually sort things out.