How is buying preowned games considered as supporting the companies?

[quote name='dmaul1114']1. Some come from leaks.

2. A pirated game put on a torrent is going to be used by a LOT more people than any one copy of a game that was legally bought and then sold use. It will eventually get grabbed by someone who's a packrat and keeps every game they buy.

Where say one person buys the game puts it, then tons of other people steal from that copy. Then some of those people put up torrents of their own etc. So the pirated copy reaches a ton more people than the copy that was played and then sold/traded in.[/QUOTE]
That doesn't negate my statement. I was simply saying the original can come from someone purchasing a copy as well which seemed to be a point he was trying to use for used games.

More people getting it, etc. is a different issue that I was not and am not addressing.
 
I think some people touched on it already. Used games will only force publishers to create games that aren't going to be out of date and disposable once complete. This means that they are being forced to create not games but services as Valve's Gabe Newell put it. If publishers aren't willing to adapt to the market and consumer demands then why should I care about paying full price for a game that has no replay value?
 
[quote name='crystalklear64']That doesn't negate my statement. I was simply saying the original can come from someone purchasing a copy as well which seemed to be a point he was trying to use for used games.

More people getting it, etc. is a different issue that I was not and am not addressing.[/QUOTE]

That's fine. But there's no point in only addressing part of the issues when discussing something. The whole picture is what matters.

Piracy is far more damaging to publishers that used games, and the issue you and he didn't bring up is the reason why.
 
if you buy a game you can do what you want to with it. if the game companies have a problem with people trading in games or buying used games they need to cut deals with the stores to get some of that action.


like enough people have said game prices are too high and not everyone can afford to buy new games. i dont think comparing buying used games to piracy is accurate though. another way to get around both is going to a strictly dl format. i dont see that happening anytime soon but if they made dls alot cheaper than the disk format ( say 30 for a dl vs 60 for a disk) more people may go to dls.

or go a step further maybe game companies should give people incentive to send their games to the companies ( maybe a 20 to 30 dollar discount on a future purchase) that way gamers wouldnt trade them into gamestop if they knew they could get half the value back towards a future purchase. and they could take the used game clean it up, repackage it and sell it new.
 
[quote name='Oktoberfest']has that ever happened? where there are absolutely no used copies of a game that you can easily buy new?[/quote]

Did you actually try to find a used copy of Barbie Horse Adventures used? No, I didn't think so.
 
[quote name='lokizz']ianother way to get around both is going to a strictly dl format. i dont see that happening anytime soon but if they made dls alot cheaper than the disk format ( say 30 for a dl vs 60 for a disk) more people may go to dls.
[/QUOTE]

Download only is a long ways off in the US since Broadband penetration is still pretty low. Could happen in Japan sooner.

And you should check the shift button on your keyboard, I think it's broken. :D
 
With various ISP's in the states testing it and many ISP's around the world already having implemented it, video game d/l service isn't going to happen with the d/l caps being placed on users.
 
[quote name='johnnypark']Strictly from the perspective of supporting a publisher/developer, I don't see a difference between used games and pirated games. They get zero dollars, period.[/QUOTE]

There is no way a developer or publisher could ever say buying used games is the same as pirating. They still don't make any extra money off the sale of a new game, it is the retailers that bite the bullet (which is why it becomes clearance instead of say a pennied item that they get reimbursed for such as a strategy guide). Once the retailer has paid for X amount of games, that buying new to support the publisher theory goes right out the window since they have been paid already. Therefore it makes no difference if it was bought new or used other than their "retail sale numbers" in which case I am sure if that was the issue, they would require game stores such as gamestop to provide them with used sales #'s as well.

Pirating on the other hand is totally different. Maybe 1 person buys it early and leaks it, otherwise it was an angry employee or something along those lines that leak the game. No one gets paid more than once for that and multiple people get to play it without any money going to a company. The issue with this is that even if you are buying used games, you are paying say gamestop $50 for that used game. Gamestop in turn is going to use that money to purchase more items (new and used) in order to bring in more business and get their used sales up for their profit. If someone is pirating that, these companies that depend on those types of sales lose out on money and are forced to cut back on the amount of games they purchase from the developer which in turn hurts them as well.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Yeah, but I imagine it's an ongoing game of cat and mouse.

They figure something out, MS detects it and bans machines and that modded machines. They change the modding again and are safe for a while etc.

Really just doesn't seem worth the effort. Just use Goozex and other ways to get games cheaply.[/quote]

You seem to miss the point about pirating mainly being they don't want to spend any money on purchasing games. The effort is worth it to them since they'll get "free" games.
 
I agree with most of your points. Gamers complain and compain about getting screwed by retailers both on and offline but still continue to buy their games there, sometimes paying in the triple digits for special editions or bundles. Consumers are just proving that there is a moveable ceiling for what they will pay.

That being said, I think this will all be a moot point soon once it all moves to digital download.

[quote name='Esoteria']Remember that CAG.com is a somewhat isolated community. We are mostly legitimate buyers unwilling to pay full price. This means we're as a whole not supportive of piracy, nor $60 per game. That said, I support used games sales, and here's why (many of them already mentioned):
1) Used games don't just materialize. They were once new games.
2) Used games are purchased by people that wouldn't buy them new, even if used weren't available, usually in the case of buyer uncertainty regarding the game's quality.
3) Remember that the video game industry is, in fact, and industry, and that you can't completely separate its components. When GameStop does well, GameStop buys more games, which in turn means profit for distributor, publisher, and developer.
4) Because of this, any activity related to games (used at GS, used on eBay, new, etc) ultimately means more profit for the ENTIRE industry indirectly. Used activity is better than no activity.
5) As mentioned, consumers venturing on used games turns into brand, dev, and publisher recognition (as well as store loyalty). For instance, had I not bought Devil May Cry 1 and 3 used, I may never have bought DMC4 at all. And I would not have bought DMC1/3 new (partly because it would not have even been available). Anyone in marketing can tell you that brand recognition of any sort is an EXTREMLY important factor in sales. It cannot be underestimated. Imagine what fraction of sales BioWare would've seen on Knights of the Old Republic if it weren't a Star Wars game.
6) Also as mentioned, it is not the consumer's responsibility to act in the dev/pub's interest. A publisher shall request nothing from the consumer and thank him or her when they do support them. This is basic marketing and basic customer service. If a business is begging you to help them by acting outside your own financial and entertainment interests, they are not good businessmen and are probably throwing away what profits you did provide them with by using other poor business practices.
6b) With the above said, it is reasonable to direct your finances such that they profit your business of choice. Given similar price tags, it makes sense to choose the purchase option that profits the developer (e.g. don't buy a used game at $55 instead of a new one at $60).
6c) (rant) I'm sick of bleeding heart gamers talking about "support support support!" If a developer can't provide you with entertainment for a reasonable price now, why on EARTH would you throw more money at them so that they'll gouge you again later? (Certain anime DVD prices come to mind). Instead, promote the general purchase of your favorite game, not buying it new or from a certain place. More sales is still more sales. It's not like the publishers don't know how well a game does post-production.
7) Reducing or eliminating used game sales would not significantly decrease the cost of a new game. Prior to used game sales popularity, rentals were much more popular. Game rentals are still pretty popular today, and devs/pubs/dists support rentals because it's profitable.[/quote]
 
[quote name='Esoteria']6b) With the above said, it is reasonable to direct your finances such that they profit your business of choice. Given similar price tags, it makes sense to choose the purchase option that profits the developer (e.g. don't buy a used game at $55 instead of a new one at $60).[/quote]

That's only if you feel like you need to "support" a developer. As you yourself said, an individual only needs to consider their own circumstances. That five bucks (10 with EDGE ;)) could be used for something else the buyer holds in higher regard than the developer.

What I expect the publishers to do, in lieu of digital distribution is to soon mark all their games "not for resale". Sure, EBstop currently disregards the few titles with those labels now, but if it becomes an industry standard perhaps the publishers can make a bigger stink about it, forcing EBStop et al. to capitulate into some sort of revenue sharing agreement. Something like a few percentage points on each sale.

I see this happening long before DD becomes the only way you can get a game (at least here in the US).
 
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