[quote name='sciafb']Wrong.
Used games help and continue people playing games when they aren't buying new ones.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='hagaf22']Right just like used cars, used books, and anything else used you can pick up at a pawn shop/goodwill etc. Dev's can lick me. If they want me to buy new ensure its something I desperately want. Many games aren't worth the 60 buck price tag.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='ijustw1n']$60 is way overpriced for the majority of releases. They priced themselves into the creation of secondary market.[/QUOTE]
LOL, so many of you nubs have no friggin' clue WTF you're talking about.
The developers don't set the prices. The PUBLISHERS do. MOST publishers don't give a crap about (non-first party) developers. They try to keep their games at as high of a price for as long as possible, even if it screws the developers. Developers usually have no say whatsoever about the price point of their games. They are at the mercy of the publishers that funds the development of their games. It's a similar situation with musicians and record labels...
Oh, and in case some of you are too young or too dumb to remember, it was Microsoft that started the whole $60 for new games trend. Before Xbox 360 (games) came out, all brand new video games were $40 - $50. You want to blame the high prices of new games on someone? Blame M$ and greedy publishers, NOT the developers.
I agree a large majority of games aren't worth $60. However, the cost of producing games these days have skyrocketed, especially AAA titles. The gaming industry is screwed up... with the used games market (us included) being part of the problem. I personally try my best to not buy used games, even if I have to wait months after the release to purchase a game new at a dropped price point. But sometimes it's unavoidable and I resort to buying used games from Gamefly because I'm not rich. At least Gamefly bought the games new and already gave money to the publishers / developers.
[quote name='cancerman1120']This is not really 100% true. In fact I would argue used games help many developers sell new games. Especially in the cases of sequels. I did not buy Gears of War 1 or 2 new but I loved them so much I had to buy GOW3 day 1. If I never had the chance to buy the first 2 cheap I may have never even thought of buying the third new. Same goes for games like Saints Row...I am sure many people picked up the earlier games used and now are ready to buy the third one new on day one. Used games have their place in the industry. It is when people buy a game used for $54.99 just to save $5 that hurts the industry. I would also argue some games should not be $60 new from the get go and thus used sales thrive for those games. Deus Ex is a perfect example of how reducing the price can drive new sales while keeping used sales at bay. I am sure they sold more copies new with their strategy than keeping a high price for too long forcing people to buy used.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='V3rtigo']And used games help the industry by opening people up to new games. I bought Portal 2 new as a result of enjoying Portal used. I wouldnt have bought either new if I wasnt able to sample it for cheaper.[/QUOTE]
This is the only valid, positive (for developers, at least) argument for used games. But again, the developers and publishers get no cut of the profit of used game purchases. Only the middlemen (Gamestop/EB, Best Buy, Amazon, now Walmart, etc.) get any of the profit in used game sales. Of course flippers do too. Point is, the money doesn't go back to the publishers, who finance the developers so they can make more / better games.